The Institute of Corrosion welcomes applications from ICorr members, for this important arising vacancy due to retirement of Jane Lomas, FICorr the existing post holder.

Job Title: Training Scheme Manager (Surface Treatments and Passive Fire Protection)

Location: Remote Working with occasional Northampton ICorr HQ Visits

Company Name: Institute of Corrosion

Job Type: Part-Time Consultancy (2 Days a week – part remunerated/part voluntary).

Applications: Initially via email to admin@icorr.org attaching CV and Training Experience Record

Closing Date: 31st October 2025

Commencement Date: 1^st January 2026 (with prior Handover)

 Job Description:

General

• To act on behalf of the Institute of Corrosion (ICorr) in all matters relating to Surface Treatment Training and Competence Assessment (the Surface Treatment Scheme).
• To report to President and take instructions from the Surface Treatment Governing Board (STGB) in all activities.
• To keep the President and chair of STGB advised of all significant activities and to extend this advice to the President of ICorr in respect of any issues that may have significant strategic importance or expose ICorr to risk.
• To issue monthly STSM reports with dashboards to President
• To liaise with the Professional Assessment Committee (PAC) in respect of Certification of personnel (Certification being the ultimate responsibility of PAC) and in respect of any complaints received.
• To liaise with course providers in respect of their marketing, booking and organising of all Surface Treatment (ST) and Passive Fire Protection (PFP) courses, in accordance with the Qualification Procedure Document (QPD), using approved ICorr Tutors and ICorr Course Packages, monitoring updates where required.
• To actively help promote ST and PFP courses and maintain ICorr Website information.
• To attend monthly STGB meetings and contribute to STGB updates of the QPD.
• To work towards progression of Iso Certification for ST courses.
• To recruit, train and mentor a deputy in all aspects of the role, with a view to succession planning.

Key Requirements

• Ability to manage time effectively and prioritise tasks.
• Experience at senior level in the surface treatment industry
• Hold membership of ICorr, preferably FICorr.
• Knowledge of Institute of Corrosion training activities (or other established Corrosion Training provider)
• Level 3 certification
• Significant experience in training and certification management
• Strong relationships with key industry stakeholders

ICorr NW Branch held a joint meeting with the Institute of Asset Management at the University of Manchester on 1^st April 2025. The event explored the theme of infrastructure asset failures, with speakers presenting various case studies—particularly highlighting the impact of corrosion to infrastructure.

Dave Champness  (Post-Graduate Researcher and Previous Water Industry Engineer) opened the session with a personal story related to asset management and aspects of corrosion in his talk “Concepts of Asset Management and How Corrosion Features”.  Paul Russell, Product Manager Concrete Repair and Composites at Mapei (UK) Ltd then spoke on product environmental sustainability, sharing case studies on extending the lifespan of structures in his presentation “Re-Lifing Structures to Extend Service”. Paul covered the carbon reduction gained in the products Mapei employs and also how they’ve sympathetically restored heritage buildings. Darren Henson (Workshop Manager at United Utilities) spoke about how corrosion can affect key assets such as pumps and the challenges of maintenance and prevention of shutdowns. Carlos Sanchez Senior Materials Scientist at The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) also contributed, using case studies to illustrate his presentation, “How Corrosion can Result in Catastrophic Asset Failure”.

This was a very well attended event that attracted many questions from the Audience.

Presentations

All presentations will be uploaded soon to: https://www.icorr.org/northwest/ under Local Technical Programme.

Forthcoming Events

UK-China Corrosion Summit – 3^rd-4^th September 2025

Institute of Corrosion National AGM – November 19th.

Planning continues for these exciting events. Further details will be released to the NW Branch website, mailing list and ICorr members in due course.

Future NW Branch Committee meetings are planned for:

• 12^th August 2025

• 14^th October 2025

If you would like to know more about our activities or become involved with the NW Branch, please contact: nwchair@Icorr.org

Annual General Meeting, DNV Facility Visit and AI Webinar on Corrosion Inspection.

The UK Midlands branch officially commenced its 2025 activities with the Annual General Meeting (AGM) held on 28^th April, attended by ICorr President Dr. Yunnan Gao.

Annual General Meeting

The ICorr Midlands Chair, Dr. Prafull Sharma, introduced the new committee volunteers, who were formally approved to commence their roles. Strategic priorities for the year were set. A key focus is expanding engagement with academia to promote student membership. The committee chair also emphasised collaboration with other professional societies, aligning with ICorr’s broader strategy for mutual growth and knowledge exchange. As part of the new strategy, the branch will also host subject-specific webinars, such as the timely topic of AI application in corrosion and inspection management on 16^th April.

Uzma Anjum (DNV) will oversee the branch’s online events
and webinars.

Other committee roles include:

• Ali Oskuie (Worley): Committee Secretary

•Louis Ramdall (Premtech): Coordinator for in-person events

•Ben Knight (Premtech): Social media and digital communications

The committee will also benefit from the continued support of Bill Whittaker, former Midlands Chair, whose experience will help guide strategic decisions.

DNV Facility Visit

Screenshot

Coinciding with the 2025 AGM, the committee and guests participated in a technical visit to DNV’s Loughborough facility. Attendees from both academia and industry took part in the event, gaining valuable insights into DNV’s operations in the field of failure and root cause analysis. The Midlands branch extends its appreciation to DNV for hosting both the visit and the AGM.

Attendees participated in a guided tour of the facility, where they observed firsthand the sophisticated techniques and methodologies used in root cause and failure investigations.
The lab showcased a variety of real-world case studies, including failures in gas pipelines and components from the energy sector. These samples illustrated the complexity of determining failure causes, which often involve a blend of technical, managerial, and communication-related factors.

The visit also included a series of technical presentations, highlighting DNV’s multidisciplinary approach to integrity management across the renewable, hydrocarbon, and electricity sectors. The sessions offered deeper insights into how engineering expertise, forensic analysis, and risk assessment converge to support industry resilience and safety.

The ICorr Midlands committee extends its sincere appreciation to DNV, especially Uzma Anjum and Kathryn Thomas, for their generous hospitality and for making the event a rich learning experience for all. Events like this reinforce the importance of cross-sector collaboration and knowledge sharing in the evolving field of corrosion and asset integrity.

Webinar on AI Application in Corrosion Management

The branch hosted a well-attended webinar titled “AI-Powered Digital Corrosion Inspection and Coating Survey”, presented by Kashif Salim (Abyss Solutions). This session explored Abyss Solutions’ advanced system, which integrates high-precision data collection tools—such as 3D scanning—with AI algorithms to assess and prioritise corrosion risks, particularly in offshore piping systems. The topic resonated with online attendees, generating many audience questions and highlighting the growing importance of digital tools in asset integrity management.

This was the second webinar on the application of the AI in corrosion management. The Midlands branch plans to continue offering webinars on high-interest topics and will soon release its annual webinar calendar.

Further Contacts

www.linkedin.com/posts/icorr-midlands_corrosion-materialsscience-engineering-activity-7312949751820267520-FSzp/ and see the ICorr Events Calendar at: www.icorr.org/events/

Interested members can also subscribe to the branch’s YouTube channel to access recordings of past webinars at:
www.youtube.com/@ICORRMidlands

All event slide packs are available in the Midlands Branch web page at: Midlands Branch – Institute of Corrosion under Local Technical Programme.

For all other inquiries and membership / sponsorship opportunities, please contact the Branch Chair
Dr. Prafull Sharma at: midlandschair@icorr.org