Vocational.uk The route, drawn out

Engineering & Manufacturing

Welder

Join metal by hand to a standard that can be X-rayed — a skill that travels worldwide and pays for it.

High demand Can go self-employed Level 2 apprenticeship
Typical pay once qualified
£32,000 – £55,000
Training length
1.5 years
Apprenticeship standard
General welder (arc processes)
Where to train
273 providers listed

The route, drawn out

DWG 508F · 5 stops · 1.5 years to qualify
  1. Day one Start as an apprentice from £15.6k
  2. Year 2 Training continues, pay rises min. £21.2k+
  3. 1.5 years Fully qualified around £32k
  4. +3–5 years Experienced up to £55k
  5. Then Your own business you set the rate

The first figures are legal minimums: the apprentice rate (£8.00/hr) and the National Minimum Wage for 18–20s and 21+ from April 2026, on a 37.5-hour week. Qualified and experienced pay are indicative UK ranges — most employers pay apprentices above the minimum.

What the job is

Welding is a genuine craft: the difference between a weld that passes inspection and one that does not is in your hands. You will learn processes — MIG, MMA (stick), TIG — and materials, positions and codes.

Coded welders (tested and certified to a specific procedure) earn significantly more, and the work covers fabrication shops, shipyards, pipelines, power stations and site work. It is one of the few trades where a qualified person can genuinely work in any country in the world.

A typical day

  • Read welding symbols, drawings and procedure specifications
  • Prepare, set up and tack joints accurately
  • Weld in multiple positions using MIG, MMA or TIG
  • Inspect your own welds and correct defects
  • Work safely with fume extraction, hot work permits and PPE

How you get in

  • No formal qualifications needed for most level 2 apprenticeships
  • Good eyesight, steady hands and patience
  • Aptitude tests are common — they check coordination, not academics
  • Site work needs a CSCS card; some sectors require medicals

Where it leads

  • Coding tests in specific processes and materials — each code is a pay rise
  • Multi-positional and pipe welding (level 3)
  • Welding inspection (CSWIP) and quality roles
  • Self-employed contract welding, including overseas contracts

Where to train for this

273 colleges and training providers on our list cover Welder training. Open your region to see them, then check current intakes with the provider directly.

East Midlands 15
East of England 17
London 17
North East 16
North West 32
South East 27
South West 20
UK-wide 29
West Midlands 26
Yorkshire and the Humber 22
East Scotland 6
North Scotland 7
West Scotland 9
North Wales 3
South Wales 11
West Wales 2
Northern Ireland 11
Channel Islands 2
Isle of Man 1

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