| Skill | What it means | Level needed |
|---|
| Understands welding area safety requirements; uses appropriate PPE (auto-darkening helmet, gloves, leathers); identifies fire, fume, and electrical hazards; and follows safe practices around hot materials and compressed gases. | |
| Identifies the base metals and grades the shop runs, such as steel, stainless, aluminum, or copper alloys, and knows how each one welds well enough to pick the right filler and process. | |
| Measures weldments and fabricated parts against the drawing with tools suited to the tolerance involved, and judges whether each dimension is inside the job's limits. | |
| Understands basic metallurgical principles including grain structure, heat-affected zones, distortion control, and how heat input affects weld quality and material properties. | |
| Reads and interprets weld symbols, joint designs, dimensions, tolerances, and assembly drawings from engineering blueprints per AWS and ASME conventions. | |
| Applies math skills (fractions, angles, geometry) to calculate joint dimensions, material quantities, angle cuts, and layout measurements for fabrication. | |
| Uses layout tools (steel squares, scribers, chalk lines, center punches) to transfer dimensions from drawings to metal and establish weld joint geometry. | |
| Selects and safely uses common hand tools (chipping hammers, wire brushes, angle grinders, clamps, vise grips) for weld preparation, joint fit-up, and post-weld finishing. | |
| Sets up and performs Shielded Metal Arc Welding (stick welding) on mild steel in flat and horizontal positions to AWS or applicable industry standard, achieving acceptable bead profile and fusion. | |
| Sets up and runs MIG welding on the metals and thicknesses the shop works in, including steel, stainless, or aluminum, setting wire feed speed, voltage, and shielding gas for a sound weld. | |
| Sets up and performs Flux-Cored Arc Welding on mild steel, selecting appropriate wire type and polarity for gas-shielded (FCAW-G) or self-shielded (FCAW-S) applications. | |
| Sets up and runs TIG welding on the metals the shop works in, preparing the tungsten and selecting polarity, shielding gas, and filler to make a sound, clean weld. | |
| Sets up and operates oxy-fuel equipment for manual and guided cutting, heating, and brazing operations safely and to specified dimensions. | |
| Operates air carbon arc gouging equipment to remove weld metal, prepare joints, and remove defects from weld areas safely and effectively. | |
| Operates drill press and portable drill equipment to drill, tap, and ream holes in metal fabrication workpieces to specified size and location. | |
| Operates manual milling equipment to machine flat surfaces, slots, and profiles on metal fabrication components to required dimensions. | |
| Operates manual lathe to produce cylindrical components such as pins, bushings, and shafts for use in fabrication assemblies. | |
| Bends flat metal stock to the angle, radius, and flange dimensions the job calls for, allowing for spring-back, on whatever brake or bending equipment the shop runs. | |
| Rolls sheet, tube, bar, or section stock to the curve, cylinder, or cone the job requires, and checks the shape against a pattern or radius gauge. | |
| Cuts metal to size on shearing equipment, holding the dimensions the job calls for and keeping the cut square and clean. | |
| Shapes metal parts to the contour and configuration the job requires using forming tools, dies, or fixtures, and checks the finished shape against the pattern or print. | |
| Creates and interprets 2D drawings and 3D models of weldments and fabrication assemblies using computer-aided design software, including weld symbol notation. | |
| Generates and edits toolpaths or nesting programs for CNC plasma, laser, or waterjet cutting equipment using computer-aided manufacturing software. | |
| Inspects finished welds by eye, with gauges, and with basic non-destructive checks, then judges and records them against the acceptance standard for the job, which may be a welding code, a drawing note, or an appearance and finish requirement. | |
| Runs repeat welded production in tooling someone else set: loads parts into the jig or onto the positioner, secures each one the way the tooling requires, welds the sequence in order, unloads, and repeats to count, keeping the locating surfaces clean and every part fully seated before the arc is struck. | |
Oregon publishes ten employability skills, the same statewide. Tick the three that matter most for this job.
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