Energy

Electricians are one of the most in-demand professions in the world. They play an essential role in maintaining the modern utility grid and keeping homes and businesses functioning. If you need to hire an electrician, this guide will help.

If you’re someone who enjoys working with tools and considers themselves manually-inclined, then you might even be interested in becoming a welder. But before you start investing time and energy into becoming a welder, it’s important to fully understand what you’re getting yourself into. That’s why we’ve put together a day in the life of an average welder.

The world is changing rapidly. Many of those changes have been driven by new technologies that have fundamentally shaped how we live and work. These societal shifts have thrown some industries off balance. The industrial sector is one of them. There’s currently a significant shortage of skilled trade workers both in the industrial sector and outside of that. Learn why this happened, what it looks like, and how you might be able to benefit from the shortage moving forward.

From welders and pipefitters who build and repair pipelines to rig operators and drillers who work on oil rigs, jobs in the oil and gas field are a lucrative source of income for hundreds of thousands of Americans. If you’re dependable and aren’t afraid of a little hard work, you can earn a solid living with or without a traditional four-year degree.

Whether your building project is residential, commercial or industrial, safety is paramount. Nondestructive testing, or NDT, plays an essential role in making sure your completed structure is not only safe for its intended use and the people who will be around it, but that it will stand the test of time. Here’s how to find the best NDT technicians for your next build.

The Surehand Spotlight shares some of the many thousands of stories in the skilled industrial trades, shining a bright light on the hard-working tradesmen and women who build, operate, maintain, and ensure the safety of the world we live in. This month, we shine the spotlight on four U.S. military veterans—Toni Bailey, Bobby Durning, John Stewart and Jeff Wagner—who built successful civilian careers in NDT after serving their country.

The Surehand Spotlight shares some of the many thousands of stories in the skilled industrial trades, shining a bright light on the hard-working tradesmen and women who build, operate, maintain, and ensure the safety of the world we live in. This month, we shine the spotlight on Kiera Jones, a Level II NDT Inspector from Louisiana. We recently spoke with Kiera about getting into NDT, what it takes to be a good inspector, and bridging the gap between the younger and older generations in the industry.

As the field of nondestructive testing (NDT) becomes increasingly sophisticated and utilized in a wide variety of industries, the need for NDT professionals is steadily rising. Highly skilled technicians are in demand, and the potential for growth within the field is greatest for individuals with specialized training in specific NDT methods. Phased array ultrasonic testing (PAUT) is a particularly lucrative specialization, due to the technique’s ability to examine virtually any material and deliver accurate results. 

The field of nondestructive testing (NDT) is a lucrative career path with plenty of room for advancement and a promising future. With a projected growth of $4.1 billion worldwide by the year 2025, careers in NDT provide security, stability, challenging work, and competitive wages. With options at state universities, city and community colleges, technical academies, and training centers, students can select the program that best fits their current schedule and financial needs, as well as their career goals. 

The American Society for Nondestructive Testing (ASNT) has many functions in the world of NDT. A major one is to help companies make sure the NDT personnel they hire have the appropriate skills to get the job done safely and correctly. In this article, we break down ASNT’s SNT-TC-1A employer-based certification for NDT technicians.