The Final Qualification for NDT Certification Requirements involves obtaining On-the-Job Time or On-the-Job Training (OJT) hours.

As we mentioned in the previous segment, NDT Schools, Community Colleges, Universities, etc. cannot provide this portion of the NDT Qualifications needed in order to become certified.

If anyone in those organizations has told you that they can do it, they haven’t told you the truth. YOU CANNOT BECOME NDT CERTIFIED BY SIMPLY COMPLETING A CLASS OR ONLINE COURSE!

NDT Certification Requirements – OJT

Qualification #3 – On-the-Job Time/On-the-Job Training (OJT)

Once you are employed by a company, they will keep track of your time on the job while performing specific NDT tasks. THE COMPANY IS THE CERTIFYING AUTHORITY. They are responsible for verifying your Qualifications and documenting your NDT Hours prior to issuing an actual NDT Certification.

In order to achieve this portion of your NDT Certification Requirements, you must be employed by someone, doing NDT work in the field. In order for the hours to qualify, they need to be documented based on the method of NDT that you are performing.

For example, if you work a 10 hour day and do a little Magnetic Particle, some hours of Liquid Penetrant, and a few hours of Visual Inspection, you can’t document 10-10-10 for MT-PT-VT. That would be a 30 hour day! Instead you would document accurately – 2 hours MT, 4 hours PT, and 4 hours VT. You can accrue hours for more than one method at a time, but the hours must be kept track of separately.

Over your career, you may be asked to prove these hours over and over as you move from one company to the next. You would also need to prove these hours if you are wanting to fulfill ASNT or ACCP Professional NDT Central Certification Requirements. We’ll discuss the ASNT Central Certification Program in an upcoming segment.

Special Note – A Word To The Wise – Keep copies of your class certificates, test scores, and OJT Logs if possible. These documents will become valuable to you as you advance in your NDT Career.

NDT Qualification Documentation

So, as you can see, the certification process is not as simple as it first seems. There are several qualifications required and documentation is important.

Students who attend NDT Training and Testing Center for classes or who participate in our NDT Online Course + Hands-On Lab Program have a distinct advantage when it comes to documentation. We keep all of our records in secure digital files and can provide replacement documents if you should ever lose or misplace yours. We keep accurate records in separate students files with:

  • dates of class attendance or online completion
  • test scores and the original copies of the tests you take
  • hours credited for each class or course you take
  • documentation of the hands-on exercises you perform during the class or
  • lab time that you accumulate in our hands-on lab

Therefore, the records to document your NDT Education and Testing are safe and ready to present to your potential employer.

NDT Certification Requirements Overview and Summary

So, now that we’ve covered the 3 Main Requirements for NDT Certification, let’s take a look at a possible pathway for you to acheive your NDT Certifications in a reasonable amount of time. Everyone’s pathway is slightly different, so this only represents one possibility.

  1. Determine which NDT Methods you would like to learn. (We’ll discuss our suggestions in this area in an upcoming segment.)
  2. Attend classes at NDT Training Center or take our Online NDT Training Courses + our NDT Hands-On Labs.
  3. Pass all of the tests.
  4. Begin a job search with your NDT Education listed on your resume.
  5. Obtain a job and begin documenting your OJT hours for each method.
  6. Once you have achieved the appropriate hours in each method, the company will submit all of your training, test and OJT records to their Level III for review.
  7. The Level III will review and approve the records, if they meet the NDT Certification Requirements, and create a Level II Certificate for you in the appropriate method or methods.
  8. The Company Representative – Certifying Authority will sign the certificate, making it an Official Level II Certification

Congratulations, you’re on your way to a great career!

If you would like to see a Video Summary of the Process, please click here – NDT Certification Requirements – Qualification vs. Certification

The Biggest Challenge in Meeting the NDT Certification Requirements

Taking classes and passing tests can be somewhat of a challenge, but the biggest challenge for most is finding the first NDT job to begin documenting OJT hours.

Let’s take a look at a few options. CLICK HERE