While the need for the availability of training and certification of personnel in non destructive testing has always been recognised with the American and German systems being established for many decades and others being also well established the situation for practitioners and their employers is as complicated as ever. In the absence of appropriate internationally recognised diplomas or degrees in the subject following apprenticeships and other courses the operator is left with a system of certification which is often employer specific and which must be renewed periodically as opposed to a qualification which, once achieved, remains with the individual for life. The situation is further complicated by the fact that there are so many systems in operation some governed by national bodies and others which are designed by major companies around their own specific sets of problems. The operator is thus faced with the possibility of having to obtain certification from a number of sources and while much of the study involves common ground the costs mount up individually. It is difficult to foresee this situation becoming essentially simpler in the near or even medium future. In view of this paper has been prepared to attempt to guide prospective candidates and their employers thorough the maze of possible requirements. The requirements of several national and company certification schemes are analysed to illustrate the complexity of the situation and the action needed to satisfy a wide range of such schemes is analysed.
Publication Source: Trends in NDE Science & Technology; Proceedings of the 14th World Conference on Non-Destructive Testing, New Delhi, 8-13 December 1996.Vol. 3, pages 1883 - 1886 Publisher:Ashgate Publishing Company
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