United States
NDT Training & Workforce Development for US Naval Shipbuilding
NANTIA extends proven training and inspection methodology - developed across 15 years on Australia's submarine fleet - to address the workforce and capability challenges facing US naval shipbuilding in Hampton Roads, Virginia, and beyond.
The US Naval Shipbuilding Workforce Challenge
The US naval shipbuilding industrial base faces a documented NDT workforce challenge. The Secretary of the Navy has stated that shipbuilders must hire approximately 250,000 skilled workers over the next decade. A quarter of the current shipyard workforce is retirement-eligible within five years. The submarine industrial base has been assessed at 25 percent below adequate staffing levels to meet current delivery schedules.
Recruitment alone does not solve this. New technicians need structured NDT training that produces boat-ready capability - not classroom certification that requires months of on-the-job learning before a technician can contribute.
Existing technicians need access to refresher training, cross-skilling into additional methods, and updates on evolving NAVSEA requirements. Primes and Tier 1 shipbuilders share common challenges - but rarely have a neutral venue to identify and resolve cross-cutting issues.
These are the problems NANTIA was built to address. Not as a theory - but as an extension of methodology already proven across 15 years of real submarine programs.
Proven NDT Methodology from Australia's Submarine Fleet
Quality Maritime Surveyors (QMS) - NANTIA's parent company - has spent 15 years as the incumbent NDT provider for critical work on Australia's Collins Class submarine fleet. During that time, QMS identified that the bottleneck in submarine maintenance was not individual task duration - it was the handoff delays between separate trade groups.
QMS solved this by training individual technicians to perform multiple operations within a single work chain: coating assessment, coating removal, corrosion removal, and NDT. This approach delivered a fundamental reduction in the critical path of compartment refurbishment.
That same philosophy - training people to the actual requirements of the platform they'll work on, not to a generic syllabus - is the foundation of everything NANTIA delivers.
NANTIA technicians are trained in boat readiness, naval architecture fundamentals, defect recognition specific to naval materials, and the practical realities of confined-space inspection work. The result is boat-ready NDT technicians who contribute from the day they step onto a platform.
This is the NDT training and inspection experience NANTIA is bringing to the US industrial base.
NDT Centre of Excellence for Hampton Roads, Virginia
A dedicated NDT capability hub serving the naval shipbuilding and repair industrial base in Hampton Roads.
NANTIA is establishing an NDT Centre of Excellence in the Hampton Roads region - purpose-built to address the common capability, training, and workforce needs of the primes, Tier 1 shipbuilders, and supply chain that serve America's naval programs.
The Centre is designed as a shared capability platform: face-to-face NDT training aligned to NAVSEA standards, refresher and recurrent qualification programs, cross-skilling for existing technicians, entry-level pipelines for new workforce entrants, and surge NDT capacity for peak production periods.
What the Hampton Roads Centre Provides
- Entry-level NDT training producing boat-ready technicians
- NDT refresher training aligned to NAVSEA and SNT-TC-1A
- Advanced method qualification including Phased Array UT (PAUT)
- Cross-skilling programs for existing NDT technicians
- LMS-based remote NDT training for distributed workforces
- VR NDT simulation for immersive pre-training exposure
- Contract NDT inspection services during peak demand
- Level III ASNT services and technical oversight
Resolving Common NDT Challenges Across the Industrial Base
Across the Hampton Roads industrial base, the same NDT problems recur across multiple primes and shipbuilders. Schedule disruption from radiographic testing. Inconsistent technician readiness between programs. Difficulty retaining qualified NDT personnel. Procedure qualification that doesn't translate between contracts.
NANTIA's Centre of Excellence is positioned to listen across the industrial base, identify these shared pain points, and guide solutions that benefit the entire Hampton Roads region.
Example: RT to PAUT Transition
Multiple shipbuilders are evaluating the replacement of conventional radiographic testing (RT) with Phased Array Ultrasonic Testing (PAUT) on certain weld configurations - reducing schedule interruption, radiation exclusion zones, and retake rates.
NANTIA has the Level III expertise, procedure development capability, and training infrastructure to support this transition across the region.
Online NDT Training & Learning Management System
Structured online non-destructive testing training that serves three distinct workforce needs.
Current Workforce Currency
Existing NDT technicians and quality personnel needing to stay current on standards updates, complete refresher modules, and maintain documented training records that satisfy audit requirements.
Local Pre-Screening in Hampton Roads
Prospective students in the Hampton Roads and Virginia area who want to determine whether NDT is the right career path before committing to the Centre of Excellence. The LMS provides aptitude assessment and foundational exposure.
Remote NDT Training Access
Students and technicians across the broader US supplier base who cannot attend the Centre of Excellence in person. The online NDT training platform delivers theory modules, assessment, and records management with full traceability.
- Curriculum aligned to SNT-TC-1A, NAVSEA T9074-AS-GIB-010/271, and ISO 9712
- Progress tracking, examination capability, and auditable records
- Integration with practical assessment at the Centre of Excellence
VR NDT Simulator & Immersive Training Lab
Virtual reality NDT training that reduces cold starts and sets honest expectations.
Reduce the Cold Start
Students who arrive at the Centre of Excellence with VR NDT simulation exposure already understand the environment, equipment, and workflow. They begin practical training with context, compressing time from enrolment to productive capability.
Set Honest Expectations
The VR environment provides a realistic experience of what an NDT technician's work actually involves - confined spaces, restricted access, the physical and procedural demands of working on a naval asset.
Real Materials, Real Defects
The NDT Lab Simulator exposes students to materials and defect presentations drawn from real industrial components - not sanitised test plates used in standard NDT training.
NDT Upskilling, Cross-Skilling & Refresher Training
The workforce challenge is not only about new entrants. Current NDT technicians across the Hampton Roads supply chain need access to additional method qualifications, advanced techniques, and refresher training that keeps pace with evolving NAVSEA requirements.
NANTIA's Centre of Excellence provides structured upskilling and cross-skilling programs that expand the capability of your existing NDT workforce - increasing the range of work each technician can perform and reducing dependence on external inspection services.
NDT Upskilling Pathways
- Additional NDT method qualifications: ultrasonic testing (UT), radiographic testing (RT), magnetic particle testing (MT), liquid penetrant testing (PT), eddy current testing (ET), visual testing (VT)
- Phased Array Ultrasonic Testing (PAUT) for current UT technicians
- NAVSEA T9074-AS-GIB-010/271 refresher and alignment
- Level II to Level III development pathways
- Written practice and procedure development training
- Cross-standard training (SNT-TC-1A, ISO 9712, NAVSEA)
NDT Services for the US Industrial Base
NDT Centre of Excellence
A dedicated NDT capability hub for Hampton Roads - face-to-face training, workforce pipelines, cross-skilling, LMS, VR simulation, and surge inspection capacity.
Learn more →NDT Training
Structured non-destructive testing training aligned to SNT-TC-1A, NAVSEA, and ISO 9712. Face-to-face, online LMS, and VR simulation pathways for entry-level through to advanced qualification.
Learn more →NDT Level III Services
ASNT Level III technical oversight including procedure approval, written practice support, audit preparation, examiner functions, and certifying authority.
Learn more →Inspection Services
Quality-managed NDT inspection under controlled quality systems. Supplier verification, in-process inspection, and defensible documentation for US and Australian programs.
Learn more →NDT Consulting
Expert NDT consulting for defence, maritime, and industrial programs. Standards translation, gap analysis, implementation support, and compliance guidance.
Learn more →Maritime & Naval NDT
NDT services and training purpose-built for naval shipbuilding, submarine maintenance, and maritime defence programs across both US and Australian fleets.
Learn more →