FIFTH CANADIAN CONFERENCE ON NONDESTRUCTIVE ... - IAEA

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THE BENEFITS OF NDT TRAINING FOR CANADIANS
It is generally ac'cepted that the role of nondestructive testing is
to prevent human injuries and to save lives, to increase productivity,
and to make a profit for the user. For those of us who have heard,
or used, this phrase over and over through the years, let us not allow
repetition to desensitize us to the enormous responsibility that this
places on those involved in nondestructive testing (NDT).
This inherent factor of responsibility demands that personnel responsible
for, or involved with, a company's NPT section receive some
form of post-secondary school education in this technology. A technology
which is essential in an industrial nation such as Canada.
Yet the history of NDT training in Canada, and the numbers and types
of students presently in training, would seem to indicate that the
educational component has not kept pace with the phenomenal growth
in the use and applications of nondestructive testing. That may
seem a shocking statement from someone such as myself, a representative
of the Canadian Society for Nondestructive Testing Foundation
which is the leading educator in NDT in Canada. But who better to
relay to you our concern that not enough people in business and industry
realize the importance of training their personnel, or hiring
well-trained, competent individuals to carry out NDT functions, or
to supervise these functions.
In the early days of NDT, much of the training was conducted on-thejob;
personnel became proficient (or, did not become proficient)
through trial and error. In 1940, the Society for Nondestructive
Testing (SNT) was established in the United States, and in 1953, the
first Canadian Section of SNT was formed. In 1954, a second section,
the Eastern Canada Section of SNT, was formed in Montreal. A small,
select group of Canadians realized the importance of nondestructive
testing and the importance of disseminating information on NDT technology
.
These Sections conducted a few continuing education courses and, in
effect, the pattern was set for NDT training in Canada to be the
short, intensive-type of course. In the 1950's, and even today,
equipment suppliers offered training courses which followed the same
pattern - courses of three to five days duration.
In 1964, the Canadian Council for Nondestructive Technology (C.C.N.D.T.)
was formed with the following objectives:
-to advance scientific, engineering, and technology knowledge
in the field of nondestructive testing.
-to gather and disseminate information relating to nondestructive
testing useful to the individual and beneficial to the
general public.
-to promote nondestructive testing through courses of instruction,
lecture, meetings, publications or other means.