IIW Annual Report 2025

WELDING EDUCATION, LEADERSHIP AND DEVELOPMENT FUND OF IIW

Srinivasan Iyer Chair, WELD Fund of IIW Vice-President, IIW

Robert Shaw Past Chair, WELD Fund of IIW Past Vice-President, IIW

The Welding Education, Leadership and Development (WELD) Fund of IIW was started in 2021 under the leadership of IIW President David Landon, to support initiatives related to welding and allied activities within the objectives of the IIW. The WELD Fund of IIW is financially supported: • directly by the IIW, based on the amount of revenues at the closing of the accounts for each year, as approved by the IIW General Assembly • by IIW Member Societies, through donations to the Fund, and • by businesses, organisations, and individuals wishing to support the Fund or the specific Grant programs of the Fund. Three specific Grant programs have been established: • IIW Young Professional and Student Grant • IIW Welding Workforce Grant • IIW Special Initiative Grant IIW YOUNG PROFESSIONAL AND STUDENT GRANT The purpose of the IIW Young Professional and Student Grant is to assist Young Professionals and Students in participating in an IIW Annual Assembly and International Conference, an Intermediate Meeting of an IIW Technical Commission, or an Intermediate Meeting of the IIW International Authorization Board. In 2025, 14 applications were received, four recipients were selected, and Andres Mauricio Moreno Uribe, of Columbia, was able to participate in the Annual Assembly. IIW WELDING WORKFORCE GRANT The purpose of the IIW Welding Workforce Grant is to expand and improve welding education and training programs, increasing the number of skilled and knowledgeable welders to meet the increased needs and demands of industry and infrastructure. The shortage of skilled welding personnel is well-documented and worldwide. The Grant is to provide equipment, educational materials, and/or funding support for new and existing Welding Personnel Training Facilities. Grant funds can be requested and used for welding or metalworking equipment, upgrades to existing equipment, virtual/augmented reality welding training equipment, filler metals and other welding consumables, personal protective equipment, welding facility improvements, textbooks and other teaching materials related to welding, and classroom or laboratory materials and/or supplies. In-kind donations of such materials are generally welcomed. In 2025, a Grant of 4,000 Euro was awarded to DB Tech Africa to purchase welding machines and consumables for their Welding Program at Don Bosco Technical Institute in Kakuma, Kenya, with XXXX welding students and growing.

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