People, Knowledge, and Access

Nondestructive testing (NDT) is one of the most essential—and often least visible—disciplines supporting modern industry. From ensuring the safety of critical infrastructure to enabling innovation across sectors, NDT professionals provide assurance that materials, systems, and processes perform as intended.

At its core, ASNT exists to advance the field of NDT. Through certification, education, standards, and community, the Society helps define and elevate the profession. As the industry continues to evolve—technologically, economically, and demographically—it has become increasingly clear that advancing the profession requires more than programs alone. It requires sustained investment in people, knowledge, and access.

That is where the ASNT Foundation comes in.

The Foundation extends ASNT's impact by investing in areas critical to the profession's long-term strength, including scholarships, grants, and industry research. These efforts are not separate from ASNT's mission; they are a direct extension of it. By supporting students, educators, and early-career professionals, the Foundation helps ensure that pathways into NDT remain accessible and relevant. By supporting research, it contributes to the insights and innovation that guide the industry forward.

In many ways, the Foundation reflects a simple but important reality: the future of the profession does not happen on its own. It must be intentionally built.

One of the clearest examples of this is the workforce pipeline. Demand for skilled NDT professionals continues to grow, while a significant portion of the current workforce is approaching retirement. This is no longer a concern for the future—it is already affecting hiring, training capacity, and operational performance across the industry. It is a present and increasing challenge. ASNT has identified workforce development and career pathways as strategic priorities, recognizing that the strength of the profession depends on the caliber of those entering it.

The scale of this challenge is significant. The US NDT workforce comprises approximately 89,800 professionals, with demand expected to grow as infrastructure and inspection needs increase. At the same time, mid-level technicians remain in short supply, further straining training pipelines and workforce development efforts.

The Foundation plays a supporting role in that effort. Through scholarships and educational grants, it helps lower barriers to entry and expand access to the profession. Through outreach and early-career engagement, it introduces new audiences to opportunities in NDT through initiatives like the "Ultrasound in a Box" kit for students and free classroom experiments. Through research, it helps the industry better understand workforce trends, skills gaps, and future needs.

Each of these efforts contributes to a larger outcome: a stronger and more sustainable pipeline of talent entering and advancing within the field.

Beyond workforce development, the Foundation strengthens how the industry responds to change. Research supported through the Foundation helps inform decisions across the industry, from technology adoption to workforce planning. As NDT continues to evolve with advancements in automation, data analytics, and inspection methods, access to timely and relevant information becomes increasingly important.

In this way, the Foundation serves as a connector, linking education, research, and industry needs in a way that reinforces the broader ecosystem of NDT.

For employers, educators, and industry leaders, this is not a distant issue. Workforce constraints, training gaps, and evolving technology are already shaping operational decisions today. The ability to attract, develop, and retain skilled NDT professionals will directly impact safety, performance, and long-term competitiveness.

Today, companies are navigating increasing demand, changing technologies, and growing pressure on workforce capacity. These shifts are placing greater emphasis on the need for accessible pathways into the profession and better data to support long-term planning.

At the same time, the case for investment is becoming clearer.

NDT delivers measurable value every day by preventing failures, extending asset life, and reducing operational risk. The long-term strength of that value depends on the people entering the profession, the knowledge being developed, and the accessibility of pathways into the field. The Foundation exists to support those elements, not as an abstract good, but as a practical necessity for the future of the industry.

Ultimately, the ASNT Foundation exists to ensure that the profession is not only sustained but strengthened over time. It provides a way to invest in the people, knowledge, and opportunities that will define the future of NDT. As the demands on the industry continue to grow, so does the importance of building a prepared workforce, a body of knowledge that is relevant, and a profession that is accessible to the next generation.

The ASNT Foundation's role is to help make that future possible by turning shared industry priorities into meaningful, sustained impact.