Brazilian student takes advantage of blended learning option for ultrasonic training

A training candidate based in Brazil used TWI’s eLearning service to maximise his chances of successfully achieving CSWIP certification – with brilliant results.

Fernando Antonio Juliao Martins from Rio de Janeiro has been working as an ultrasonic inspector for five years, primarily in the oil and gas and power sectors. With these industries increasingly demanding more advanced non-destructive testing methods, he decided the next step in his career would be to undertake training in phased array ultrasonic testing.

Based on research and recommendations from his colleagues, along with TWI’s unrivalled reputation for delivering industry-leading training, Fernando decided to travel to the UK to attend a course at the newly built training school at TWI’s Great Abington headquarters.

The course he enrolled on was Phased Array Ultrasonic Testing (PAUT) – Welds – Blended Learning Package.

Travelling from South America to Europe for training is a serious commitment of both time and money. Self-sponsored student Fernando was determined to do everything he could to ensure he passed his CSWIP exam first time, so when registering for the course he opted for the blended learning option, combining online study with traditional classroom-delivered tuition.

This had a number of advantages. First, it meant that he was only required to attend two weeks of training in Great Abington, rather than three – the first week’s material was covered online. This meant less time away from work in Brazil and a considerable saving in accommodation costs.

Second, it gave him flexibility to study the online segment at a convenient time. Fernando was able to accommodate this around his full-time working commitments, studying online in the evenings.

Finally, studying online is especially beneficial to someone, like Fernando, whose first language is not English. He was able to revisit sections of the course to make sure he understood them, with clear supporting videos helping to explain some of the more difficult concepts. With 60 days’ access to the materials included with the course, he had plenty of time to make sure he had a good understanding of every topic.

Fernando was very impressed with his time at TWI. Praising the facilities as being like ‘a different world’ and highly complimentary of the training and support staff, he plans to return to Great Abington in the future to gain CSWIP certification in another advanced ultrasonic technique: time-of-flight diffraction.

For more information on eLearning with TWI visit the TWI Virtual Academy website at www.twivirtualacademy.com, email trainexam@twitraining.com or call +44 (0)1223 899500.