Abstract
Since its foundation in 1948, IIW has been involved in numerous activities with outcomes which are able to significantly improve the quality of life of people through the optimum use of welding technology. In 1996, as an outcome of a meeting with UNIDO in 1994, the IIW Board of Directors Working Group Regional Activities and Liaison with Developing Countries (WGRA), introduced the unique IIW WeldCare Programme to assist developing countries to improve their national welding capabilities particularly through the establishment and/or growth of a not-for-profit national welding organisation. Since then, IIW WGRA has assisted many countries freely through the holding of IIW technology innovation workshops, governance workshops and International Congresses as well as providing them with information, experiences and documentation on successful NWC activities particularly from experiences in South Africa, Australia and globally. In 2013, as part of the IIW WeldCare Programme, IIW WGRA created a project “Establishing a National Welding Capability (NWC)”. Several very successful NWC workshops have been held since then and 10 IIW Guidance Notes (GNs) are now being produced to assist not only developing countries but also developed countries which could utilise them to improve their national welding capabilities. The paper focuses on explaining the reasons for, and huge significance of, this IIW project, its progress, expected outcomes and in particular the 10 IIW Guidance Notes as NWC Building Blocks. IIW members will be given the opportunity to become involved and contribute their experiences, successes, information and documentation freely to be used in the IIW Guidance Notes for the benefit of all.
Key-words:
National Welding Capability (NWC); Guidance Note (GN)