Personnel Qualification and Certification

Until the 1960s, certification of nondestructive testing (NDT) personnel was uncommon and inconsistent. NDT was first used as a quality inspection tool for the military in a couple of shipyards. The early users were either self-taught or guided by other experienced supervisors and technicians. Because all training was personal and idiosyncratic, inspectors used non-standardized techniques and could not guarantee the consistency of results.

Several internal training programs and operator qualification procedures evolved within some of the larger corporations and in military applications. Over time, these developed into nationally recognized standards governing the practice of several NDT methods. With these requirements in place, a new generation of technicians sought qualification and certification from esteemed NDT training providers such as PQT.