This project received funding from the EURATOM Research and Training programme 

3 years under grant agreement N° 232629.

The project covers the structuring, organisation, coordination and implementation of training schemes in cooperation with local, national and international training organisations, to provide training to professionals active in nuclear organisations or their contractors and subcontractors. The training schemes provide a portfolio of courses, training sessions, seminars and workshops for continuous learning, for upgrading knowledge and developing skills.

The training schemes allow the individual to acquire qualifications and skills, as required by specific positions in the nuclear sector, which will be documented in a training passport. The essence of such a passport is to be recognised within the EU by the whole nuclear sector, which provides mobility to the individual looking for employment and an EU wide recruitment field for nuclear employers. The recognition is subject to qualification and validation of the training courses according to a set of commonly agreed criteria, which can be ratified by law or established on a consensus basis within a network.

The training schemes cover profiles for each of the following:

Type A) Basic training in selected nuclear topics of non-nuclear engineers and personnel of nuclear facilities contractors and subcontractors;

Type B) Technical training for the design challenges of GEN III plants;

Type C) Technical training for the construction challenges of GEN III plants;

Type D) Technical training for the design of GEN IV plants.

The training schemes consists of three distinct phases:

– Courses, seminars, learning, scientific and technical visits, case studies;

– Participation in selected activities within the scope of the training in different organisations;

– Autonomous conduction of activities within the scope of the training under the supervision of a mentor

The first phase is provided by universities and training centres, the second and third phases are provided by the future employer in research and industry.

The first phase is provided by universities and training centers, the second and third phases are provided by future employer in research and industry.

> European Fission Training Scheme (EFTS)

> Starting on 1 May 2009 for the period of three years

> Coordinator: ENEN Association

Project summary

ENEN III PROJECT SUMMARY

There is a strong need for high-level training of young specialists in the nuclear sector. This is due to the combination of the ageing of the actual manpower and the starting nuclear renaissance. It is critical to maintain the safety and efficiency of the existing nuclear installations and to build and prepare the development of the next generations of facilities. Well designed training is therefore necessary, allowing the handling of the technical challenges with all safety assurances.

Major industrial organisations have the means, both in terms of expertise and finances, to hire young engineers and to train them for the specific duties, through a combination of in-house programmes, training courses available on the market, and, not to be neglected, on-the-job training. It is much more problematic for smaller organisations and in countries where recent policies with respect to nuclear energy has led to the decrease in nuclear education and research funding. Synergies would be beneficial in all cases.

The assessment of the needs identified a list of generic types of training where specific training schemes have to be developed including training sessions, seminars, workshops, etc. to constitute the portfolio offered to postgraduates and professionals for training and further personal development. Training schemes in the following four generic types will be developed in the project:

Type A) Basic training in selected nuclear topics for non-nuclear engineers and professionals in the nuclear industry.

The shortage of engineers with basic nuclear knowledge with respect to the demands of the industry leads to the concept of providing education and training of nuclear topics to non-nuclear engineers during graduation or as postgraduate courses. The target group consists of engineers supporting the operation of a Nuclear Power Plant, for example:

• Programme Engineer
• Performance/Reliability Engineer
• System/Component/Maintenance Engineer
• Design Engineer
• Safety Assessment Engineer

The experience obtained during the FP6 NEPTUNO project will be exploited to define the qualification profile with the required knowledge and skills. The NEPTUNO project aimed at a few key positions in the plant, outlining the job descriptions, the corresponding set of core qualifications and competences and a recommended training programme. The current ENEN-III project intends to provide essential knowledge and skills to a broader target group of professionals working in the nuclear industry.

Type B) Basic training in selected nuclear topics for personnel of contractors and subcontractors of nuclear facilities.

Nuclear facilities contractors are defined as any personnel working for a nuclear facility who are not directly employed by this nuclear facility. In 2001, the International Atomic Energy Agency published a technical document on assuring the competence of NPP contractor (and subcontractor) personnel. The document displays general conclusions and recommendations, followed by a diversity of contractor personnel assessment schemes and utility case studies. The compilation of the individual approaches in different countries and by different utilities is certainly very valuable, but the variety observed shows that a common and mutually recognised training scheme for NPP contractor and subcontractor personnel would be beneficial and provide considerable added value on a European scale.

Contractor personnel provide essential services to nuclear power plants, particularly during plant outages or for projects involving major upgrades to plants. In providing these services contractor personnel encounter similar problems to those that challenge nuclear power plant personnel. Accordingly, contractor personnel must be similarly competent and effectively interface with NPP personnel when performing their assigned duties. It is in this context that a well-designed training scheme would assure the competence of contractor personnel. Accreditation and recognition of the training scheme on a European level would alleviate the assessment of the contractors’ competence and skills by the utilities.

Type C) Technical training for the design and construction challenges of Gen III Nuclear Power Plants.

The Generation III reactors currently in the construction and planning stages have been designed on the basis of several fundamentally different concepts with respect to Generation II reactors and their evolutionary improvements and black fittings. Following the categorisation of those concepts by T. Dominguez, five different fields can be identified and the challenges they represent should be addressed in the education and training programme for the engineers involved in the detailed design and construction of those GEN III plants.

The first field is the technology, including passive safety systems, for extensive use of mixed oxide fuels, high burn-up resistant fuels, new materials, etc. The second field is the international dimension of the GEN III design, forcing and requiring the harmonisation of licensing criteria and procedures, of quality standards, certification programmes and validation tests. The third field relates to the changing infrastructure and organisation of the construction projects, involving the utilities, the vendors, the safety organisations and their interactions. Cost optimisation strategies by reducing the construction period and exploitation of past operational experience to reduce or eliminate unnecessary margins and tolerances is the fourth category. The recovery of infrastructures and component manufacturing techniques is an additional element in this category. Finally, the extensive availability and use of innovative engineering software tools, 3D models, standardisation, optimisation and automatisation is the fifth field to be addressed in the training of the new nuclear engineer.

Training schemes for GEN III construction should therefore address the innovative technologies, the safety requirements, the project stakeholders, interactions and logistics, the operational experience, and the design codes, standards and tools.

Type D) Technical training on the concepts and design of GEN IV nuclear reactors

Research centres and engineering companies are studying and developing advanced reactor concepts of the fourth generation to optimise energy production and reduce the quantities and the long-term risks of nuclear waste. In the same way as the utilities operating nuclear power plants and their contractors, the research centres are facing the shortage of engineers with a satisfactory background in nuclear disciplines and expressed their interest in a training scheme on the concepts and design of GEN IV nuclear reactors.

The GEN IV nuclear reactors are characterised by higher operating temperatures, requiring gas or liquid metal coolants in the primary circuit, although supercritical water cooling and molten salts are possible options as well. High-temperature materials, corrosion effects, liquid metal dynamics, heat exchangers are typical topics which would fit this training scheme. GEN IV nuclear reactors are also characterised by fast neutron fluxes for both breeding fresh fuel in blanket materials and enhanced burning of long-lived waste products. In combination with the higher temperatures and the new primary coolants, those features will need the development and testing of entirely new nuclear fuels and fuel cycles, together with new fuel fabrication and fuel recycling concepts. A training scheme for the design of GEN IV nuclear reactors, including this large variety of components, will be more research-oriented and will have a broader and less specialised scope than the former ones. Nevertheless, it is expected to respond to the current needs of the research communities in order to design and build the prototypes of the nuclear reactors of the future.

Systematic Approach for Training

The training schemes will be developed according to the systematic approach for training (SAT) and will include the following five phases.

Analysis

In cooperation with the future employers and the Advisory Board, an analysis will be made of the required qualifications and skills to perform the tasks of a specific professional profile. The analysis will be based on past experience, lessons learned and recommendations of the stakeholders, e.g. regulatory bodies, utilities, and international organisations active in the field, e.g. the International Atomic Energy Agency.

Design

The training scheme will be designed in detail to provide to the trainees the general background knowledge, the basic and specialist theoretical education, and the practical work and experience to develop the required qualifications and skills. The training scheme will show the different entry points for trainees with different backgrounds and education levels. In principle, the minimum starting level will be the second year of the Master level or after graduation to the Master level.

Development

A survey will be made to identify the education and training organisations providing the necessary components of the training scheme in terms of courses, seminars, workshops, internships, etc. If necessary new modules will be developed and tested to cover the full scope of the required qualifications and skills.

Evaluation

The evaluation phase will have two components. The first evaluation will be carried out by a quality assurance group together with the future employers to verify the technical content and pedagogical value of the components of the training scheme and the logical sequence of the different modules.

The second evaluation will be carried out after running the training schemes with a number of trainees and assessing the qualifications acquired and the skills developed during the training. This evaluation will be the final phase of the project and will include recommendations for optimising and improving the training scheme.

Implementation

After passing the first phase of the evaluation, the training schemes will be run in a test phase with trainees supported or already employed by future employers.

Partners

Project management

PROJECT COORDINATOR

The project is being coordinated by the ENEN Association.

Contact:    Mr. Peter De Regge

Tel  + 33 69 08 34 21  Email  peter.de-regge@cea.fr

PROJECT MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE

The Project Management Committee consists of the Coordinator, the Work Package Leaders and the sub-coordinators for the four training schemes. The Project Management Committee plays a key role in the management and the progress of this project according to time schedule and to the budget allocations. On a regular base to be defined, this Committee organizes regular meetings together with Work Package leaders to evaluate the project progress, prepare the above-mentioned meetings and decide on the allocation of project resources when needed. The Committee meets shortly before each of the three plenary project meetings (kick-off, mid-term and final) to prepare the meetings, and once around the 9th and the 27th month to evaluate the progress made, discuss the results, and review the resource allocation and the financial issues. It is expected and intended that all multilateral issues in the framework of the ENEN-III project can be solved between the ENEN members and the external partners in a mutual agreement under the guidance of the Project Management Committee.

> Member list 

WORK PACKAGE MEETINGS

The Work Package leaders have the responsibility of organizing meetings of the parties involved to decide on the distribution of the tasks, the time schedule and the use of the resources allocated to their Work Package. The Work Package partners meets as required. The assistance of ENEN Secretariat can be obtained for the organization of telephone meetings. This type of meetings is encouraged under this Coordination Action with the evident consequence of cost reduction and time saving. On this basis regular and frequent meetings can take place ensuring a better follow up of the project progress and tasks’ achievements.

> Member list 

ADVISORY BOARD

The ENEN Advisory Board will have been installed under the ENEN-II project and will continue to be consulted in ENEN-III in particular with respect to the development of the European Fission Training Schemes to advise on the needs for higher education and training in the nuclear community (research, regulators, industry, utilities) in quantitative and qualitative terms. The purpose is to keep a good balance between the needs for nuclear education and training and the supply. However, a balanced situation with respect to the needs and supply of education and training is still sterile when facing a shortage of candidates and in the absence of interest of youngsters for the jobs. The Advisory Board together with the consortium will have to seek appropriate ways to advertise careers in the nuclear community and attract a sufficient number of candidates.

Networking under the ENEN-II project in combination with the involvement of the ENEN Association in coordination initiatives launched by the European Commission, in particular, the Sustainable Nuclear Energy Technology Platform and the European Nuclear Energy Forum provide implicit guidance and feedback with respect to the ENEN Association’s activities. The composition of the Sustainable Nuclear Energy Technology Platform Working Group on Education, Training and Knowledge Management fits the requirements and terms of reference for the Advisory Board of the ENEN Association and will be asked to assume this role in the future in a more formal framework.

Work Packages

The workplan of ENEN III consists of the Coordination Activities and the Project Management. The Coordination Activities are split into five main Work Packages, with objectives, description of work to be achieved through individual task leading to deliverables defined for each Work Package. The sixth Work Package takes care of the Project Management and the seventh Work Package coordinates with other training networks.

Work Package1: Setting training framework (defining qualifications and skills, accreditation structure) 

The main objective of the first Work Package is to establish the framework for European Fission training schemes to be implemented. The definition of target groups to be trained will be the first step to be achieved and the role of different consortium partners will be identified.

Work Package 2: Establishing and running the qualification programme (theoretical part) 

The second Work Package establishes the qualification programmes for the target groups. The main work to be achieved will be compiling and selecting courses, training sessions or seminars for each qualification programme with particular attention to the need for training reactors and plant simulators.

Work Package 3: Establishing and running the training programme for further developing the required skills (practical part) 

Skills development will be the main objective of Work Package three. This will be done by the establishment of specific training programmes for developing skills for the four target groups. Training programmes for acquiring the necessary skills will be based on the scientific and technical visits, case studies and acquirement of good practices for a limited number of trainees, under the tutorship of confirmed engineers or researchers, on a specific topic.

Work Package 4: Increasing autonomy of trainees (internships, participation to activities) 

Under the fourth Work Package training achieved under Work Packages 2 and 3 is followed by internships realized by trainees attached to different stakeholders. The objective is to create schemes and procedures confronting the trainees with different policies and cultures of employers in various European Union countries. The topics selected will be realized by the agreement of several chosen stakeholders who will be hosting the trainees.

Work Package 5: Autonomous conduction of activities by trainees with mentor 

This fifth Work Package deals with the last phase of the scheme. Its objective for the trainee is to acquire through this phase of the training responsibility, self-confidence and autonomy through on-the-job training. Arrangements will be made for the trainees to conduct autonomous activities under the mentorship of employers and acquire responsibility and be in charge of specific duties.

Work Package 6: Project management 

Work Package 6 deals with the management tasks of the project, the organisation of project progress meetings and review meetings, the production of progress reports, financial reports and the interactions with the EC for monitoring the project advancement and the distribution of the project resources and funding.

Work Package 7: Collaboration with other training networks 

The objective of Work Package 7 is cross-cutting, whereby the activities undertaken within Work Packages 1 to 5 are coordinated with the education and training working groups of  other relevant EU platforms addressing nuclear fission-energy related activities, specifically the Strategic Nuclear Energy-Technology Platform, the European Nuclear Energy Platform and the Higher Level Group.