AWS Training Courses: Welding Classes, Skills & Certification
AWS training courses provide welding education for beginners, working welders, inspectors, supervisors, educators, and other industry professionals. The American Welding Society currently offers self-paced online courses, live instructor-led programs, in-person seminars, and blended learning options covering subjects from welding fundamentals to inspection, codes, safety, and certification preparation.
Choosing the right course depends on what you want to do next. Someone entering the welding field needs a different type of education from an experienced welder preparing for the Certified Welding Inspector exam. An instructor developing a welding program has different needs again.
It is also important to separate AWS education from AWS certification. A training course can teach technical knowledge and prepare you for an examination, but completing that course does not automatically award every related professional certification. AWS certifications have their own eligibility, examination, or performance-test requirements.
What Are AWS Training Courses?
AWS training courses are educational programs offered or supported by the American Welding Society for people at different stages of a welding career.
The current AWS education system includes four major delivery formats:
- In-person training
- Online instructor-led training
- Self-paced online courses
- Dual-format learning
AWS states that its education offerings range from beginner-level subjects to certification preparation and professional development.
This means “AWS training” does not refer to one specific welding class. It can describe a fundamentals course, an inspection seminar, a code clinic, instructor training, or another specialized technical program.
Are AWS Training Courses the Same as AWS Certifications?
No.
A training course develops knowledge or prepares a participant for a particular job function or examination.
A professional certification requires the candidate to meet the requirements of the relevant AWS certification program.
For example, a person can take CWI exam-preparation training without automatically becoming a Certified Welding Inspector. CWI candidates must satisfy the applicable eligibility requirements and pass the required examination components. AWS currently identifies Parts A, B, and C as the three CWI examination areas.
The Certified Welder program works differently. It is performance based: the candidate demonstrates welding ability by producing a weld to an approved Welding Procedure Specification and having the test evaluated under the program requirements.
Keeping this distinction clear prevents a common mistake—assuming a course completion certificate is the same thing as a professional welding certification.
Who Should Take AWS Welding Courses?
AWS education is designed for a broad range of welding professionals and students.
Depending on the course, participants may include:
- Beginning welding students
- Apprentices
- Production welders
- Welding inspectors
- Welding engineers
- Welding supervisors
- Welding educators
- Quality-control personnel
- Fabrication professionals
AWS Welding Fundamentals I, for example, is specifically designed for people who are new to welding or have limited experience, while CWI preparation is aimed at professionals pursuing welding-inspection credentials.
Self-Paced AWS Online Welding Courses
Self-paced learning is useful for people who need to study around work, school, or shift schedules.
AWS currently offers more than 40 self-paced online options, with courses accessible through internet-enabled devices. The catalog includes technical subjects, professional development, and material aligned with AWS standards and certifications.
Self-paced courses can be particularly useful for studying theory such as:
- Welding fundamentals
- Welding symbols
- Metallurgy
- Destructive and nondestructive testing
- WPS and PQR concepts
- Welding economics
- Safety
- Code navigation
Some AWS online courses also award professional development hours or continuing education units when their requirements are completed.
AWS Welding Fundamentals Training
For someone building technical knowledge from the beginning, Welding Fundamentals is one of the most logical AWS courses to consider.
AWS Welding Fundamentals I covers subjects including:
- Welding terminology
- Common welding processes
- Weld design
- Welding safety
- Electrical theory
- Weldability of metals
- Welding quality control
The course is designed for beginners as well as students, apprentices, and professionals who want stronger foundational knowledge. AWS currently lists it as an approximately 14-hour self-paced program.
This type of online course is useful for theory, but it should not be confused with hands-on welding-booth training. Developing manual welding skill still requires practical experience with actual equipment.
AWS Certified Welding Inspector Training
Certified Welding Inspector preparation is one of the best-known areas of AWS professional education.
The CWI examination currently has three major parts:
- Part A — Fundamentals
- Part B — Practical
- Part C — Code Book
Candidates pursuing CWI certification need to meet AWS eligibility requirements in addition to passing the required examinations.
Part A – Fundamentals
Part A preparation develops the technical background needed for inspection work.
Subjects can include welding processes, metallurgy, inspection principles, welding symbols, discontinuities, testing, and other fundamentals.
AWS currently offers an 80-hour online fundamentals preparation program associated with CWI exam preparation.
Part B – Practical Training
Part B focuses much more heavily on practical inspection.
The current AWS Part B in-person seminar lasts three days and includes:
- Book of Specifications review
- WPS and PQR application
- Inspection tools
- Weld replicas
- Practical measurements
- A timed practice examination
The goal is to prepare candidates for the practical portion of the CWI examination rather than teach production welding technique.
Part C – Code Book
Part C evaluates the candidate’s ability to work with the selected code book.
Good preparation involves more than memorizing individual rules. Candidates need to be comfortable locating clauses, tables, figures, definitions, and requirements efficiently.
AWS also offers self-paced Code Clinic training designed to improve code-book navigation and preparation for code-related certification exams.
AWS Online CWI Seminar
Candidates who prefer live instruction without attending a traditional classroom can consider AWS’s online instructor-led CWI preparation.
The current 8-Week Online CWI Seminar uses interactive two-hour sessions with an AWS instructor and is structured to prepare participants for all three portions of the examination. AWS currently limits this particular online seminar to U.S. participants.
This format can work well for professionals who prefer instructor interaction but need study distributed over several weeks instead of a condensed seminar.
AWS In-Person CWI Training
AWS also provides an intensive in-person CWI seminar.
The program combines certification preparation with instructor interaction and practical inspection work. AWS’s current course materials identify the online fundamentals program and Part B practical seminar as important parts of the preparation pathway.
An in-person format may suit candidates who prefer concentrated study and direct access to instructors, inspection tools, and practical materials.
Welding Educator Training
AWS training is not limited to welders and inspectors.
The organization also provides programs for welding instructors and educators.
Train the Trainer
AWS’s current Train the Trainer Welding Educator Program is an approximately 40-hour, week-long program combining classroom instruction with hands-on shop work.
Topics include:
- Welding safety
- Teaching strategies
- Lesson planning
- Curriculum development
- Welding symbols
- Weld inspection
- Performance-test preparation
- SMAW
- FCAW
- GMAW
- GTAW
The program is designed for both new and experienced instructors who want to improve technical teaching and program development.
Certified Welding Educator
AWS also maintains the Certified Welding Educator, or CWE, professional credential.
CWE is separate from simply attending an educator-training course. The certification has its own eligibility and examination requirements and is aimed at welding instructors and experienced welding professionals moving into education.
What Is AWS SENSE Training?
SENSE is often mentioned alongside AWS welding education, but it is important to understand what it actually is.
SENSE is not one specific welding class. AWS describes it as a set of minimum standards and guidelines that educators can use to build welding-training curricula.
SENSE can help schools and training organizations structure subjects, assessments, and performance expectations for welding students.
It also differs from the AWS Certified Welder program. SENSE uses a broader combination of knowledge examinations and practical assessments, while Certified Welder certification focuses on a practical welding performance test to a specified WPS.
AWS Certified Welder Preparation
AWS does not require one specific school or training path before a person can pursue Certified Welder certification.
AWS states that candidates may develop their skills through welding school, technical college, apprenticeship, military training, or on-the-job experience. The important requirement is successfully completing the applicable welding performance test.
Preparation for that test may involve:
- Joint fit-up
- Welding positions
- WPS compliance
- Process-specific technique
- Defect control
- Test-coupon practice
This is a good example of the difference between learning and being tested. AWS education can support skill development, but the certification is earned through the required performance evaluation.
AWS Code and Standards Training
Experienced welding professionals often need more than process knowledge. They need to understand the codes used in fabrication and inspection.
AWS offers code-oriented training such as the D1.1 Code Clinic, which focuses on navigating the Structural Welding Code—Steel and finding applicable clauses, tables, and figures efficiently.
Code courses can be useful for:
- Inspectors
- Supervisors
- Engineers
- Quality personnel
- Certification candidates
They should be taken using the code edition appropriate to the examination or work being performed.
WPS and PQR Training
Welding Procedure Specifications and Procedure Qualification Records appear frequently in inspection, supervision, engineering, and quality work.
AWS currently offers a dedicated self-paced WPS/PQR Explained course. It introduces WPSs, PQRs, welder qualification records, and related documents in a structured format.
This type of course can be particularly useful for welders moving into inspection or supervision because it helps connect hands-on production with welding documentation.
AWS Safety in Welding Training
Safety is another area where AWS offers stand-alone education.
The current AWS Safety in Welding online course covers hazards such as:
- Radiation exposure
- Electrical shock
- Fire
- Toxic fumes
- PPE
- Safe welding practices
AWS currently makes the basic course available free, with a paid option for participants who want associated continuing-education credit.
Safety education is useful at every career level, from a first-year welding student to an instructor or supervisor responsible for other workers.
AWS Online Educational Library
Organizations that need training for multiple employees or students can also use the AWS Online Educational Library.
AWS describes the library as a subscription-based collection of online welding courses that can support corporate programs, schools, apprenticeships, blended learning, and other training systems.
Subjects currently represented include welding fundamentals, safety, metallurgy, testing, welding symbols, fabrication math, welding economics, and WPS/PQR concepts.
This can be more useful to an institution than purchasing unrelated courses one student at a time.
How Long Do AWS Training Courses Take?
There is no standard AWS course length.
Current examples show how much programs can differ:
- Welding Fundamentals I — approximately 14 hours
- CWI Part B in-person training — three days
- Train the Trainer — approximately 40 hours over a week
- Online CWI seminar — eight weeks
The correct duration depends on the subject, delivery format, and amount of preparation required.
Hands-on welding skill development may require much more practice than an online theory course.
How Much Do AWS Training Courses Cost?
AWS course prices vary substantially according to the program, membership status, course format, materials, and whether an examination package is included.
For example, AWS currently lists different member and nonmember prices for Welding Fundamentals and CWI Part B training.
Because fees can change, prospective students should check the current AWS course page or official program price list immediately before registering rather than relying on an older article or screenshot.
How to Choose the Right AWS Training Course
The best course is the one that matches the job skill or credential you actually need.
If you are new to welding, Welding Fundamentals and SENSE-aligned practical education can provide a stronger starting point.
If you want to become a welding inspector, CWI fundamentals, Part B practical preparation, and code-book study are more relevant.
If you teach welding, Train the Trainer, SENSE resources, and the CWE pathway deserve attention.
If you work in quality, supervision, or engineering, courses covering codes, WPS/PQR documentation, inspection, metallurgy, and production issues may provide more value than introductory welding theory.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Are AWS Training Courses?
AWS training courses are welding-education and professional-development programs offered by the American Welding Society. Current options include self-paced online courses, instructor-led online learning, in-person seminars, and dual-format programs.
Is AWS Welding Training Available Online?
Yes. AWS currently offers both self-paced online courses and live instructor-led online training. Self-paced options cover more than 40 subjects and can be accessed through internet-enabled devices.
Does AWS Offer Beginner Welding Courses?
Yes. Welding Fundamentals I is specifically intended for beginners and people with limited welding experience. It covers welding processes, terminology, safety, weld design, electrical theory, weldability, and quality control.
What Is the Best AWS Course for CWI Preparation?
There is no single option for every candidate. AWS offers fundamentals preparation, Part B practical training, code-oriented learning, an in-person CWI seminar, and an eight-week online seminar. The best combination depends on which parts of the CWI exam require the most preparation.
What Is AWS SENSE?
SENSE is AWS’s framework of minimum standards and guidelines for developing welding education programs. It is not simply one online welding course.
Does AWS Offer Instructor Training?
Yes. AWS currently offers Train the Trainer for welding educators and maintains the Certified Welding Educator credential for eligible professionals.
Does Completing an AWS Course Make You AWS Certified?
Not automatically. Course completion documents education, while professional certifications have separate requirements. CWI involves certification examinations, and Certified Welder requires a performance-based welding test.
Do AWS Courses Offer CEUs or PDHs?
Many AWS education programs offer Professional Development Hours or Continuing Education Units, but the amount depends on the specific course. Participants should verify the current course details before enrolling.
Conclusion
AWS training courses provide multiple education paths for people entering welding as well as experienced professionals advancing into inspection, supervision, education, quality, and other technical roles. Current options include welding fundamentals, CWI preparation, safety education, code training, WPS/PQR instruction, educator development, and SENSE-based resources.
The most important step is choosing training according to your actual goal. A beginner may need foundational theory plus substantial hands-on practice, while an experienced inspector candidate may need focused CWI and code preparation.
Training and certification should also remain separate in your planning. An AWS course can build knowledge and prepare you for the next step, but earning a professional AWS credential requires meeting the requirements of that specific certification program. Since schedules, prices, course formats, and certification requirements can change, candidates should verify the current AWS information before registering.
