What is it?
A Welder and Fabricator is a skilled tradesperson who cuts, shapes, and joins metal components to create structures, frameworks, pipework, and machinery. Welders and fabricators work across an enormous range of industries - from construction and shipbuilding to aerospace, automotive manufacturing, oil and gas, and specialist artistic metalwork.
It is a trade that combines precision, physical skill, and technical knowledge. The work you produce might be a stainless steel handrail, a structural steel frame for a building, a pressure vessel for an oil refinery, or a custom exhaust system for a racing car.
What would you actually do?
Depending on your specialism and employer, you could be:
Reading and interpreting engineering drawings and technical specifications
Marking out and cutting metal using hand tools, angle grinders, plasma cutters, and laser cutters
Shaping and forming metal using presses, rollers, and bending equipment
Joining metal components using a range of welding processes
Checking finished work against drawings and quality standards
Grinding, dressing, and finishing welds to specification
Working on structural steelwork for buildings and infrastructure
Fabricating pipework, pressure vessels, and process equipment
Carrying out repair and maintenance welding on site or in a workshop
Working alongside engineers, designers, and other trades on complex projects
Health and safety in welding is serious and non-negotiable. Welding fumes are hazardous - proper extraction, respiratory protection, and following safe working procedures are essential, not optional. Employers are legally required to provide adequate controls, and you should never work without them.
Career Paths
Structural fabrication - creating steel frameworks, beams, columns, and connections for buildings, bridges, and infrastructure. Often workshop-based with site installation work alongside.
Pipe welding - joining pipework for water, gas, oil, and chemical process industries. One of the most technically demanding and best-paid welding specialisms.
Sheet metal fabrication - working with thinner gauge metal to produce ducting, enclosures, catering equipment, and precision components.
MIG welding (Metal Inert Gas) - the most widely used process, suitable for a broad range of metals and thicknesses. The starting point for most welders.
TIG welding (Tungsten Inert Gas) - a more precise and demanding process used for high-quality welds on stainless steel, aluminium, and exotic alloys. Highly valued and well paid.
MMA welding (Manual Metal Arc / Stick welding) - a versatile process used for heavy structural work, outdoor welding, and site repairs where other processes are impractical.
Coded welding - welding to a specific standard that requires testing and certification. Coded welders -- particularly pipe welders -- command significantly higher rates and are in strong demand.
Offshore and subsea welding - working on oil and gas platforms and pipelines, often in demanding and remote conditions. Among the highest-paid welding roles available.
Artistic and architectural metalwork - a specialist craft area producing bespoke gates, sculptures, staircases, and decorative metalwork. Combines technical skill with genuine creativity.
Is it right for you?
You might suit this trade if you:
Enjoy precise, focused, hands-on work
Are interested in engineering and manufacturing
Like working with metal and understanding how different materials behave
Take pride in producing clean, strong, accurate work
Are comfortable working in workshop environments and potentially on site
Want a trade where additional skills and certifications directly increase your earning power
It might not suit you if you are not comfortable working in confined spaces or at height, as both are common in certain welding roles.
Automation is changing parts of the industry. Robotic welding is increasingly used for repetitive, high-volume work in manufacturing. However, skilled manual welders - particularly coded welders working on complex, bespoke, or site-based projects --are not easily replaced by automation and remain in strong demand.
Skills you will build
Setting up and operating welding equipment safely and correctly
Selecting the right welding process and parameters for different materials and applications
Reading and working from engineering drawings and weld symbols
Marking out, cutting, and shaping metal accurately
Producing welds that meet quality, strength, and appearance standards
Inspecting and testing finished work -- visual inspection, dimensional checking, and understanding non-destructive testing methods
Working safely with hazardous equipment, fumes, and high temperatures
Understanding the properties of different metals and how welding affects them
How do you get in?
Apprenticeship - a Welder apprenticeship at Level 2 or a Metal Fabricator apprenticeship at Level 3 are the most structured routes. Apprenticeships are available with engineering companies, fabrication workshops, and large industrial employers. They typically take two to three years and combine workshop experience with college attendance.
College course - a Level 1, 2, or 3 Diploma in Welding or Engineering Fabrication gives you the core practical skills and theory before moving into employment. College welding courses are widely available and a good way to discover which processes and specialisms interest you most.
T Level in Engineering and Manufacturing - a broader engineering qualification with an industry placement component, relevant for those considering fabrication alongside other engineering pathways.
Direct entry - some fabrication workshops and engineering companies take on trainees with no formal qualifications and teach them on the job. Demonstrating genuine interest, mechanical aptitude, and a willingness to learn can open doors in smaller firms.
Coding and upskilling - many welders enter at a basic level and then invest in additional welding process qualifications and coded welder testing to increase their value and earning power over time.
The oil, gas, and energy sectors pay the highest rates. If earning potential is a priority, developing skills relevant to these industries - pipe welding, pressure vessel work, and offshore qualifications - is the clearest path to the top of the pay scale.
Qualifications to know about
Level 2 Diploma in Welding - the core entry qualification covering the main welding processes and safety requirements
Level 3 Diploma in Engineering Fabrication - for those progressing to more complex fabrication work and supervisory roles
CSWIP (Certification Scheme for Welding and Inspection Personnel) - internationally recognised welding qualifications issued by TWI (The Welding Institute); highly valued across industries
BS EN ISO 9606 Coded Welder Qualification - the European standard for welder qualification testing. Coded welders are tested to a specific standard in a specific process and position -- passing significantly increases your earning power
BSEN 287 / AWS D1.1 - other widely used coded welder standards, particularly relevant for structural and pipe welding
City & Guilds Welding qualifications - widely available through colleges and training providers, covering MIG, TIG, MMA, and other processes
CSCS Card - required for working on most construction and structural steel sites
EUSR Card - required for working in the water and utilities sector
Offshore safety qualifications (BOSIET / HUET) - required for working on offshore oil and gas installations
What can you earn?
Apprentice / trainee: Around £8,000 - £15,000 per year
Qualified welder / fabricator: Around £26,000 - £36,000 per year
Experienced welder: £36,000 - £50,000 per year
Coded pipe welder / specialist: £50,000 - £70,000+ per year
Offshore welder: £60,000 - £100,000+ per year depending on contract and location
Welding is one of the trades with the widest earning range. A basic MIG welder in a general fabrication shop earns a decent wage. A coded TIG pipe welder working on oil refineries or offshore platforms can earn an exceptional one. The qualifications you accumulate and the specialisms you develop have a direct and significant impact on what you can earn.
What could it lead to?
Coded welder specialising in pipe, pressure vessel, or structural work
Offshore welder working on oil and gas platforms and pipelines
Welding inspector or quality controller checking and certifying welds
Welding engineer or welding coordinator with further study
Fabrication supervisor or workshop manager
CWI (Certified Welding Inspector) -- a globally recognised inspection qualification
Your own fabrication business producing bespoke metalwork, agricultural equipment, or structural components
Artistic and architectural metalworker producing bespoke commissions
Technical trainer or assessor in further education or industry
Coded welding qualifications are one of the clearest examples in any trade of a certification directly increasing your earning power. Investing in your coding - particularly in TIG and pipe welding, pays back quickly and repeatedly.