What the practical assessment covers, how the grades work for welders, and where to sit it.
Welding is the trade where certification pays back fastest, because the skill is testable and the demand is real. Oil and gas, construction, fabrication shops and the overseas market all want welders who can prove a grade.
Here is what the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment trade test actually involves if you weld.
The practical component is the bulk of it. You are given work to produce and assessed while you produce it. For welding that generally covers:
The written or oral component covers the theory behind it: metals and their behaviour, electrode classification, distortion and how to control it, defect causes, and safe working practice.
Entry level. Basic joints in the easier positions, correct machine setup, safe working. Suitable if you have finished an apprenticeship or a training programme and need something official behind you. See Grade 3 in full.
Intermediate. More demanding joints, harder positions, working with less supervision, and a real grasp of why a weld failed rather than just that it did. See Grade 2 in full.
Advanced. This is the grade contractors look for on serious work and the one that carries weight in an overseas application. Pipe work and difficult positional welding sit here. See Grade 1 in full.
Which grade you should sit depends on your trade history, not on which one you want. A good centre tells you plainly, including when the honest answer is a lower grade than you hoped.
Inside Nigeria, a graded certificate is what puts you on a contractor's books. Many site contracts require certified artisans, and an uncertified welder cannot be named on the bid no matter how well he welds.
Outside Nigeria, welding is one of the strongest trades to hold a credential in, because the skill can be tested anywhere. Several countries will retest you on arrival rather than take any certificate at face value, which works in your favour if you can actually do the work. Read what recognition actually involves before you plan around it.
What nobody can give you is a guarantee. Any programme promising you a job or a visa off the back of a welding certificate is selling you something.
At a centre accredited by the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment. ServHub Training holds that accreditation and examines on site in Port Harcourt, so you train and test in the same workshop on the same machines.
If you are elsewhere in the country, start here.
💬 Ask Us About ThisA practical assessment where you produce welded work under observation, covering machine setup, electrode selection, joint preparation, the weld itself and positional work, plus a written or oral component on theory and safety.
It depends on experience. Grade III suits newly trained welders, Grade II those with working experience, and Grade I experienced welders including pipe and positional work. Contractors on serious work generally look for Grade II or above.
Not automatically. Welding is however one of the easier trades to convert, because several countries retest welders practically on arrival rather than relying on the paper.
Not if you already weld to standard. Many working welders sit the test to certify skill they already have. If you are starting out, training comes first.
ServHub Training is accredited by the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment to conduct trade test examinations, and we examine on site at our Port Harcourt centre. We run 24 courses across construction, electrical, mechanical, craft and digital trades.
ServHub Training is operated by ServHub Technologies Limited, RC 9494742. Search it at search.cac.gov.ng. Walk into the centre at 127 Igwuruta Road, Atali, Port Harcourt any weekday and see the workshop before you pay anybody anything.
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Published 20 September 2026. Last reviewed 20 September 2026. Government processes change. If something here is out of date, tell us and we will correct it.