A score is only worth something if it can say no.
Every graded session produces a Readiness Record. It has two halves.
Machine-verified gates
Binary, checked in the engine.
- Was PPE on before the arc struck.
- Was amperage inside the procedure range.
- Were combustibles cleared.
Judgment assessment
Scored from what the trainee saw, did, and said during the session.
- Did they call the fire watch.
- How fast did they diagnose the fault.
- Did they stop work when they should have.
- Did their handoff include the problem, or leave it out.
This is what the buyer receives.
Readiness Record
SMAW fillet weld, 3F vertical
- Record
- BRL-WLD-2417
- Trainee
- R. Alvarez (sample)
- Procedure
- SMAW fillet weld, 3F vertical
- Playbook
- trades.welding.smaw / v4.2
- Verified
- 2026-03-14
- Expires
- 2027-03-14
Machine-verified gates
Binary. Checked in the engine.
- Pass
PPE donned before arc strike
Verified in engine
- Pass
Amperage within procedure range
118 A / range 95 to 135 A
- Pass
Combustibles cleared to 35 ft
Verified in engine
- Pass
Fire watch posted before strike
Called at T+00:41
- Fail
Ground fault reported at handoff
Fault detected at T+06:12, absent from handoff
Judgment assessment
Scored from what the trainee saw, did, and said. Line marks the cohort median.
- Procedure adherence4.4
Sequence followed without prompting
- Fault diagnosis speed4.0
Identified in 38 s (cohort median 2m 51s)
- Stop-work judgment4.6
Stopped work within 4 s of alarm
- Communication under pressure3.6
Callouts made, but late twice
- Handoff completeness3.1
Omitted the ground fault from the verbal handoff
Cleared to attempt the live plate test. Handoff communication requires a supervised re-run before sign-off.
This record documents simulated performance under observation. It is not an AWS, ASME, or NAVSEA qualification, and it does not substitute for a live test or a certifying authority’s sign-off.
The record above scores this trainee 3.1 out of 5 on handoff communication and puts it in front of his employer. That’s deliberate. A grading system that never fails anyone isn’t a grading system, and every buyer knows it.
Notice what the two halves do together. Every gate but one passed. The weld itself was fine. The failure is that a fault he had already detected never made it into the handoff. No completion metric catches that. It is also the exact thing that costs money on a real job.
And what it does not.
This record documents simulated performance under observation. It is not an AWS, ASME, or NAVSEA qualification, and it doesn’t substitute for a live test or a certifying authority’s sign-off.
Stating that clearly is what lets a training director adopt it without a legal review, and it’s why employers trust what it does claim.
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Bring a procedure you already assess by eye. We will show you what grading it would produce.
We’ll tell you on the first call if this doesn’t need VR.