What is the AWS SENSE Program?

For 100 years, the American Welding Society has pioneered the development and implementation of welding standards throughout the United States and worldwide. Recognizing the need for consistency and quality in welding education to support these standards, AWS sought to establish a program that would achieve this goal. In 1993, AWS was awarded grant funding by the US Department of Education, and the SENSE (Schools Excelling through National Skills Standards Education) program was developed.

SENSE is a comprehensive set of minimum standards and guidelines established by AWS for welding educators to follow when developing their welding training curriculum. While comprehensive, these standards are also flexible enough that almost any welding program will readily be able to implement them.

Schools using SENSE criterion for their educational programming are aligned to industry recognized national education standards and at an advantage when seeking Perkins funding. Their students earn AWS credentials and their names are listed in the SENSE Training Database for verification upon program completion.

As a SENSE educator, your school receives additional benefits, including:

• Complimentary one-year Educational Institution Membership with AWS
• Complimentary Listing on the AWS.com Welding School Locator
• Eight (8) FREE AWS reference books (including Welding Handbook, Guide for the Nondestructive Examination of Welds, etc.) for your welding classroom or library
• Instructor access to SENSEOnline.org for exam administration and automatic test results