Career prospects

Career opportunities in materials testing

Materials testing technicians often work in quality assurance, incoming goods inspection, final inspection or the ongoing monitoring of production within a company. Workplaces may include the company’s own materials testing laboratory or the production hall, where testing is carried out directly. Employers may also be specialist service providers working for companies without their own quality assurance departments.

In general, the knowledge gained through vocational retraining as a materials testing technician (IHK) or qualification as a material testing specialist (metals technology and systems technology), in materials engineering or as a Test Technician qualified in accordance with DIN 54161 enables employment in many industrial sectors:

• Mechanical and plant engineering – non-destructive testing during production
• Steel construction – detecting defects in welds using non-destructive inspection methods
• Specialist welding companies – carrying out welding procedure tests
• Energy and chemical companies – inspecting and overhauling plant
• Metal trading – checking material composition and freedom from defects
• Heat treatment companies – operating heat treatment equipment
• Forging companies or foundries – monitoring forming and casting processes
• Testing service providers – material testing and defect detection using numerous testing techniques
• Testing laboratories – materials testing and metallographic examinations
• Staffing agencies – entering a wide variety of industrial sectors
• Manufacturers of testing instruments and equipment – sales and order processing
• Quality assurance in manufacturing companies
• Incoming goods inspection, acceptance testing organisations and inspection bodies
• NDT inspection supervision and work preparation in metalworking companies
• Work preparation in metalworking companies