I hate to be crass, but money talks.
Depending on your location, the wages offered may or may not be in line with the cost of living in your areas.
The wonderful world of NDT is similar to welding in that there is a shortage of skilled technicians. Anyone that has the hours of training would most likely have some work related experience to qualify as a Level I, that being the case, they can be certified and not what I would consider entry level.
I compare the level I certification akin to a welder with a simple plate qualification in the flat position. Many welders employed in the U.S. work their entire career with that one certification. Likewise, many NDT people work as Level I technicians for a multitude of reasons, number one being that the employer doesn't train or certify their people beyond what is necessary to work the job.
Another question is what NDT method are you looking for. If you perform penetrant inspection only and use only the solvent removable method the wages would be different than what you can expect to pay a radiographer or someone that can perform ultrasonic examinations. There are about 70 different NDT methods used by industry. Each has varying numbers of training hours and related work experience requirements. Some of the more complex test methods are more difficult to learn and justify higher wages.
Once again, money talks. If you want to attract qualified people you have to pay wages that beat MacDonald's and Burger King. In my area, those are the wages you are offering and you wouldn't get anyone to stay longer than is necessary for them to find a better position elsewhere.
Best regards - Al