Theodoros Christidis: Continuing Growth in NDT Training

Having set up his own company representing a major NDT equipment manufacturer, Theodoros also moved into beginning his own training company in Greece. Now offering freelance NDT services in industries including shipbuilding, he revealed that he enjoys the freedom to decide his own strategies and direction afforded to him by self-employment.

Although Theodoros is L3 certified in most conventional NDT methods he realises that he needs to keep progressing, saying that he will continue to train "until retirement." This desire to keep updating his skills and knowledge led him to TWI so he could build on his existing NDT qualifications.

Theodoros explained that he looked for training locally, but couldn't find anything to suit his needs, while he was also keen to take advantage of TWI's global reputation. It was an added bonus that some of his former colleagues now work at TWI, including one of the lecturers, meaning that he could meet up and enjoy his stay in England as he trained!

Having paid for his own training, Theodoros took the opportunity to get ahead by attending the Phased Array and ToFD courses back to back, Phased Array being a Blended Learning course. Although he was sure to note that he likes a hands-on learning experience and, as such, prefers full classroom training courses, he appreciates the advantage of the reduced time away from work offered through the Blended Learning option.

While Theodoros was keen to gain his qualifications in order to meet the needs of his own customers, he was also pleased with the facilities and quality of lecturing available at TWI. Saying that the lecturers were "exceptional", Theodoros explained that this was due to not just their knowledge and communication skills, but also the methodical teaching approach that met the needs of the certification while also teaching genuine work-related skills. In addition, Theodoros highlighted the advantage of having the opportunity to get familiar with a variety of equipment available during the training.

As such, Theodoros would recommend TWI as a training provider given the quality of the lecturers, the facilities and the equipment. He also stayed on site at Great Abington near Cambridge, explaining that the convenience of being near the training school was a deciding factor as "everything is here."