Non-Destructive Testing (NDT) is testing and evaluating materials, without causing damage or destruction to the material. For example, the testing of a mechanical component for flaws, without weakening the component, or rendering the component useless.

Non-Destructive Testing is used in a very wide range of industries (such as Aerospace, Energy, Power, Transport etc.) and job opportunities are virtually limitless.

A career in NDT is a dynamic career, where up-to-date training is a necessity. Qualification is very important for the NDT industry, as errors can have disastrous consequences; therefore an NDT operator can expect to have to refresh skills regularly, attending training courses and taking examinations. There is more to training however than refreshing things you already know. NDT is composed of a number of different disciplines (or 'methods'). Each discipline is a different branch of applied physics, used to perform non-destructive testing (e.g. ultrasonic, radiography, eddy current, magnetics). This means a career in NDT should never stagnate, there is always the opportunity to diversify into a different method, or specialize in one method to an advanced level of competence. Exiting new developments are also being made in NDT such as advanced ultrasonic techniques (e.g. Time of Flight Diffraction and Phased Array).

There are three benchmark certification levels of competence in NDT, and this applies to every method. Level 1 is designed for the basic performing of practical techniques, and acquisition of data. Level 2 involves acquisition of and more detailed evaluation analysis of data. Level 3 addresses design of inspections, procedures, and data analysis.