Yep you see a lot of companies require ASNT Level II for CWI's. Makes sense for a CWI to know enough about the various NDE processes to recognize the difference between good and bad practice. That much is implied by QC-1's specification that the CWI be able to manage NDE as part of his/her job duties. However I would disagree with employer's that require level II certification as a hiring requirement. This doesn't make a lot of sense, at least in my industry (Oil and Gas). Contracts generally require written reports of NDE, which require a level II in anything but visual inspection. Most customers, because of conflict of interest, real or apparent, will not accept a report generated by in house inspection, necessitating calling in a third party to do a documented inspection. Your mileage may vary in other industries, but this pretty much the way it works in pressure containing subsea equipment. So, should CWI's have expert knowledge of PT, MT, UT, and perhaps RT? Yes, most definitely. In fact, the last place I worked, the welders did informative PT and MT before the third party came in to do his/her inspection. Is being certified to ASNT level II as opposed to acquiring knowledge through classwork (In this area a number of Level III's give classes and testing both practical and theoretical for all the various types of NDE). Is it the best approach for employer's to require a CWI to also hold level II certs and issue in house reports? That depends on the industry and what the usual contract stipulates.