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CSWIP Certification Supports Olumide’s Career in Oil and Gas

Tue, 07 June, 2022

In 2000, Olumide Oladayo Ajala, already with a BSc in Metallurgical and Materials Engineering, and whilst working for Shell Petroleum Development Company, commenced his journey with CSWIP and achieved the standard of competence for personnel certification to CSWIP Visual Welding Inspector and then CSWIP Welding Inspector.

Olumide was able to put to good use the capabilities he had gained from achieving CSWIP certification after leaving Shell Petroleum and joining the Willbros Group in West Africa as a Welding Inspector, focusing on the role of contractor’s inspector for an ExxonMobil project. He followed that with roles at Addax Petroleum as a Client Representative on different structural and piping projects, and with ExxonMobil and Delta Afrik Engineering Limited witnessing assembly and testing of pressure ball valves prior to sending them offshore on projects.

Olumide returned to Willbros Group as a Welding Inspector, supervising the training, testing and qualification of welders and then moved to ExxonMobil as a Client Representative supervising projects at various contractor sites for companies such as Adamac Group, Saipem and Aveon Offshore Limited.

Before joining his current company, Olumide worked on the highly successful Erha North Phase 2, subsea manifold and jumper fabrication project, acting as Quality Specialist for Cameron Oil & Gas Co. Ltd.

Olumide is continuing to enjoy a rich and varied career in the oil and gas sector, and now works for Serviq Energy Services Limited, in Lagos, Nigeria, representing Petrolex Oil & Gas Limited as a Welding Inspector on the on-going construction of a 300,000-litre tank farm.

Despite a very busy career, Olumide has managed to retain his CSWIP certification by making a personal commitment to continuing professional development (CPD) and ensuring that he always undertakes his certification renewals on time, including paying for them personally.

When asked why Olumide sought out CSWIP certification originally and how he feels it has subsequently benefitted his career, he said “As a professional working in the oil and gas industry, I felt that gaining competence to international standards would help me broaden my capacity following my original degree”. He went on to say “prior to gaining CSWIP certification, I was able to undertake welding inspection using hands-on knowledge, but following my training and competence assessments, and achievement of the two certifications, I was then able to carry out welding inspection to global best practice standards.”

Olumide believes that gaining certification has also made his work more valuable to employers of different nationalities as well as helping him to understand the science behind some of the things he had been doing prior to obtaining it. Overall, he believes his general confidence as a welding inspector has escalated.

When Olumide’s CSWIP certificates expired in October 2021, during the global pandemic, he was pleased to learn that TWI Certification Ltd had implemented a CSWIP COVID-19 policy to permit extensions to certificate expiry dates, to provide customers with extra time in which to sit their exams. According to Olumide, he found the extension period valuable and the process of re-certification seamless.

Olumide urges anyone contemplating CSWIP or BGAS-CSWIP certification not to hesitate in doing so as he believes achieving CSWIP certification enables personnel to compete favourably for roles worldwide.

Olumide is looking to advance his accreditation and progress to CWIP Senior Welding Inspector certification level.

If you are interested in gaining a CSWIP Welding Inspector certification like Olumide, please see our CSWIP Welding Inspection pages for further information.

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