Thu, 16 January, 2020
Mohamad Zammer works as welding inspector for Bureau Veritas. He is based in Pasir Gudang, Johor Bahru and has been involved with the oil and gas industry for more than 10 years.
He graduated from university with a degree in Physics. As a pupil, he was always interested in science and, since he was very good at maths and physics, he decided to continue his studies in this field.
However, after graduation he found it challenging to land a job that was relevant to the field of his studies. He started his career as a logistics executive and, as his friends introduced him to the oil and gas industry, he didn’t hesitate to take a career shift. He started from the bottom as a QC inspector for a plant shut down. This job gave Zammer a good exposure to welding inspection and NDT and the standard industrial codes. He was lucky to have his friend as a mentor who supported him and taught him the basics.
“I knew that if I want to upgrade myself in the oil and gas industry, I needed to be certified,” said Mohamad.
His first certificates were PCN Welding Inspector and Radiographic Interpretation. However, the employers didn’t approve of his certificates and he found it challenging to get involved with different projects. “Even though I had a Welding Inspection certificate (under PCN); it wasn’t satisfactory enough for the employers and I was still being asked for CSWIP 3.1. But once I managed to get certified under CSWIP scheme, landing on jobs became a lot smoother.”
Zammer, who is completing Radiographic interpretation course at TWI Malaysia, believes the course is very helpful and Hazwan the lecturer is very experienced and great in explaining the principles and fundamentals of radiographic techniques.
He tells us about his plan for upgrading his certificate to CSWIP 3.2.2 Senior Welding Inspector with RI.
“The world is moving forward and each year there are many newcomers into the industry. As I gain more experience, I need to upgrade myself to be able to position myself at a better place as a third-party inspector.”
He believes that the job market for inspection is huge and the chances of getting hired on inspection positions is quite high. Having supplementary skills such as knowledge of coatings or NDT to pair with welding inspection can dramatically improve someone’s chances of landing on a good job with proper pay.
Not having a reputable certificate, as proven for Zammer, can be the main challenge to penetrate the job market. However, for those who are determined to learn and grow, institutes like TWI are there to help you get past this hurdle.
Learn more about Radiographic Interpretation training at TWI.