The full form of CSWIP is Certification Scheme for Welding and Inspection Personnel.

CSWIP is a world leader in personnel competence assurance certification with over 60,000 certified individuals worldwide.

CSWIP provides internationally recognised, role-specific competence for people engaged in welding, joining, materials integrity and inspection in manufacturing, construction, operation or repair of high integrity structures, plant or machinery. CSWIP certification schemes are UKAS-accredited to ISO/IEC 17024, the international standard for personnel certification.

What does CSWIP stand for?

Originally, it stood for ‘Certification Scheme for Welding Inspection Personnel’. However, over the years, a wider range of schemes has been added to the programme, NDT being one of these and therefore ‘Certification Scheme for Personnel’ is now the generic title for the range of schemes.

TWI Training and Examination Services offers a wide range of generic CSWIP NDT courses in all methods, all of which are accredited to BS EN ISO 9712. In addition, and of significance to many of our customers, is the CSWIP ‘Employer Specific Certification,’ which is also accredited to BS EN ISO 9712. The employer specific scheme is driven by the inspection procedure and as such is specific to an NDT application or range of applications, which the operator is then certified to carry out. The training, examination, experience and competencies required are agreed between the customer and ATO/AQB, and in accordance with the minimum requirements of the scheme document.

A company opting for the ‘Employer Specific’ route can be supported through our independent Level 3 services, and is also subject to third party audit, and therefore has the same credibility and integrity as any of the generic BS EN ISO 9712 certifications. The benefit for our customers, is that their investment in training is somewhat protected; as the operator’s certification terminates if they leave that company, and therefore this should improve staff retention.

Relied upon for over 50 years, CSWIP is a dependable source of assurance for the role-specific knowledge and skill required of industry personnel.

Recognised as a benchmark by which to distinguish the competences of personnel; the CSWIP priority is to ensure the integrity of its certification and its certificate holders.

Established in 1969 as the Certification Scheme for Weldment Inspection Personnel, CSWIP provided a standardised approval of proficiency. Commencing with an assessment of the proficiency of ultrasonic inspection personnel, and then adding radiography, CSWIP rapidly gained nationwide recognition and acceptance by industry as assurance of inspector competence. With broad industry stakeholder engagement and strict adherence to the requirements of standards, the quality and reliability of CSWIP led to employers and their customers specifying it as a prerequisite for inspectors. The CSWIP certificate was established as a valued possession.

Since the certification of the first 24 ultrasonic inspectors in 1969, the CSWIP name has gone from strength to strength and even had two name changes! No longer only nationally recognised as one of the highest standards in personnel competence assurance, the CSWIP brand recognition has stretched across the globe, with over 40,000 certified individuals worldwide. As the welding world evolved, so did the CSWIP title. Firstly changing from ‘Weldment Inspection Personnel’ to ‘Welding and Inspection Personnel’, then in 2006, CSWIP took on its latest meaning and became the ‘Certification Scheme for Personnel’.

As new technologies emerged and the need for third-party competence assurance grew, so did the CSWIP portfolio. Now providing certification for personnel engaged in welding, joining, materials integrity and inspection in manufacturing, construction, operation and repair of high integrity structures, plant and machinery; the CSWIP brand has earned its reputation as one of the most reliable personnel certification schemes in the world.

CSWIP certification schemes are UKAS-accredited to ISO/IEC 17024, the international standard for personnel certification. The CSWIP certificates support compliance with customer requirements, standards and regulations, and provide assurance to employers that personnel are competent and can deliver the job role. The CSWIP schemes are provided by TWI Certification Ltd (TWI CL), a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Welding Institute, formed in 1993 to exemplify the independence and impartiality required to deliver certification in accordance with international standards. TWI CL develops and implements certification schemes, approves training courses and authorises assessment to satisfy industry needs. These activities are performed under the stakeholder governance of the Certification Management Board. TWI CL understands the importance of impartiality in carrying out its certification activities, managing conflict of interest and ensuring the objectivity of all certification decisions. CSWIP provides client confidence and industry compliance on a worldwide scale.