Level 3 Pipe Welding Apprentice (Hitchin)

Summary

As a Pipe Welding apprentice, you won’t be sat behind a screen; you'll split your time between learning out on site and attending dedicated training and college days. After your apprenticeship, you’ll start to take on additional responsibilities, and continue on your journey developing your craft as a Pipe Welder.

Wage

£24,242 a year

Check minimum wage rates (opens in new tab)

Training course

Pipe welder (level 3)

Hours

Typically, Monday to Friday, hours vary depending on travel and training.

37 hours a week

Start date

Monday 1 September 2025

Duration

3 years

Positions available

2

Work

Most of your apprenticeship is spent working. You’ll learn on the job by getting hands-on experience.

What you'll do at work

National Gas is the backbone of Britain’s energy system - that's over 7,000 kilometres of pipes forming the UK's National Transmission System. We transport gas throughout Great Britain, repair and maintain gas pipelines, and manage the meters that allow millions of homes and businesses to access the energy they need. Joining us, you'll have an important role to play in maintaining Critical National Infrastructure.

You’ll be joining National Gas Services, a specialised unit relied on by the UK and other gas companies in the event of pressure gas emergencies. This makes it a really varied role, and means you’ll get the opportunity to frequently travel across the UK and Ireland.

During this three-year apprenticeship, you’ll develop as a skilled pipe welder. You’ll learn how to:

Weld tubes and pipes to a high standard, using a minimum of two manual arc welding processes
Identification and the causes of typical welding defects and how their occurrence can be reduced
Welding quality documentation, organisational reporting systems, procedures and their role within the overall quality process
Health and Safety in the engineering sector
Forming and assembling pipework systems
Preparing and using Manual Tungsten Inert Gas (TIG) or Plasma Arc Welding (PAW)
Metallurgy of steels and alloys
Weld positions and codings
Weld testing
Reading technical drawings and welding symbols

We’ll work closely with your college to review your progress at regular intervals, providing feedback and guiding your development. You’ll have a tailored, personalised plan that ensures you have appropriate support and training. The majority of your learning will be on the job, with off-the-job training and one-to-one tutoring. Your apprenticeship will end with the completion of a dissertation and an End Point Assessment.

Where you'll work

Cadwell Lane
Hitchin
SG4 0SL

Training

Apprenticeships include time away from working for specialist training. You’ll study to gain professional knowledge and skills.

College or training organisation

RIVERSIDE COLLEGE

Your training course

Pipe welder (level 3)

Understanding apprenticeship levels (opens in new tab)

What you'll learn

Course contents

Work safely at all times, comply with health & safety and environmental legislation, regulations and organisational requirements
Obtain, check and use appropriate documentation (such as job instructions, drawings, quality control documentation)
Plan all preparatory tasks and interfaces and pipe welding activity, before commencing work
Obtain, position and assemble welding equipment and associated safety protection needed for each activity
Prepare, check and protect materials and work areas ready for welding
Inspect the assembly to be welded and undertake remedial work to comply with specification, or implement quality steps if rejected
Receive, inspect, condition and maintain consumables
Set, test, and monitor key welding parameters as detailed within the Welding Procedure Specification and adjust as necessary to accommodate changing orientation as the weld progresses around the pipe joint.
Set-up purge protection within the pipe bore and associate monitoring methods
Set-up bore side protection controls to avoid foreign material ingress into the pipe bore
Remove materials using manual processes, including powered and non-powered equipment
Achieve a quality of work to meet international standards e.g. ISO 5817, ISO 9606, ASME IX, ASME B31.3 for dimensional, surface inspection (e.g. Visual, Magnetic Particle, Dye Penetrant) and volumetric inspection (e.g. Radiography, Ultrasonic inspection, including Time of Flight and Phased Array methods).
Monitor weld quality and dimensions throughout welding activity and on completion of welding and report any issues through organisational production / quality control process prior to release for formal examination by others
Restore the work area on completion of the activity and where applicable return any resources and consumables to the appropriate location
Deal promptly and effectively with problems within the limits of their responsibility using approved diagnostic methods and techniques
Complete any required documentation using the defined recording systems at the appropriate stages of the work activity
Produce pipe welds using two welding processes from TIG, PAW, MMA, MIG/MAG, FCAW
Produce pipe welds using four material groups from Carbon Steel, Low Alloy Steel, High Alloy Ferritic/Martensitic Steel, Austenitic Stainless Steel, Nickel & Nickel Alloys, Aluminium & Aluminium alloys, Titanium & Titanium Alloys, Copper & Copper Alloys
Produce pipe welds covering ALL defined pipe welding positions. These are Flat - Rotated Pipe; Horizontal - Fixed Vertical Pipe; Vertical Weld - Fixed Horizontal Pipe (either upward or downward progression); Inclined - Fixed 45 degree Pipe Overhead (either upward or downward progression)
Produce pipe welds in 3 main joint configurations from Single Sided Butt, Socket, Flange and Set-on Branch.
Produce pipe welds in by continually adjusting the orientation of the welder, welding torch, and welding consumable filler, including restricted access conditions
Produce pipe welds in restricted access conditions by welding with both left and right hands (e.g. boiler tube bundles, proximity of other plant and equipment, limited access locations, welds located with limited visibility of the weld joint)
Work safely at all times, comply with health & safety and environmental legislation, regulations and organisational requirements
Obtain, check and use appropriate documentation (such as job instructions, drawings, quality control documentation)
Plan all preparatory tasks and interfaces and pipe welding activity, before commencing work
Obtain, position and assemble welding equipment and associated safety protection needed for each activity
Prepare, check and protect materials and work areas ready for welding
Inspect the assembly to be welded and undertake remedial work to comply with specification, or implement quality steps if rejected
Receive, inspect, condition and maintain consumables
Set, test, and monitor key welding parameters as detailed within the Welding Procedure Specification and adjust as necessary to accommodate changing orientation as the weld progresses around the pipe joint.
Set-up purge protection within the pipe bore and associate monitoring methods
Set-up bore side protection controls to avoid foreign material ingress into the pipe bore
Remove materials using manual processes, including powered and non-powered equipment
Achieve a quality of work to meet international standards e.g. ISO 5817, ISO 9606, ASME IX, ASME B31.3 for dimensional, surface inspection (e.g. Visual, Magnetic Particle, Dye Penetrant) and volumetric inspection (e.g. Radiography, Ultrasonic inspection, including Time of Flight and Phased Array methods).
Monitor weld quality and dimensions throughout welding activity and on completion of welding and report any issues through organisational production / quality control process prior to release for formal examination by others
Restore the work area on completion of the activity and where applicable return any resources and consumables to the appropriate location
Deal promptly and effectively with problems within the limits of their responsibility using approved diagnostic methods and techniques
Complete any required documentation using the defined recording systems at the appropriate stages of the work activity
Produce pipe welds using two welding processes from TIG, PAW, MMA, MIG/MAG, FCAW
Produce pipe welds using four material groups from Carbon Steel, Low Alloy Steel, High Alloy Ferritic/Martensitic Steel, Austenitic Stainless Steel, Nickel & Nickel Alloys, Aluminium & Aluminium alloys, Titanium & Titanium Alloys, Copper & Copper Alloys
Produce pipe welds covering ALL defined pipe welding positions. These are Flat - Rotated Pipe; Horizontal - Fixed Vertical Pipe; Vertical Weld - Fixed Horizontal Pipe (either upward or downward progression); Inclined - Fixed 45 degree Pipe Overhead (either upward or downward progression)
Produce pipe welds in 3 main joint configurations from Single Sided Butt, Socket, Flange and Set-on Branch.
Produce pipe welds in by continually adjusting the orientation of the welder, welding torch, and welding consumable filler, including restricted access conditions
Produce pipe welds in restricted access conditions by welding with both left and right hands (e.g. boiler tube bundles, proximity of other plant and equipment, limited access locations, welds located with limited visibility of the weld joint)

Your training plan

Year One

During term time in your first year, you'll spend a lot of your working week away from Hitchin, studying at Ofsted ‘outstanding’ Riverside College Widnes (in between Liverpool and Manchester). You'll stay over and study during the week to learn the foundations of the trade, with all travel and accommodation expenses covered by National Gas. This means you'll need to be comfortable, and excited by, the idea of living and working away.

Year Two and Three

In your second and third year, you’ll spend one day a week during term time, released for college. The rest of the time will be spent in Hitchin, developing your craft and learning from National Gas Experts in the field. Outside of term time, you’ll often be invited to complete additional trainings and courses as part of your National Gas journey.

Requirements

Essential qualifications

GCSE in:

English (grade C/4 or above)
maths (grade C/4 or above)

Let the company know about other relevant qualifications and industry experience you have. They can adjust the apprenticeship to reflect what you already know.

Skills

Problem solving skills
Logical
Team working
Initiative
Patience

Other requirements

You'll be welding pipes, often wearing PPE protective clothing - so must be comfortable not working in an office environment.

About this company

National Gas Transmission is the backbone of Britain’s energy system today and will play a leading role in the transition to a clean energy future that works for every home and business. We own and operate the national gas network, delivering energy to where it is needed in every part of the country.

https://jobs.nationalgas.com/ (opens in new tab)

Company benefits

-Healthy work-life balance and support our employees in achieving it. -Generous holiday allowance with the option to buy & sell additional days -Generous pension scheme. For every £1 you pay in, we'll contribute £2.

Disability Confident

A fair proportion of interviews for this apprenticeship will be offered to applicants with a disability or long-term health condition. This includes non-visible disabilities and conditions.

You can choose to be considered for an interview under the Disability Confident scheme. You’ll need to meet the essential requirements to be considered for an interview.

After this apprenticeship

After your apprenticeship, you’ll start to take on additional responsibilities, and continue on your journey developing your craft as a Pipe Welder. Pipe Welding is a skilled craft which takes years beyond your apprenticeship if continued learning and development. With a generous starting salary of £24,242 you'll set yourself up for a financially strong future, with annual payrises and performance-based pay.

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