AWS CWSCertified Welding Supervisor
Lead welding operations with confidence. Improve productivity. Ensure quality. The AWS credential for the person who runs the welding operation rather than the individual weld.
- Internationally recognised
- Globally accepted credential in welding supervision
- Enhance your career
- Higher responsibilities and leadership roles
- Quality & safety
- Produce safe, code-compliant, high-quality welds
- Professional respect
- Trusted by employers, peers and customers
- Improved productivity
- Better output and lower cost on the shop floor
// Overview
What is AWS-CWS?
The AWS Certified Welding Supervisor (CWS) certification is one of the most respected international credentials for professionals responsible for managing welding production, improving operational efficiency, maintaining quality, reducing costs and ensuring workplace safety.
At WeldFab Tech we help welding professionals prepare for the American Welding Society (AWS) Certified Welding Supervisor certification through industry-oriented training delivered by experienced international faculty and welding experts.
Whether you are supervising fabrication shops, pressure vessel manufacturing, shipbuilding, heavy engineering, oil & gas projects or structural steel fabrication, this programme equips you with the leadership and technical skills required to manage successful welding operations.
The CWS is a different credential from the CWI with its own examination and its own governing standards, not a step on the same ladder. Many shops hold both, doing different jobs.
Benefits of AWS-CWS certification
An AWS Certified Welding Supervisor gains recognition for competence in welding supervision and management. Certification supports career growth by validating expertise across the operation, and is recognised globally in manufacturing, construction, energy, shipbuilding and fabrication.
Internationally recognised credential
Proves competence in welding supervision
Qualifies you to supervise to AWS D1.1 and other codes
Production and cost management
Quality management and assurance
Improved productivity on the shop floor
Safety management and compliance
Team leadership and manufacturing excellence
Increased employability
Builds customer confidence in your company
Opens supervisory and leadership roles
A strong step towards CWI and advanced credentials
Why choose WeldFab Tech
WeldFab Tech works only in welding and fabrication. Our CWS programme is taught by experienced international faculty against the AWS body of knowledge, with the application and documentation handled alongside the training.
- Experienced international faculty
- Industry-oriented, shop-floor training
- Eligibility assessment before you apply
- Application and documentation support
- Mock examinations and practice papers
- Open-book technique and reference drills
- Classroom, live online and hybrid batches
- Corporate and group programmes
- Personalised mentoring throughout
- Post-training and renewal guidance
Who can apply
The CWS suits anyone accountable for welding output rather than for a single weld:
- Welding Supervisors & Foremen
- Welders Moving Into Supervision
- Quality Control / QA-QC Professionals
- Engineers & Technicians in Welding
- Fabrication & Production Managers
- Welding Coordinators
- Shop Floor In-Charges
- Anyone Responsible for Welding Operations
What the course covers
The programme follows the CWS Body of Knowledge — welding preparation and fabrication, quality management and quality control requirements, and personnel management.
- Welding Preparation & Fabrication
- Welding Processes & Consumables
- Weld Discontinuities & Defect Prevention
- Welding Inspection Basics
- Quality Management Requirements
- Quality Control & Documentation
- Codes, Standards & Specifications
- Welding Safety & Compliance
- Welding Economics & Cost Control
- Productivity & Lean Manufacturing
- Production Planning & Scheduling
- Personnel Management
- Supervisory & Leadership Skills
- Communication & Team Management
Education and experience requirements
To apply for the CWS credential you need relevant work experience in a supervisory role within a welding environment, supported by documentation.
RequirementWhat AWS asks for
- Education
A high school diploma or GED. Welding-related training or coursework is preferred but not required.
- Welding experience
A minimum of 3 years of welding experience with a high school diploma.
- Supervisory experience
A minimum of 2 years of welding supervision experience is preferred.
- Technical knowledge
Practical knowledge of welding processes, quality control and industry codes.
- Teaching alternative
Three years of relevant teaching experience may be substituted for one year of the practical experience requirement.
- Scope of experience
Experience must relate directly to weldments fabricated to a code, specification or other standard, and involve at least one of design, production, construction, inspection or repair.
Your step-by-step pathway to CWS
Step 1
Meet the requirements
Confirm your education and supervisory work experience against the AWS eligibility criteria. WeldFab Tech assesses your eligibility before anything is submitted.
Step 2
Study the body of knowledge
Review the CWS Body of Knowledge: welding preparation and fabrication, quality management and quality control requirements, and personnel management.
Step 3
Attend the seminar
Optional but strongly recommended. The seminar walks through the technical and leadership content of the exam — cost estimation, QA/QC and production planning in particular.
Step 4
Apply for the exam
Submit the application through your my.aws.org account: choose a test date and location, upload education and work-experience documentation, and pay the exam fee.
Step 5
Take and pass the exam
Two parts — Fundamentals of Welding Supervision, and Welding Practices & Economics — open-book and proctored at a Prometric centre, at 70% per part.
Step 6
Get certified
On passing you receive the certificate, certification card and digital badge, and your name is added to the AWS Certified Welding Supervisor directory.
Exam information
Two parts, both open-book, delivered as proctored computer-based tests at over 450 Prometric centres worldwide. Each part is marked independently.
- Both parts are open-book — be familiar with the layout of your reference materials before test day, because time management is what decides the result.
- The examination is governed by AWS QC13 and the qualification requirements by AWS B5.9.
| Exam part | Format and requirement |
|---|---|
| Part A — Fundamentals of Welding Supervision | Open-book, computer-based at a Prometric centre. Minimum 70%. |
| Part B — Welding Practices & Economics | Open-book, computer-based at a Prometric centre. Minimum 70%. |
Validity, renewal and re-certification
A shorter certificate than the CWI, on the same nine-year overall arc.
StageRequirement
- Initial certificate
Valid for 3 years
- Renewal at years 3 and 6
Documentation of continued supervisory activity, plus the fee
- Re-certification after 9 years
Examination, or 80 Professional Development Hours across the 9 years with 20 in the immediate 3-year period
Documents and resources
What AWS asks for with the application, and what to prepare with. WeldFab Tech reviews the completed set before it is submitted.
- CWS Examination Application (my.aws.org)
- Education Documentation
- Work Experience Documentation
- Supervisory Experience Verification
- Photo ID Requirements
- CWS Body of Knowledge
- CWS Examination Guide
- CWS Seminar Materials
- QC13 — Specification for the Certification of Welding Supervisors
- B5.9 — Specification for the Qualification of Welding Supervisors
- AWS D1.1 — Structural Welding Code, Steel
- ADA Disability Accommodations Request
- Change of Site / Cancellation Form
- Certification Duplicate Order Form
// Testimonials
What AWS CWS candidates say
“The welding economics module changed how I run the floor. We cut rework on structural jobs noticeably within a quarter of my coming back.”
“I supervised for years without a framework for it. The safety and defect-prevention sections gave me language my management actually responds to.”
“The welding economics module changed how I run the floor. We cut rework on structural jobs noticeably within a quarter of my coming back.”
“I supervised for years without a framework for it. The safety and defect-prevention sections gave me language my management actually responds to.”
// Questions
AWS CWS questions
What is the AWS Certified Welding Supervisor (CWS) certification?
The CWS is a professional certification from the American Welding Society for people responsible for managing welding production. It validates competence in welding supervision, productivity, quality management, cost control and workplace safety, and is governed by AWS QC13 and B5.9.
Who should apply for the AWS CWS certification?
Welding supervisors and foremen, welders moving into supervisory roles, QA/QC professionals, welding engineers and technicians, fabrication and production managers, welding coordinators, and anyone accountable for welding operations and quality.
What are the eligibility requirements?
A high school diploma or GED, a minimum of 3 years of welding experience with that diploma, and practical knowledge of welding processes, quality control and industry codes. Two years of welding supervision experience is preferred, and three years of relevant teaching experience may be substituted for one year of the practical experience requirement.
What is the CWS exam format?
Two parts — Part A, Fundamentals of Welding Supervision, and Part B, Welding Practices & Economics. Both are open-book and proctored at Prometric testing centres, and each part requires a minimum score of 70%.
Is the AWS seminar compulsory?
No. The AWS CWS seminar is optional, but it is strongly recommended — especially if it has been a while since you studied cost estimation, QA/QC or production planning. WeldFab Tech runs its own preparatory training covering the same body of knowledge.
How long is the CWS certification valid?
The initial certificate is valid for three years. It is renewed at the 3-year and 6-year marks with documentation of continued supervisory activity, and re-certified after nine years either by examination or by accumulating 80 Professional Development Hours across the cycle, with 20 in the immediate three-year period.
Does WeldFab Tech conduct the AWS CWS examination?
No. WeldFab Tech provides training, examination preparation, documentation assistance and application guidance. The examination and the credential are administered by the American Welding Society, with the exam itself delivered at Prometric centres.
Does WeldFab Tech help with the AWS application process?
Yes. We support eligibility assessment, application guidance, documentation review, examination preparation, mock assessments and study planning.
Is the CWS the same as the CWI?
No. They are separate credentials with separate examinations. The CWI certifies inspection of the weld against a code; the CWS certifies management of the welding operation — productivity, cost, quality and safety. Many organisations hold both.
How do I enrol in the AWS CWS training?
Contact WeldFab Tech for upcoming batch schedules, eligibility assessment, fee details, the registration process and corporate training programmes.
Ready to get AWS CWS certified?
Tell us where you are starting from and we will come back with the schedule, the fee and what you need to have ready.