Retaining critical competences in nuclear energy sector : national initiatives and best practices, instruments and tools.
Date: 2015-04-14
Institutions: Institute for Energy and Transport
Subjects: labour shortage, nuclear energy, nuclear industry, personnel administration, professional qualifications, research report, sample survey, skilled worker

Retaining critical competences in 
nuclear energy sector: 
national initiatives and best practices, 
instruments and tools 

Oksana Matselyukh, Cesar Chenel-Ramos, 
Mihail Ceclan 

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Report EUR 27181 EN 

 
 
 
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European Commission 
Joint Research Centre 
Institute for Energy and Transport  

Contact information 
Cesar Chenel Ramos 
Address: Joint Research Centre, P.O. Box 2, NL-1755 ZG, Petten, The Netherlands 
E-mail: Cesar.Chenel-Ramos@ec.europa.eu 
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JRC95203 

EUR 27181 EN 

ISBN 978-92-79-47232-9 (PDF) 

ISSN 1831-9424 (online) 

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Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union, 2015 

© European Union, 2015 

Reproduction is authorised provided the source is acknowledged. 

Abstract 
The main objective of this study is to give an overview of new initiatives and best practices developed during the last few 
years on the national level. As the development of nuclear E&T is primarily defined by the policies and national regulations 
for  the  nuclear  sector,  and  only  secondarily  -  through  the  general  policies  that  apply  to  the  high  education  (HE)  and 
vocational  education  and  training  (VET)  systems,  main  attention  is  given  to  the  educational  activities  specific  for  the 
nuclear field. 
This  report  firstly  focuses  on  the  organisation  of  nuclear  E&T  in  selected  countries,  investigating  different  types  of 
institutions, programmes, qualifications, funding mechanisms and partnerships among academia, industry, labour market  
and social partners. Then the attention is given to the current status and further development of tools and instruments, 
that  support  the  assessment,  achievement  and  demonstration  of  personal  and  corporate  competences  in  the  nuclear 
sector. Finally there is a review of current trends in nuclear E&T and recommendations to maintain and develop the skills, 
competences and knowledge in nuclear and radiation safety in the EU.  
The data on which this study is based is taken from desk research and interviews with several experts. 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Retaining critical competences in nuclear energy 
sector: national initiatives and best practices, 
instruments and tools 

Oksana Matselyukh 
Opt/Net Consulting BV 

César Chenel-Ramos 
European Commission, Joint Research Centre 
Institute for Energy and Transport 

Mihail Ceclan 
European Commission, Joint Research Centre,  
Institute for Energy and Transport 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
2 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
List of  abbreviations 

Acatech National Academy of Science and Engineering, DE 
BNEN Belgian Nuclear Higher Education Network 
CB-QS Competence Based Qualification System  
Cedefop European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training 
CEA Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives (Atomic Energy and 
Alternative Energies Commission) 
CB-QS Competence based Qualification System 
CEIDEN Nuclear Fission R&D Technological Platform, ES 
CFEN French Council for Education and Training in Nuclear Energy 
Cogent SSC Cogent Sector Skills Council, UK 
CPD Continuing Professional Development  
CSFN Strategic Committee of Nuclear Industry, FR 
DG DEVCO European Commission EuropeAid Directorate-General 
DG ENER European Commission Directorate-General for Energy  
DG EAC European Commission Directorate-General for Education and Culture 
DG JRC European Commission Directorate-General Joint Research Centre 
DG RTD European Commission Directorate-General for Research and Innovation 
E&T Education and Training  
EC European Commission 
ECTS European credit transfer and accumulation system  
ECVET European credit system for VET 
EFTS Euratom Fission Training Schemes 
EHRO-N European Human Resource Observatory for Nuclear  
EIT European Institute of Innovation and Technology 
ENEF European Nuclear Energy Forum  
ENEN European Nuclear Education Network  
ENS European Nuclear Society 
ENSREG European Nuclear Safety Regulators Group 
ENSTTI European Nuclear Safety Training & Tutoring Institute 
EN3S European school for Nuclear Safety and Security 
ESARDA European  Safeguards  Research  and   Development Association 
ESCO European Skills/Competences, Qualifications and Occupations 
ESFRI European Strategy Forum on Research Infrastructures  
EQAVET European quality assurance in VET 
EQF European qualifications framework 
ETF European Training Foundation  
EU European Union 
EURATOM European Atomic Energy Community 
HE High Education 
Foratom European Atomic Forum, trade association for the nuclear energy industry  
FP7 Euratom Seventh Framework Programme of the European Atomic Energy 
Community 
IAEA International Atomic Energy Agency 
IGD -TP Implementing Geological Disposal of Radioactive Waste Technology Platform 
INPO Institute of Nuclear Power Operations, USA 
IRSN Institute for Radiological Protection and Nuclear Safety, FR  
I2EN International Institute for Nuclear Energy, FR 

 
KIC Knowledge and Innovation Communities 
KSC Knowledge, Skills and Competences 
LLL Life Long Learning 
LO Learning Outcome  
MELODI Multidisciplinary European Low-Dose Initiative 
MoU Memorandum of Understanding 
MS Member State 
NCP National Contact Point 
NEA OECD Nuclear Energy Agency, Organisation for Economic Cooperation and 
Development 
NES Nuclear Energy Sector 
NESA Nuclear Energy Skills Alliance, UK 
NI Nuclear Institute, UK 
NIA Nuclear Industry Association, UK 
NIC Nuclear Industry Council, UK 
NITF Nuclear Industry Training Framework, UK 
NJT Nuclear Job Taxonomy  
NPP Nuclear Power Plant 
NSA National Skills Academy for Nuclear, UK 
NTEC Nuclear Technology Education Consortium, UK 
NUSHARE Project for Sharing & Growing Nuclear Safety Culture Competence 
R&D Research and Development 
SAT Systematic Approach to Training 
SCK•CEN Nuclear Research Centre, BE 
SEETI Sustainable Energy Education, Innovation and Technology 
SET-plan Strategic Energy Technology Plan 
SKC Swedish Nuclear Technology Centre  
SNETP Sustainable Nuclear Energy Technology Platform  
STEM Science, Technical, Engineering and Mathematics education 
TSO Technical Safety Organisation 
VET Vocational Education and Training

4 

 
Table of  Content 

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS.............................................................................................. 3

TABLE OF CONTENT ..................................................................................................... 5

1

2

INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................ 7

BACKGROUND ........................................................................................................... 8

STAKEHOLDERS IN RETAINING COMPETENCES IN NUCLEAR ENERGY 

3
SECTOR ............................................................................................................................ 10

EXAMPLES OF THE EU MEMBER STATES INITIATIVES IN FORECASTING 

4
OF MISSING COMPETENCES AND KEEPING NUCLEAR COMPETENCES AT 
HIGH LEVEL ................................................................................................................... 12
BELGIUM ...................................................................................................................................... 12
FINLAND ...................................................................................................................................... 15
FRANCE......................................................................................................................................... 17
GERMANY .................................................................................................................................... 23
SPAIN ............................................................................................................................................. 25
SWEDEN........................................................................................................................................ 28
UNITED KINGDOM .................................................................................................................... 29

4.1
4.2
4.3
4.4
4.5
4.6
4.7

5   DEVELOPMENT AND IMPLEMENTATION OF TOOLS THAT SUPPORT 
THE ACHIEVEMENT AND DEMONSTRATION OF COMPETENCES ................ 38

INSTRUMENTS FOR THE IDENTIFICATION AND ASSESSMENT OF PERSONAL, 

5.1
CORPORATE AND INDUSTRY’S NUCLEAR COMPETENCES AND TRAINING NEEDS ................... 38
5.1.1    TRAIN, Idaho National Laboratory, USA ....................................................................... 38
5.1.2   ‘QuEST’ (Qualifications and Experience System Tool), AMEC NNC, UK ... 39
DACUM (Developing A CurriculUM), USA .................................................................. 39
5.1.3
MySkills, Atkins Training Academy (ATA), UK .......................................................... 40
5.1.4
Competence Framework, UK ................................................................................................. 40
5.1.5
Nuclear Workforce Model, Labour Market Intelligence, Cogent SSC, UK ... 41
5.1.6
5.1.7
Fit For Nuclear assessment for engineering manufacturing companies, 
NAMRC, UK.................................................................................................................................................. 42

EXISTING AND PLANNED ELECTRONIC CATALOGUES AND DATABASES ON 

5.2
COMPETENCES AND TRAINING IN NUCLEAR E&T IN THE EU ................................................... 42
Nuclear Job Contexts, Cogent SSC, UK ........................................................................... 42
5.2.1
Nuclear Skills passport, NSA, UK ....................................................................................... 43
5.2.2
Training capabilities catalogue, Spanish nuclear industry (CEIDEN F+) ... 45
5.2.3
EFTS projects’ instrument for data management ....................................................... 45
5.2.4
EHRO-N initiative on a software tool for learning and competence 
5.2.5
management (NUVET). Concept and preliminary model .................................................... 47
5.2.6
NUSHARE - Project for Sharing & Growing Nuclear Safety Culture 
Competence .................................................................................................................................................... 48
6
ECVET WITHIN THE NUCLEAR ENERGY SECTOR. PILOT PROJECT TO TEST ECVET 
IMPLEMENTATION ................................................................................................................................ 51
ECVET IN THE NUCLEAR ENERGY SECTOR ......................................................................... 51
6.1
Current initiatives ......................................................................................................................... 51
Nuclear qualifications particularities ................................................................................. 52
THE NU-VET PILOT PROJECT IN THE NUCLEAR ENERGY SECTOR ................................. 54
Existing ECVET projects in non-nuclear sectors ....................................................... 54
The scope of the NU-VET pilot project ........................................................................... 54

6.2.1
6.2.2

6.1.1
6.1.2

6.2

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
The NU-VET pilot project objectives ................................................................................ 56
6.1.1
Participants of the NU-VET pilot project ....................................................................... 57
6.1.2
CONCLUSIONS & RECOMMENDATIONS .................................................................................... 59
GENERAL TRENDS ..................................................................................................................... 59
RECOMMENDATIONS ................................................................................................................. 64

7
7.1
7.2

REFERENCES ................................................................................................................. 69

6 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
1     Introduction 

According  to  all  energy  mix  scenarios,  presented  in  the  European  Commission’s  (EC) 
Energy  Roadmap  205012,  nuclear  energy  will  remain  in  the  energy  mix  to  support  the 
challenges of security of supply and to meet the ambitions set out in the Carbon Plan9. 
Even  if  currently  only  the  half  of  the  European  Union  (EU)  countries  are  supporting 
further development of nuclear energy sector, safe and successful operation of all nuclear 
power  plants  (NPPs)  in  Europe  is  in  the  interests  of  all  EU  nations.  Educated  and 
trained workforce as an essential prerequisite of the nuclear safety, has to be considered 
in a EU context. Besides power production, nuclear technologies are increasingly used in 
the various industrial and medical applications, raising concerns regarding the supply of 
the experts with very specific knowledge, skills and competence (KSC). 

issue  of  nuclear  E&T 

(Education  and  Training) 

European and national strategies to maintain and strengthen nuclear competence require 
a strong and effective vertical and horizontal coordination of all relevant innovation and 
knowledge  policies.  The 
is 
multidimensional.  On  one  side  it  refers  to  the  vertical  policy  relationships,  i.e.  the 
relationships  between  strategy/  actions/  instruments/  measures  on  the  European, 
national,  regional  and  organisational  levels.  On  the  other  side,  a  horizontal  policy 
dimension is dealing with the coordination of the strategies in all relevant economic areas 
– nuclear industry, education and training, labour market and employment policies, etc. 
In this regard, it is necessary to point out that the main objective of this study is to give 
an overview of new initiatives and best practices developed during the last few years on 
the  national  level.  As  the  development  of  nuclear  E&T  is  primarily  defined  by  the 
policies  and  national  regulations  for  the  nuclear  sector,  and  only  secondarily  -  through 
the general policies that apply to the high education (HE) and vocational education and 
training (VET) systems, main attention is given to the educational activities specific for 
the nuclear field. 

This  report  firstly  focuses  on  the  organisation  of  nuclear  E&T  in  selected  countries, 
investigating  different  types  of 
institutions,  programmes,  qualifications,  funding 
mechanisms  and  partnerships  among  academia,  industry,  labour  market    and  social 
partners.  Then  the  attention  is  given  to  the  current  status  and  further  development  of 
tools and instruments,  that support  the assessment, achievement and demonstration of 
personal  and  corporate  competences  in  the  nuclear  sector.  Finally  there  is  a  review  of 
current trends in nuclear E&T and recommendations to maintain and develop the skills, 
competences and knowledge in nuclear and radiation safety in the EU.  

The data  on  which this  study is based is taken from desk research  and interviews with 
several experts. Most of the experts consulted shared the views and recommendations of 
the contributors to the recent publications - SET-plan Study and Roadmap on Education 
and Training (2014)90, 93, documents of interdisciplinary symposium on HORIZON 2020 
“Benefits and Limitations of Nuclear Fission for a Low-Carbon Economy” (2013).77

 
 
 
 
 
2    Background 

The  importance  of  keeping  critical  competences  in  nuclear  industry  has  been 
acknowledged  by  the  nuclear  community  already  in  the  90-ies37.  In  recent  years,  a 
number of studies have been undertaken to examine the concern that nuclear education 
and training are in decline. In its conclusions of December 2008 the European Council 
emphasized  strongly  that  'the  preservation  of  skills  in  the  nuclear  field  requires  a  general  effort 
involving public and private players and in particular the nuclear industry.' 20 European Commission 
alongside other international organisations took a leading role to ensure the continuity of 
knowledge and expertise in this field. 2nd Situation report on education and training in 
the  nuclear  energy  field  in  the  European  Union  -  the  most  recent  Commission  Staff 
Working Document, issued in October 20141, gives overview of the latest E&T efforts 
and  formulates  recommendations  in  line  with  the  enhanced  requirements  to  nuclear 
safety in the EU.  

Current  developments  in  E&T  in  nuclear  industry  sector  (NIS)  are  based  on  various 
activities and funding instruments both at the EU and national levels. Within the Europe 
2020  strategy  for  smart,  sustainable  and  inclusive  growth14,  new  flagship  EU  initiatives 
dedicated  to  the  triangle  research,  energy  and  education,  namely  Innovation  Union    - 
Turning ideas into jobs, green growth and social progress2, Resource-efficient Europe  - 
Towards a resource-efficient, low-carbon economy3, Rethinking Education: Investing in 
skills for better socio-economic outcomes4, propose several research and E&T actions in 
energy sector.  

Energy policy is the competence of the state. According to the Euratom Treaty (1957)7, 
art. 33, each MS has a responsibility to ensure that adequate expertise is available in the 
nuclear  field,  delivered  through  the  E&T.  New  Directive,  amending  Directive 
2009/71/Euratom establishing a Community framework for the nuclear safety of nuclear 
installations,  adopted  in  July  2014,  further  stresses  the  importance  of  E&T  in  nuclear 
sector13.  Directives  2011/70/EURATOM18  on  the  management  of  spent  fuel  and 
radioactive  waste  and  COM(2012)242,19  laying  down  basic  safety  standards  for 
protection against the dangers arising from  exposure  to  ionising  radiation, both  set the 
requirements for maintaining high level of competences in the relevant fields. 

The  continued  contribution  of  nuclear  power  in  the  energy  mix  and  other  nuclear 
technologies  applications  requires  sufficient  skilled  people  to  construct,  operate, 
decommission and regulate nuclear facilities, as well as to work in the areas of radiation 
protection, medical uses of  irradiation and  radiobiology. It  is paramount to  the nuclear 
safety to satisfy these requirements, but it’s challenging. The technologies needed to use 
nuclear  energy  in  a  safe  and  sustainable  way  are  complex,  often  –  cutting-edge,  and 
multidisciplinary.  The  costly  infrastructure  required  to  educate  and  train  the  several 
hundred  thousand  highly  skilled  persons  working  in  this  sector  across  EU  have  to  be 
considered too. The nuclear energy sector is also characterized by lengthy time frames - a 
commitment of at least 100 years is needed to sustain nuclear infrastructure throughout 
plant operation, decommissioning and waste disposal.   

Since  2009,  the European  Human Resource  Observatory  in  the  Nuclear Energy  Sector 
(EHRO-N)  has  monitored  the  situation  with  nuclear  workforce.  Its  report  on 
demand/supply  in  the  nuclear  labour  market51  (2012)  quantifies  the  current  status  of 
nuclear education in the Member States (MSs) and stresses that competences in critical 

 
 
 
 
 
nuclear technologies are becoming difficult to sustain. The demography of those working 
in the industry, research and academia indicates that given the ageing workforce profile 
there is the danger of competence being deteriorated and ultimately lost. In the situation 
when nuclear industry cannot afford further reduction in existing competences and needs 
to develop new ones in the fields of decommissioning and waste management, strategy 
has to be developed to attract young people, retain staff and attract experts from other 
industries. 

Crucial  to  the  strategy  is  the  need  for  partnership  between  government,  industry, 
educational and training providers and science and research communities. There is great 
value  in  maintaining  and  sustaining  support  for  existing  and  potential  technology 
platforms,  such  as  the  SET  (Strategic  Energy  Technology)  Plan.  One  of  its  tasks  is  to 
assess  the  educational  and  training  needs  of  the  future  professionals  in  the  field  of 
nuclear energy. The European Commission DGs, namely DG RTD, with the initiatives 
Sustainable  Nuclear  Energy  Technology  Platform      (SNETP)  and  specifically  its 
(ETKM)  Working  Group, 
Education,  Training  and  Knowledge  Management 
Implementing    Geological      Disposal    of    Radioactive    Waste    Technology  Platform 
(IGD-TP),  Multidisciplinary  European  Low-Dose  Initiative  (MELODI),  European 
Nuclear  Education    Network    (ENEN)50;    DG  ENER    with  its  initiative    European 
Nuclear  Energy Forum (ENEF) and DG JRC with its EHRO-N,  ESARDA (European  
Safeguards  Research  and   Development Association) and EN3S (European school for 
Nuclear  Safety and Security) have  actions  in the field  of education and training  among 
their long-term objectives. One of the main goals of the Euratom research and training 
programmes  is  to  contribute  to  the  sustainability  of  nuclear  energy  by  generating 
knowledge  and  developing  competences.    Good  example  is  Euratom  Fission  Training 
Schemes  (EFTS)61  in  specific  areas  where  a  shortage  of  skilled  professionals  has  been 
identified. At the Member States level a number of National Education Networks, most 
of them collaborating under ENEN, have been established. International programmes in 
nuclear E&T and research offer the possibility to share facilities and costs. They are open 
to all stakeholders under the leadership of EC, NEA, IAEA. 

Growing concerns about the global competitiveness of European economy brought the 
focus on its human resources, their skills, competences and knowledge. Aspects such as 
student  and  worker  mobility,  lifelong  learning,  recognition,  transfer  and  validation  of 
learning outcomes have become more important in EU and national education policies. 
These are supported by the EU agency Cedefop (European Centre for the Development 
of  Vocational  Training)  in  coordination  with  DG  EAC  (Directorate-General  for 
Education and Culture). One of the current challenges for knowledge management and 
competence building in the EU nuclear industry sector is to create, test and implement 
the instruments that meet the requirements of both industry and learners, with emphasis 
on  borderless  mobility  and  lifelong  learning.  ECTS,  ESCO,  EQF  and  especially 
important for the nuclear E&T, European Credit System for Vocational Education and 
Training (ECVET) are among them.

9 

 
 
 
3     Stakeholders in retaining competences in nuclear 

energy sector  

Main groups of stakeholders in nuclear sector are presented by: 
•  Higher education and vocational training institutions; 
•  Research organisations; 
•  Energy providers and systems suppliers; 
•  Nuclear regulators and TSOs; 
•  Government  and  civil  society  (polycymakers,  interest  groups,  non-government 

organisations, media). 

‘A  key  element  …  is  to  bring  about  a  structural  change  in  the  European  education  and  training 
landscape by enhancing the coordination and integration of national capacities through dedicated networks 
and  fostering  industrial  involvement  through  targeted  instruments  and  partnerships  at  EU  level,’  is 
stated  in  the  Strategic  Energy  Technology  (SET)  Plan  Roadmap  on  Education  and 
Training90.  While  there  is  a  broad  agreement  on  importance  of  close  cooperation 
between  the  industry,  universities  and  government  on  nuclear  E&T  and  in  most 
countries measures have being taken to include more stakeholders, the effectiveness of 
these practices does not appear to be the same throughout the European Union MSs.  

The  EU  countries  have  similar  characteristics  within  their  E&T  systems,  such  as  state 
driven  education  policy,  delivered  through  various  public  and  private  institutions, 
regulatory  oversight  for  the  creation  of  standards  and  qualifications,  established 
standards  for  awarding  bodies  and  training  delivered  through  accredited  training 
providers in the high or vocational education institutions. The role of government is to 
provide policies and funding supporting the development and operation of industry and 
academia. The role of the industrial stakeholders is to help E&T actors in the system to 
continually  adapt  to  changes  in  the  labour  market  and  to  the  demands  of  industry. 
Diverse  types  of  interaction  between  E&T  providers  and  industry  include  work-based 
assignments  and  company  based  thesis  works,  apprenticeships,  private  corporate 
education  and  training  initiatives,  courses  tailored  to  company  needs,  fully  work-based 
learning, joint research programmes, etc. Among other methods of stakeholder inclusion 
in  education  and  training  institutional  governance,  consultancy,  guest  lectures  and 
curriculum development are to be mentioned (Fig.1). 

European  nuclear  industry  and  education  are  relying  on  a  dynamic  research  and 
innovation. R&D performed in the universities or by the students at the R&D facilities 
revitalizes the education system by introducing new courses, providing topics for theses, 
encouraging  academics  to  become  engaged  with  the  industry.  The  Knowledge  and 
Innovation Communities (KICs) under the European Institute of Technology (EIT) are 
considered good vehicles to proceed.  

 
 
 
 
IAEA, 2011, Status and trends in Nuclear Education 24 

11 

 
4   Examples of  the EU Member states initiatives in 
forecasting of  missing competences and keeping 
nuclear competences at high level 

While there is broad agreement on the importance of retaining competences in nuclear 
safety  and  in  most  EU  countries  measures  are  being  taken  in  its  support,  the 
effectiveness of these practices is not even throughout the MSs. This chapter focuses on 
the  various  initiatives  in  the  Member  States,  that  could  be  considered  useful  for  the 
stakeholders within the national and European context.  

4.1  Belgium 

Although nuclear power phase out is foreseen by 2025, Belgium remains very active in 
nuclear  E&T  area,  including  national  networks  and  international  collaborations.  Still, 
according to the conclusions of the IAEA IRRS mission, 2013, ‘a national policy and strategy 
for  nuclear  and  radiation  safety  including  management  of  radioactive  waste  and  spent  nuclear  fuel 
management should be developed’ in Belgium. Putting this strategy in place will definitely make 
the  efforts  of  Belgian  nuclear  community  to  keep  key  competences  in  nuclear  safety 
more efficient and effective.  

The  Belgian  Nuclear  higher  Education  Network  (BNEN)86,  a  consortium  of  six  Belgian 
universities and the  Belgian  Nuclear  Research Centre SCK•CEN85, was created in 2002 and 
has  become  a  European  pole  of  reference  for  education  in  nuclear  engineering.  The 
primary  objective  of  the  BNEN  programme  is  to  educate  young  engineers  in  nuclear 
engineering  and  its  applications  and  to  develop  and  maintain  high-level  nuclear 
competences in Belgium and  abroad.  BNEN  organises a  master-after-master (one-year, 
60 ECTS) academic programme in nuclear engineering. Its content and format have been 
discussed and adopted with agreement of representatives of the major nuclear companies 
and other nuclear stakeholders that are the first potential employers of the graduates.  It 
is  an  excellent  example  of  collaboration  between  universities,  research  institutions  and 
industry. BNEN served as a role model for the European Nuclear Education Network 
(ENEN), which now  has become an association  of  64  members  (universities,  industry, 
regulators,  research  centres),  aiming  at  facilitating  mobility  in  Europe  for  students  in 
nuclear  engineering.  The  collaboration  with  SCK•CEN  makes  it  possible  to  include 
actual  use  of  facilities  in  the  curriculum,  supporting  the  development  of  skills  and 
competences in a research environment. All subjects are taught by academics appointed 
by  the  partner  universities,  whereas  the  practical  exercises  and  laboratory  sessions  are 
supervised  by  the  experts  of  SCK•CEN.  The  final  thesis  offers  an  opportunity  for 
internship in industry or in a research laboratory.  

All teaching activities take place at SCK•CEN. Courses are organised in English and in a 
modular way; teaching in blocks of one to three weeks for each module allows optimal 
time  management  for  students  and  lecturers,  facilitates  registration  for  individual 
modules, and allows easy access for international students.  

Next  to  the  BNEN  programme  described  above,  two  Belgian  institutes  organise  an 
academic  master  in  industrial  sciences  with  a  specialisation  in  nuclear  sciences. 
Historically  these  programmes  have  been  created  to  cover  the  need  for  nuclear 

 
 
 
 
professionals working outside the nuclear energy sector, for example the medical sector, 
radiological industry and even the non-nuclear industry (NORM-industry).  

On  the  Flemish  side  UHasselt  and  KU  Leuven  jointly  organise  a  five-year  master  in 
industrial sciences in nuclear technology with three options: nuclear techniques, medical 
nuclear techniques and environmental sciences/radiochemistry. A similar programme is 
offered  on  the  French  side  by  ISIB.  The  strenght  of  the  courses  offered  by  these 
institutes  is  their  good  partnership  with  industry,  offering  interesting  internship  and 
master thesis opportunities to the students.     

To  enhance  the  coordination  and  to  strengthen  the  education  and  training  activities 
fostered  by  SCK•CEN  in  the  past  years,  the  SCK•CEN  Academy  for  Nuclear  Science  and 
Technology was  launched  in 2012. Within the SCK•CEN Academy, 60  years of  expertise 
and  experience  from  SCK•CEN’s  research  projects  is  collected.  The  education  and 
training  activities  of  the  SCK•CEN  Academy  are  internationally  renowned.  They  deal 
with  

  guidance of early-stage scientists and engineers,  
  organisation  of  academic  courses  in  collaboration  with  universities  and  tailored 
-
-
  policy support with regards to education and training,  

training courses for industry,  

caring for critical-intellectual capacities.  

In addition, the SCK•CEN Academy also foresees training courses for professionals in 
almost all nuclear topics, SCK•CEN performs research on (radiation protection, nuclear 
engineering,  materials  issues,  emergency  management,  decommissioning,  waste  and 
disposal  issues,  radiation  biology,  -ecology,  -chemistry,  ethical  aspects  of  nuclear 
applications and nuclear technology assessment, etc.). These training courses are tailored 
to  the  needs  of  the  trainees  in  terms  of  programme,  duration,  level,  language  (Dutch, 
French or English), location, etc. 

-
-

Among  the  lecturers  are  physicists,  engineers,  biologists,  medical  doctors,  technicians 
and social scientists who all bring insights and ideas from their specific expertise into the 
course  programmes.  As  SCK•CEN  staff  members,  they  have  a  solid  knowledge  and 
experience  in  their  field,  and  can  thus  directly  transfer  their  theoretical  knowledge  and 
practical experience into the various courses. Within the course programmes lectures and 
practical  sessions  can  be  complemented  with  visits  to  several  nuclear  laboratories  and 
research reactors. These technical visits enable trainees to enrich the acquired knowledge 
with  the  practice  of  real-life  situations.  Critical  competences  are  given  special 
attention. Among  the  trainees  of  the  SCK•CEN  Academy  are  employees  from  the 
nuclear  industry,  the  medical  sector,  the  non-nuclear  industry  as  well  as  governmental 
and  research  institutions,  who  are  directly  or  indirectly  faced  with  applications  of 
radioactivity in their professional environment.  

The  SCK•CEN  Academy  is  currently  working  on  the  introduction  of  the  ECVET 
approaches in its training courses. Learning outcomes in terms of knowledge, skills and 
competences  are  being  introduced.  SCK•CEN’s  Knowledge  Centre  has  been  created  to 
collect and conserve the nuclear scientific, technological and technical documentation. In 
order to ensure better retrieval and access of existing data and tacit knowledge, dedicated 
web-based portals sustaining interactive research communities are developed. 

13 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Another  good  example  of  cross-border  networking  is  CHERNE,  an  open  European 
academic  network  for  cooperation  in  Higher  Education  on  Radiological  and  Nuclear 
Engineering,  formed  by  the  Universities  from  Belgium,  Spain,  Czech  Republic, 
Germany,  Italy,  Portugal,  Greece  and  non-EU  countries.  The  possibility  to  share  their 
competences and facilities when organising teaching activities for their students to learn 
from each other brings recognised added value to their courses. 

European Master in Nuclear Fusion Science and  Engineering  Physics (FUSION-EP) is 
delivered by a consortium, coordinated by Ghent University. It aims to provide a high-
level  multinational  research-oriented  education  in  fusion-related  engineering  physics. 
Student  mobility  is  an  inherent  part  of  the  programme  structure  as  well  as  maximum 
flexibility to accommodate students with different interests and backgrounds. 

The  E&T  in  radiation  safety  in  Belgium  deserves  special  attention.  Besides  training 
courses in radiation protection provided by the SCK•CEN Academy for Nuclear Science 
and  Technology,  few  Belgian  universities  (KU  Leuven,  Ghent  University,  Vrije 
Universiteit  Brussel  and  other)  have  programmes  in  Nuclear  &  Radiation  Physics  and 
medical radiation physics. 

The Radiation Protection Expert (RPE) course is an academic course of 20 ECTS, including 
all topics required by the Belgian law as described in the Royal Decree of July 20 2011, 
art.  73.2,  which  is  based  on  the  definition  of  the  qualified  expert  as  stated  in  the 
European  Directive  96/29/Euratom.  On  the  Flemish  side  this  course  is  organised  by 
UHasselt and SCK•CEN, while a French version is organised by ISIB and IRE. Almost 
all  participants  are  (young)  professionals  working  in  the  nuclear  sector,  medical  area, 
research  or  the  non-nuclear  industry,  who  want  to  specialise  their  radiation  protection 
competences.  Although  the  course  was  set  up  for  those  who  need  to  obtain  a 
certification  as  Radiation  Protection  Expert  form  the  regulatory  authority  (the  Federal 
Agency  for  Nuclear  Control  FANC/AFCN),  only  a  minority  of  the  students  actually 
follow the course with this aim.  

This course is given in one year, covering a total of 120 hours. The programme consists 
of courses on nuclear physics, radiation physics, radiochemistry, applied dosimetry, 
radiation biology, principles of radiation protection and applied radiation protection and 
Belgian and European regulation and legislation. Specific attention is given to the 
introduction of practicals complementing the theoretical classes. 

GDF  SUEZ  currently  employs  about  6,000  people  with  specific  nuclear  skills.  In  the 
next  5  years,  more  than  2,000  engineers  and  technicians  will  join  the  group  to  replace 
retiring staff and to face the needs of the 11 nuclear entities of the Group. Therefore, in 
2006 GDF Suez started its own training programmes. The first one is for newly recruited 
engineers.  The  Nuclear  Trainees  Programme  (NTP)  for  Juniors  combines  theoretical  learning 
and  field  experience  under  the  supervision  of  a  coach  and  allows  junior  engineer  to 
improve his nuclear knowledge and become a nuclear generalist while developing a solid 
network  within  GDP  Suez.  Training  is  organised  as  a  one-year  course,  containing  400 
hours of hands-on training in France and Belgium on all aspects of nuclear energy with 
reinforced  attention  on  safety.  An  evaluation  system  is  organized  after  each  training 
module and at the end of the programme. Continuous professional development of the 
staff consists of in-house training as well as the courses delivered by external providers. 

14 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
A  second  programme  for  experienced  engineers  of  the  Group  with  no  nuclear 
background was launched in 2010. This NTP for MAJORS has a duration of 3 weeks. 

All staff  members of  Electrabel,  license holder of  the seven reactors in  Belgium, and  its 
subcontractors  attend  compulsory  trainings.  Electrabel  has  dedicated  training  facilities 
with full-scope simulators for operators and practical simulators for human performance. 
The mandatory trainings  are  safety  passport course (3 levels),  job passport and additional 
technical  training,  defined  by  the  position  of  the  employee.  Safety  passport  includes 
initial and/or refresher training on health and safety, nuclear safety, radiation protection, 
environment and site security.  

Both junior and more experienced professionals of Tractebel Engineering benefit from 
training & development in Tractebel Engineering School, which uses common tools and best 
practices  throughout  its  regional  offices,  opening  the  possibilities  for  the  professional 
mobility. 

4.2  Finland 

In  Finland  four  nuclear  power  plant  units  are  in  operation,  a  fifth  -  generation  III 
pressurized  water reactor  (EPR)  -  is  under  construction,  two  more  are  proposed.  First 
geological  disposal  for  spent  fuel  shall  be  ready  in  early  2020.  In  July  2010  Parliament 
ratified  the  Government’s  Decisions-in-principle  to  build  two  new  units1. At  the  same 
time Parliament required from the Government to create preconditions for as extensive 
as  possible  use  in  new  build  nuclear  power  projects  of  Finnish  labour,  knowledge  and 
business life. The Finnish Ministry of Employment and Economy set up the committee 
to  assess  the  long-term  competence  needs  of  nuclear  sector  as  the  first  step  to  ensure 
that a skilled workforce, able to deliver the new nuclear programme in time and within 
budget  without  compromising  the  effective  continuation  of  current  operations  and 
decommissioning, is in place. 

The  study,  implemented  by  a  group  of  experts  representing  various  stakeholders  from 
nuclear sector, had the tasks to: 

survey the present personnel resources of  nuclear organisations; 
conduct  an  extensive  review  of  the  needs  of  Finnish  basic,  further  and 
supplementary education and training; 
investigate the opportunities for Finnish participation in the forthcoming major 
nuclear projects; 
survey the research infrastructure available for nuclear actors; 
explore Finnish participation in international research activities; 
review  the  situation  regarding  research  reactor  of  VTT  Technical  Research 
Centre of Finland. 

-
-

-

-
-
-

Report74,  published  in  May  2012,  indicates  the  nuclear  skills  shortage,  that  the  country 
will face by the middle of next decade. Finland will need around 2400 new nuclear sector 
professionals  by  2020, as around 1200  of the 3300  employees in  the nuclear sector are 

1 These Decisions-in-Principle are currently under discussion due to a) change in the Fennovoima 
plant  type  and  b)  extension  request  for  the  TVO  plant.  On  the  18th  of  September  2014 
Government  approved  supplement  to  Fennovoima  decision-in-principle.  For  decision  on  TVO 
further studies were required. 

15 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                 
due to retire. At the same time construction of new nuclear power plants and progress 
towards  the  completion  of  final  disposal  of  spent  fuel  in  addition  to  current  activities 
means that the sector’s work force will rise to around 4500. In addition, more university 
instructors  will  be  required  for  major  and  minor  subject  studies  and  postgraduate 
education in the field of nuclear energy. Among the main conclusions of the report are: 
- universities, polytechnics, training institutions, research institutes, companies and other 
stakeholders within the field should participate in further cooperation; 
- international cooperation, general and educational, is essential; 
-  attention  to  be  paid  to  the  new  areas  of  training  -  nuclear  security  and  radiation 
protection, particularly within the health care sector; 
- in the area of research there is a necessity to define nuclear R&D long-term strategy.  

Following recommendations of the  survey, the Ministry of Employment and Economy 
started  preparation  of  research  strategy  through  2030  with  participation  of  more  than 
hundred  experts  from  the  stakeholder  organisations.    This  extensive  survey  enabled 
development  of  detailed  list  of  competences  required  and  potentially  at  risk in  Finnish 
nuclear industry sector.  

The strategy, issued in April 2014, includes following recommendations: 
1) The focal areas of nuclear energy research need to be organised into extensive national 
programmes.  
2) The scientific level of Finnish research in the nuclear field needs to be raised. 
3)  Active  participation  in  important  to  Finland  international  research  that  is  through 
extensive national and multidisciplinary collaboration. 
4)  To  secure  the  quality  and  quantity  of  researcher  education  in  the  nuclear  field,  an 
extensive  and  comprehensive  national  network  of  doctoral  programmes  needs  to  be 
established. 
5) Building, maintaining and utilizing of the NES infrastructure needs to be coordinated 
at the national level.  Financing needs to be considered strategically. 
6)  In  research  activities  the  emphasis  needs  to  be  on  the  development  of  innovations, 
growth and internationalization. 
7) The establishment of an Advisory Committee for nuclear energy research and operation under 
the Ministry of Employment and the Economy is being proposed as a permanent expert 
body to support decision-making in national issues related to nuclear energy. 

Strategy  highlights  that  the  safety  and  the  overall  good  of  society  continue  to  be 
preconditions for the use  of nuclear energy  in  Finland.  Consequently,  regardless  of the 
development of nuclear energy on the national and global levels, there will be a need for 
research focusing on nuclear safety.  

As  an  additional  means  to  tackle  the  challenge,  the  Ministry  of  Employment  and  the 
Economy,  regulatory  body  STUK,  VTT  Technical  Research  Centre,  Aalto  University, 
Lappeenranta University of Technology and the Finnish nuclear energy companies have 
collectively  organized  basic  professional  courses  on  nuclear  safety  since  2003  (YK 
course)45.  The  YK  course  is  an  excellent  case  put  into  practice  for  nuclearisation  of  the 
staff,  ensuring  excellent  integration  into  the  nuclear  field  for  the  graduates  and 
professionals  who  have  done  their  researcher  education  in  other  field.  A  very  special 
feature  of  the  YK  course  is  that  there  are  no  course  fees  for  the  participants  or  their 
employees. Each organisation obtains a number of seats on the basis of the number of 
lectures that organisation provides for the course. This is of big support as the funding 

16 

 
 
 
 
 
 
for the continuing education in Finland is private and for doctoral programmes – partly 
private.  

Another course - Nuclear Waste Management (YJH) – has similar to the YK-course set-
up, where the content is produced jointly by the participating organisations44.  It provides 
a basis for the new professionals to fully understand the wide range of multidisciplinary 
issues that need to be addressed in nuclear waste management. 

National research programme on the radioactive waste management KYT2014, financed 
by  the  State  Nuclear  Waste  Management  Fund    with  total  funding  of  2,6M  €, has  the 
purpose to to maintain national knowhow in nuclear waste management and to promote 
collaboration between authorities (the Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authorities), nuclear 
industry and scientists. Training of the experts new to the field is among its central tasks. 

The objective of the Finnish Nuclear Power Plant Research Programme SAFIR2014  is 
to develop and maintain experimental research capability, safety assessment methods and 
nuclear  safety  expertise  of  Finnish  nuclear  power  plants  and  to  develop  research 
infrastructure.  Under  the  programme  particular  attention  is  paid  to  training  of    new 
experts. Projects are intended to include young researchers who, for example, carry out 
their thesis  work under the programme. These projects make an ideal growth platform 
for future experts in nuclear safety. The programme is also open to postgraduate studies. 
Of  special  interest  is  SAFEX2014  project  Sustainable  and  Future  Oriented  Expertise, 
which  aims  to  generate  new  knowledge,  methods  and  practices  on  development  of 
expertise  and  competence  management  in  Finnish  nuclear  energy  organisations. 
SAFIR2014  programme  research  projects  have  received  around  10  million  euros  in 
annual  funding.  Around  60%  of  the  funding  comes  from  the  National  Nuclear  Waste 
Management Fund which collects it annually from nuclear power companies. The other 
main financier is VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland63. The programmes for two 
follow-up  projects  KYT2018  and  SAFIR2018  have  been  finalised  and  the  first  calls 
opened in September 2014. 

Aalto  University,  University  of  Helsinki  and  Lappeenranta  University  of  Technology 
proposed long-term collaboration on postgraduate education within nuclear engineering 
and radiochemistry (YTERA, 2012-2015). Its goal is to educate high-quality researchers 
and  experts  for  the  needs  of  universities,  industry,  national  authorities.  Recently  also  a 
national networked doctoral programme was launched and the waste management course 
established on a more permanent basis. 

4.3  France 

France derives over 75% of its electricity from nuclear energy, produced by 58 nuclear 
reactors (1 reactor is in construction, 1 - planned, 1 – proposed). This is due to a long-
standing national nuclear policy based on energy security. Still, recently French President 
Francois Hollande has announced that the share of atomic energy in France’s electricity 
mix has to be cut to 50% from 75% by 2025. French regulator ASN is expected to give 
first opinion on whether reactors can be granted life extensions, in 2015 and a final one - 
in 2018-2019. How does this current uncertainty influence French nuclear workforce and 
its capabilities? 

The  assessment  of  the  existing  and  projected  capacities  and  capabilities  of  the  French 
nuclear  workforce  has been requested by the  French  Ministry for Higher Education as 

17 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
early as 2008. This report clearly indicated that the number of newly graduated engineers 
in  the  nuclear  domain  could  not  match  the  expected 
industrial  demand  and 
recommended  significant  extending  of  capacities  and  coordination  of  the  efforts  in 
nuclear  education  and  training,  stressed  the  importance  of  R&D  for  training  and 
knowledge  transfer.  For  the  coordination  of  the  actions  recommended  in  the  report, 
French  Council  for  Education  and  Training  in  Nuclear  energy  (CFEN)  has  been  created.  It 
includes  representatives  from  the  nuclear  industry,  higher  education  institutions  and 
research organisations.  

At the moment there are 125,000 jobs directly linked to the nuclear industry in France 
including  100,000  technical  ones.  Over  the  next  ten  years,  domestic  and  international 
nuclear power activities in France will call for the recruitment of about 13 000 engineers 
with  Master  of  Science  or  PhD  degrees,  and  10  000  science  technicians  and  operators 
with  Bachelor  of  Science  degree.  Created  in  2011  with  participation  of  all  nuclear 
stakeholders  Strategic  Committee  of  Nuclear  Industry  (CSFN)  has  recently  validated  the 
commitments  of  the  nuclear  industry.  Several  of  them  are  directly  connected  to  the 
activities in the nuclear E&T, namely: 

•  Promote  employment  and  training.   Regional  actions  to  be  initiated  in  order  to 
match  the  needs  of  the  industry. Emphasis  will  be  placed  on  actions  to 
strengthen  the attractiveness  of careers  in  the  industry and  establish a common 
pool  for  5500  positions  for  “combination”  training  (also  called  “cooperative 
education”).  

•  Coordinate French offer of international training tailored to industrial projects in 
the sector. France wants to address the present need for competence building in 
nuclear energy production by offering training opportunities in both French and 
English. 

•  Support  innovation.  R&D  is  an  important  condition  of  sustainable  industrial 
competitiveness of the sector. With 1.8 billion Euros in R&D funding per year, 
nuclear  sector  holds  fourth position  among  the  most  innovative  sectors  of 
France. 

•  Promote  of  French  international  offer  is the  task  of  the  French  Association  of 
Industrial  Exporters  (Nuclear  AIFEN),  which  represents  more  than  300  French 
companies  and  organisations.  First  World  Nuclear  Exhibition,  organized  by 
AIFEN, has been held in France in October 2014. E&T is taken on board with a 
real  Career  Fair  organized  within  the  event.  It  provided  an  ideal  venue  for  the 
International  Institute  of  Nuclear  Energy  (I2EN)  to  put  forward  training 
proposals for the nuclear sector representatives from other countries. 

I2EN  (International  Institute  for  Nuclear  Energy),  organized  on  Government’s  initiative  in 
2011,  provides  foreign  partners  in  nuclear  energy  with  the  best  solutions  in  education 
and  training.  Above  all,  it  shares  best  practices  in  nuclear  safety and  all  the  knowledge 
required  for  a responsible  management  of  a  sustainable  nuclear  industry.  I2EN  brings 
together  all  the actors in training: from the leading universities and engineering schools 
to  the  main  research organisations  and  nuclear  industry,  in  addition  to the  French 
ministries (higher education and research, industry, environment, and foreign affairs).  

The aims of the Institute are: 
-  to  assess  the  adequacy  between  the  education  offered,  the  population  of  students  in 
different curricula and the industrial and research needs; 
- to assess new curricula and provide expertise to  CFEN to certify the quality of these 
curricula in accordance with international standards; 

18 

 
 
 
 
- to analyse training requests from the foreign countries and prepare proposals based on 
their specific needs. For individuals the I2EN website maintains an up-to-date register of 
the nuclear training courses in France, including skills and requirements; 
- to promote systems of grants/scholarships funded by industry and government for the 
best students; 
-  to  operate  a  centre  of  excellence,  providing  seminars  and  forums  on  scientific  and 
sociological subjects, related to the sustainable development of nuclear energy. 

Among its activities I2EN runs ‘train the trainers’ programme under a contract with the 
France International Nuclear Agency (AFNI) and the nuclear energy department of the Polish 
Ministry for the Economy. The programme consists of a set of basic courses in nuclear 
energy science and technology, complemented by practical internships at leading French 
institutes.  AFNI  offers  support  to  all  countries  interested  in  developing  nuclear  energy 
within  the  context  of  intergovernmental  cooperation.  Its  main  goal  is  to  help  foreign 
governments  prepare  the  institutional,  human  and  technical  conditions  required  for 
setting up a civil nuclear programme that meets the requirements to safety, security, non-
proliferation and environmental protection. 

The  I2EN  set  up  a  workshop,  calling  on  experts  from  several  countries  to  discuss  in 
depth  what  critical  knowledge  has  to  be  acquired  prior  to  launch  or  re-launch  of  a 
nuclear  energy program. The working sessions  has  been held  in  January 2013.  It was a 
first  step  for  regular  exchanges  between  the  institutions  and  companies  from  the 
countries interested in nuclear education & training. 

Higher Education 
The  tertiary  education  system  in  France  is  complex.  Behind  this  complexity  is  the 
tradition of creating new institutions and new programmes to meet emerging education 
and  training  needs  in  society.  Presently,  about  20  engineering  schools  and  universities 
offer nuclear related curricula at a master level in France. These schools and universities 
are  spread  all  over  the  country.  This  broad  availability  of  competences  led  the 
government authorities to encourage them to build a national network.  

The most famous curricula in nuclear training are undoubtedly to be found at the Institut 
National des Sciences et Techniques Nucléaires (INSTN). INSTN provides continuing general 
and vocational education (nearly 210 education sessions in its catalogue) in a variety of 
forms  and  is  involved  in  several  frameworks:  ENEN,  European  projects,  bilateral 
collaboration with CEA (Atomic Energy and Alternative Energies Commission), IAEA 
technical cooperation programmes. Specific initial nuclear training available at INSTN is 
Génie Atomique. Its courses are organized in modules of learning outcomes according to 
the  recommendations  of  ECVET  with  the  objective  of  facilitating  the  mobility  of 
students  across  Europe.  Thanks  to  INSTN  proximity  to  CEA  laboratories,  students 
benefit from many experimental facilities. The INSTN also has its own facilities, such as 
the  experimental  reactor  ISIS  and  associated  computing  tools  (PWR  simulators  for 
normal operation or accidental situations), a 2 MeV Van de Graaff accelerator, scanning 
and  transmission  electron  microscopes  fitted  with  an  energy  dispersive  X-ray  analyser 
and teaching laboratories. 

A consortium of engineering schools (Paris Institute of Technology and Ecole Centrale 
de Paris-Supélec), in cooperation with the University of Paris at Orsay and INSTN, has 
created an international two-year masters level programme in nuclear energy, fully taught 

19 

 
 
 
 
 
 
in English. The curriculum covers all aspects of nuclear energy activities. This state of the 
art programme receives support of industrial enterprises (EDF, AREVA, GDF-SUEZ).  

Grenoble  Institute  of  Technology  (Grenoble  INP)  offers  a  total  of  six  different  education 
programmes  in  the  nuclear  energy  -  5  programmes  at  the  Phelma  (Physics,  Applied 
Physics,  Electronics  and Materials  Science)  school  and  one  program  at  Ense3  (Energy, 
Water  and  Environmental  Sciences).  Every  year  about  100  students  with    Bachelor, 
Engineering  and  Master  degrees  in  the  field  of  nuclear  energy  are  graduated  from  the 
institute. 

With  more  than  forty  years  of  experience,  Phelma  has  the  oldest  academic  nuclear 
engineering  training  programme  in  France  together  with  INSTN.  Five  nuclear  training 
programmes  offered  at  Phelma  cover  most  of  the  aspects  of  nuclear  energy:  reactor 
operation and design, continuous improvement of safety and control of  industrial risks, 
next generation reactors, development of advanced nuclear fuels, reprocessing of waste, 
economic, social and political issues of nuclear energy, fundamental and applied research 
in nuclear physics, accelerators and more. 

Ense3  trains high-level engineers  and doctors able to take  up  the  challenges associated 
with the new energy order, with the increasing demand for water and with the sustainable 
development  and  country  planning.  Ense3  offers  one  engineering  degree  in  nuclear 
energy  taking  advantage  of  its  pioneering  expertise  in  thermohydraulics,  electrical 
engineering and automation. 

Among the above mentioned commitments of nuclear industry, formulated by CSFN, is 
to support “cooperative” education by establishing of 5500 positions for its participants. 
Cooperative  education  programmes  include  apprenticeship  and  professional  training 
schemes.  Young  people  choosing  for  one  of  these  schemes  benefit  from  a  first  paid 
professional experience while completing their education in school or university.  Even 
though  cooperative  education  facilitates  professional  integration,  it  is  much  more 
demanding  path  for  graduation  than  traditional  education.  It  has  added  value  in  all 
aspects  of  nuclear  education,  but  especially  for  the  formation  of  students’  behavioural 
and  organisational  skills,  which  are  essential  in  nuclear  sector.  Cooperative  education 
requires close collaboration between academic supervisor and industrial employer of the 
student. It is a good opportunity for the academia to be informed on current needs of 
industrial companies in terms of skills, evolution of professions and field realities, which 
helps  to  develop  more  operational  curricula.  It  is  equally  important  that  cooperation 
education  is  funded  by  regional  authorities,  and/or  employers,  and/or  state-authorized 
joint commission for collective training. 

The French Institute for Radiological Protection and Nuclear Safety (IRSN) as the main nuclear 
research  institute  of  France,  contributes  to  E&T  in  the  fields  of  radiation  protection, 
nuclear  safety  and  nuclear  security.  It  organizes  inter  alias  training  courses  directed  at 
professionals working in the health sector and workers exposed to occupational hazards. 

At Paris-Diderot University vocational degree Physical Energy Processes has been launched. 
Its  advantage  is  that  it  offers  direct  integration  into  the  working  world,  thanks  to  a 
combination of classroom training and hands-on experience. Unlike an ordinary degree, 
the vocational degree is not designed to be followed by a Master’s degree, but through 
validation  of  prior  experience  and  learning,  students  can  subsequently  complete  their 
training with a Master’s degree if their career leads them to hold positions as engineers. 

20 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
There is a strong demand from industry for this vocational training dimension. Industry 
provides  University  with  €5,000  grants  for  this  course  that  can  be  combined  with  the 
salary equal to 2/3 of the French minimum wage. If engineers really appreciate working 
with  vocational  degree  holders,  the  recruiting  companies  still  do  not  fully  understand 
what vocational degree really is about.  

Industry’s initiatives 
It is worth noting that as French nuclear industry mostly comprises of large partly public 
corporations, most of the  employees in  these major companies are trained ‘on  the  job’ 
through internal processes.  

EDF, a large electricity operator, is a good example of the company, which developed a 
strong  internal  organisation  to  train  its  personnel.  As  40%  of  EDF  nuclear  sector 
managers and engineers are expected to retire till 2017 and because the company is also 
developing  new  projects  outside  France,  it  needs  a  significant  amount  of  additional 
engineers,  workers  and  technicians  in  the  coming  years  and  is  seeking  to  recruit  more 
than 5,000 nuclear engineers and 5,000 technicians over the next decade.  

EDF’s  training  system  consists  of  Academy  for  Operations  -  for  all  newcomers  to  the 
Nuclear Generation Division; Academy for Engineering; nuclear education and training 
courses for people in charge of operations (operators, safety engineers, etc.) – initial and 
periodic; specific and specialized courses in a variety of domains.  

EDF reinforced interaction with engineering schools and universities, both in France and 
abroad,  to  help  strengthen  existing  nuclear  education  programmes  and  to  create  an 
international master well adapted to industry’s needs. 10 schools and universities joined 
forces  and  EDF  tried  to  ensure  that  all  the  disciplines  and  knowledge  needed  for  the 
industry were covered by the MSc so that  it serves not only  to  educate  future  teachers 
and  researchers  but  also  those,  who  will  work  in  the  industry  with  EDF  or  other 
company. EDF created the European foundation for tomorrow’s energies — to promote 
the  development  of  energy  related  higher  education  both  in  France  and  abroad.  Its 
commitment  is  in  the  closest  possible  alignment  with  the  expectations  of  students  and 
the needs of industry. 

How EDF goes about seeking skills needed? Prior to being recruited the new employees 
are expected to have a master’s degree and/or be a graduate of prestigious engineering 
school. But it is once they have been recruited that their specific nuclear training begins. 
EDF provides initial training and integration, continuous vocational training, specialised 
training and collective mentorship – and it is through this process that the new employee 
generally picks up individual and collective skills.  

To assist with training EDF has full scope simulators as well as specific ones for process 
and/or  visualisation  of  physical  phenomena;  mock-ups  for  fuel  loading  and  unloading. 
To  enhance  nuclear  education attractiveness  EDF  invites  young  people  to  spend  three 
days in their simulators, giving them an opportunity to get hands-on experience. 

Another prominent French nuclear company AREVA created the AREVA University, 
aiming  to  train  engineers,  executives  and  managers  of  the  group  or  from  partners 
companies/ institutions to maintain and develop skills and anticipate new requirements. 
The  AREVA  University  has  also  developed  an  initial  training  for  the  engineers  and 
executives recruited by the group worldwide. Two to three thousand people per year are 

21 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
enjoying the benefits  of an eleven-day professional  proficiency  course. In-depth classes 
on AREVA core skills and its fundamental values, where safety and security head the list, 
have been given. In 2014 the Nuclear Learning Tour, an eight-day training program open 
to  all,  has  been  introduced  by  AREVA.  The  program  includes  courses,  visits  of  six 
French nuclear sites, and conferences by top experts in energy. 

One  of  the  questions  relevant  to  many  industrial  companies  -  how  to  deliver  training 
courses  that  give  commercial  context  to  nuclear  engineering?  In  France  a  nuclear  law 
course has been developed to make personnel coming into the licensing sector aware of 
the legal aspects. The expectation is that it will help to avoid the situations similar to the 
one  when  AREVA  underestimated  the  licensing  laws  in  Finland  when  participating  in 
tender. 

International cooperation 
In cooperation with European Technical Safety Organisations (TSO), IRSN has created 
the  European  Nuclear  Safety  Training  and  Tutoring  Institute  (ENSTTI),  providing  vocational 
training  and  tutoring  in  the  methods  and  practices  required  to  perform  assessments  in 
nuclear  safety,  nuclear  security  and  radiation  protection.  ENSTTI  offers  short  applied 
training  sessions  and  longer  tutoring  periods  for  both  junior  and  experienced 
professionals  in  the  nuclear  sector.  In  order  to  give  value  to  learning  achieved  in  the 
training  programme,  ENSTTI  will  apply  the  ECVET  through  validation,  transfer  and 
recognition of learning outcomes. 

The  Burgundy  Nuclear  Partnership  (PNB)  has  been  launched  by  International  Nuclear 
Academy  (INA)  to  offer  in  cooperation  with  institutional  and  university  organisations, 
representatives of public service companies, as well as local firms, training programmes, 
refresher courses and retraining for the staff of companies working in the nuclear sector.  

The Franco-Chinese Institute of Nuclear Energy (IFCEN), officially opened in 2010, is offering 
a French-style training to approximately 100 Chinese nuclear engineers yearly to meet the 
growing demand in Chinese industry and amongst French partner companies in the field 
of civil nuclear energy. 

Several new bilateral/international initiatives are to be mentioned:  

•  The French and UK governments’ joint declaration of January 2013, announcing 
their  commitment  to  developing  safe  nuclear  energy,  sound  business  relations 
and unique skills in the field; 

•  Agreement  between  France  and  IAEA,  signed  in  November  2013,  enabling 
French  nuclear  organisations  to  play  a  bigger  role in  IAEA  activities  in  nuclear 
education and training, especially with newcomer countries. The agreement plans 
for  access  to  France’s  nuclear  research  reactors  and  nuclear  facilities  for 
education  and  training  purposes,  the  organisation  of  workshops  for  IAEA 
newcomers, scholarships to enable students in nuclear research and engineering 
to  pursue  their  studies  in  France,  organisation  of  meetings  and  conferences  to 
disseminate knowledge and experience, share best practices on nuclear education. 
•  SFEN  (French  Nuclear  Energy  Society)  and  Polish  Nuclear  Society  signed  a 
cooperation  agreement  in  Warsaw  in  November  2013,  which  plans  -  among 
other  things  –  to  promote  the  exchange  of  information  via  conferences  and 
to  encourage  bilateral  relations  among  experts,  young 
congresses  and 
professionals  and  students.  I2EN  had  already  signed  two  Memorenda  of 

22 

 
 
 
 
 
 
• 

Understanding with Warsaw Polytechnique University and Cracow University of 
Science and Technology. 
I2EN  signed  a  framework  agreement  with  the  Finnish  University  of  Aalto  on 
developing  R&D  and  training  within  an  interdisciplinary  framework  of  the 
highest international level. 

4.4  Germany 

Following  Fukushima  nuclear  accident  in  March  2011,  Germany  has  permanently  shut 
down  eight  of  its  17  reactors  and  promised  to  close  the  rest  by  the  end  of  2022.  This 
decision  has  already  caused  negative  trend  in  the  numbers  of  students  taking  nuclear 
courses.  For  example,  in  master  programme  ”Nuclear  Safety  Engineering”,  RWTH 
Aachen, from 17 enrolled students 8 left; “Radioactive Waste Management” course, TU 
Clausthal, has been cancelled, because there was no applicants for it at all. Still, according 
to  industry  estimates,  about  1000  new  skilled  professionals  are  needed  in  Germany 
annually. 

‘Phasing out nuclear power must not be regarded as synonymous with “phasing out” nuclear expertise. 
Long after Germany has completed the phase-out, such skills will continue to be essential for activities 
such  as  ensuring  reactor  safety,  radiation  protection,  decommissioning,  ultimate  disposal  of  radioactive 
waste and crisis management, and also for maintaining a critical outlook on international developments’ 
– has been stressed in Acatech (National Academy of Science and Engineering) Position Paper 
“Phasing  out  nuclear  power  safely.  Why  Germany  needs  nuclear  expertise  for 
decommissioning,  reactor  safety,  ultimate  disposal  and  radiation  protection”78. 
Furthermore, the tasks to be executed demand very high level of expertise. 

German  Government  supported  this  strategy  by  adopting  the  6th  Energy  Research 
Programme  “Research  for  an  environmentally  sound,  reliable  and  affordable  energy 
supply”79.  The  document  highlights  that  nuclear  expertise  in  Germany  has  to  be 
maintained,  focusing  on  research  of  reactor  safety  and  disposal  of  nuclear  waste. 
National expertise ‘to perform, assess and, if necessary, further develop independent checks on safety 
concepts  of  manufacturers  and  operators’  has  to  be  ensured  through  state  funded  research. 
Research in radiation protection, including non-nuclear areas as medical sector and other 
fields where ionizing  radiation is used,  is  supported as well.  Radiation  does  not  stop at 
national  borders,  and  Germany,  having  well-developed  nuclear  technology  and  safety 
culture, has to maintain its presence on European and global stages, also by collaborating 
with  other  countries  on  the  hazards  and  risks  associated  with  nuclear  technology, 
especially with these who are new to nuclear. 

According  to  the  National  Academy  of  Science  and  Engineering  (acatech),  Germany 
‘must  use  its  scientific  and  research  excellence  to  provide  nuclear  training  at  all  levels  –  to  serve  both 
domestic  and  global  markets.’78  The  Alliance  for  Competence  in  Nuclear  Technology is  the  central 
body  for  maintaining  nuclear  competence.  It  includes  representatives  of  all  nuclear 
stakeholders.  A  survey  commissioned  by  the  Alliance  found  that  nuclear  education  in 
Germany  focuses  mainly  on  reactor  technology,  reactor  safety  technology  and 
radiochemistry  and  that  training 
in  the  areas  of  decommissioning,  repository 
management  and  radiation  protection  is  insufficient.  It  recommends  that  particular 
efforts have to be made to strengthen these areas and new teaching and training modules 
must be designed in close cooperation with industry and the licensing authorities. Special 
attention  is  to  be  paid  to  the  funding  of  young  scientists.  In  addition  to  the  existing 

23 

 
 
 
 
 
funding  of  doctorate  posts  in  research  projects,  other  funding  instruments  have  to  be 
offered to promote the next generation of young scientists. 

In  response  to  the  acatech’s  position  paper  the  industry  launched  the  initiative 
“Preservation of competence in nuclear technology – Research needs from the viewpoint 
of  industry”  with  the  aim  to  formulate  industry’s  joint  proposal  for  nuclear  public 
research  projects.  This  work  has  been  presented  and  approved  by  the  universities  and 
research  institutes  in  collaboration  with  the  Alliance  for  Competence  in  Nuclear 
Technology.  The  results  have  been  presented  to  the  agencies  of  Federal  Ministries  in 
charge.  And  they  took  the  proposal  into  account  when  making  decisions  on  public 
research funding. This initiative has been beneficial for all parties involved – the industry, 
public research, universities and research institutes.  

Under  funding  of  the  Federal  Ministry  of  Education  and  Research  (BMBF)  within  the 
"Basic  Energy  Research  2020  +"  project  "R&D  work  in  nuclear  safety  and  waste 
management  research  for  the  promotion  of  young  scientists  and  for  maintaining 
competence”  has  been  launched.  The  purpose  of  this  funding  initiative  is  to  train  and 
promote  young  researchers  to  become  high-level  experts,  in  sufficient  numbers,  in  all 
relevant  areas  of  nuclear  safety,  also  on  a  European  scale.  To  ensure  international 
networking and efficient transfer of knowledge and experience of other institutions and 
countries  to  young  scientists,  as  well  as  their  mobility,  international  cooperation 
initiatives,  such  as  summer  schools,  postgraduate  training,  meetings  and  conferences, 
have  been  included  in  this  project.  The  cooperation  between  universities  and 
government funded institutions has been further intensified in order to provide as many 
students  with  the  best  possible  education.  The  preservation  and  extension  of 
radiochemical, radiation protection, radioecology, radiobiology competences in Germany 
has been among the goals of this call.  

Promotion  of  young  talent  is  one  of  the  priorities  of  the  initiatives  "Nuclear  Safety 
Research"  and  "Waste  management  research",  carried  out  in  coordination  with  the 
Federal  Ministry  of  Economics  and  Technology  (BMWi),  "Radiation  Research"  and 
“Nature  Conservation  and  Nuclear  Safety”  –  with  the  Ministry  for  the  Environment, 
Nature Conservation, and Nuclear Safety (BMU).  

In  order  to  maintain  its  excellent  expertise,  the  Helmholtz  Association  of  German  Research 
Centre is involved in training and support of young scientists who are working in the field 
of nuclear safety research. Groups of young scientists and junior professionals, set up in 
industry  and  two  national  Alliances  for 
cooperation  with  partner  universities, 
Competence  in  Nuclear  Technology  and  Radiation  Research,  can  benefit  from  the 
researchers’ outstanding scientific and technical expertise and the unique infrastructure, 
which  includes  complex  facilities  for  large-scale  testing.  The  activities  are  based  at  the 
Helmholtz  Centre  Dresden-Rossendorf,  Forschungszentrum  Jülich  and  the  Karlsruhe 
Institute of Technology. 

In  order  to  cope  with  the  challenges  of  phase-out,  Karlsruhe  Institute  of  Technology  (KIT) 
established  a  new  department  providing  special  education  and  research  in  nuclear 
decommissioning and dismantling of nuclear facilities. The connection between science 
and  practical 
current 
engineering 
experiences  of 
to  students  and  show  career 
decommissioning  projects, 
opportunities.  In  addition,  a  further  course  is  offered  at  the  AREVA  Nuclear 

to 
transfer  knowledge 

communicate 

allows 

24 

 
 
 
 
 
 
Professional  School  at  the  KIT,  addressed  to  professionals  who  want  to  expand  their 
knowledge.  

Good example of the employer from supply chain with an active position in maintaining 
personnel  competence  in  nuclear  technology  is  Siempelkamp  nukleartechnik  (SNT),  a 
manufacturer of components and systems solutions as well as a provider of engineering 
services  for  nuclear  facilities.  In  order  to  maintain  and  expand  personnel  competence 
SNT is pursuing a number of strategies:  

-  attracting  and  training  students  at  an  early  stage  of  their  studies  by  offering 
internships  and  supporting  students  during  their 

course  related  general 
mandatory internships; 
students from the local community have the opportunity to deepen their practical 
experience by taking a course related job at SNT; 
support to students during bachelor‘s, master‘s, and diploma theses, which, after 
their completion, leads to full-time employment. 

- 

- 

As  part  of  the  company‘s  commitment  to  the  training  of  young  people,  SNT  offers  a 
complex trainee program. In cooperation with E.ON, Vattenfall and KIT, SNT provides 
the opportunity for in-service training for 12 - 15 months, including an assignment at a 
power plant. As a result the trainee gains a plant-specific knowledge through an effective 
transfer of expertise from the co-workers. 

KWS PowerTech Training Center is a private organisation, which delivers training to NPPs’ 
personnel.  To  ensure  the  secure  transfer  of  nuclear  knowledge  and  expertise,  the 
company  tries  to  engage  in  the  training  more  than  one  employee  and  to  plan  it  in 
advance  to  guarantee  availability  and  capability  of  new  professional  in  case  of  e.g. 
retirement of the expert. KWS and KSG/GfS have developed a HPO-Training (Human 
Performance Optimization) - very practically oriented training scheme,  enforcing safety 
and quality.  

KWS PowerTech Training Center works in close collaboration with VGB PowerTech - an 
association of companies, for which the power plant operation and related technologies 
are in the core of their commercial activities. VGB PowerTech is also the body to define 
training standards.  It is developing the methodology of defining  Knowledge,  Skills and 
Competences in the framework curricula and provides access to qualified expertise for all 
its members. 

The fact that in Germany major training schemes for nuclear purposes have been set and 
accredited by the government and are a part of a legal system, facilitates comparability of 
standards for training and qualifications, enabling mobility and retention of experienced 
personnel.  

4.5  Spain 

There is a robust nuclear energy programme in Spain, with seven NPPs in operation and 
one - in the process of decommissioning.  

Spanish  universities  are  actively  involved,  in  cooperation  with  the  industry  and  R&D 
organistaions, in the development of a number of Post-Graduate and Master Courses. In 
the  current  years  these  became  open  also  to  foreign  students.  In  order  to  improve  the 
quality  of  nuclear  engineering  education  and  training  programmes  a  Multimedia  on 

25 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Nuclear  Reactor  Physics  is  being  developed  by  Technical  University  of  Catalonia.  
The multimedia has been distributed through IAEA to 126 institutions from 52 countries 
and can be used for education and training: 

- 
- 
- 

in Master of Nuclear Engineering at universities; 
for engineers, chemists at Nuclear Power Plants (modular course of 2 weeks); 
for the operators of Nuclear Power Plants. 

Since 2008 Spanish nuclear industry has been engaged in  cooperation with the Institute 
of Nuclear Power Operations (INPO), USA,  in the  area of  education & training  of its 
personnel. First of all INPO performed gap assessment  of  the training  capabilities  and 
programmes of Spanish nuclear sector, which served as a basis for the development of 
in  nuclear  E&T.  Among  the  main 
action  plan  to  cover  the  existing  gaps 
recommendations of the action plan were: 

implementation of SAT (Systematic Approach to Training);  

• 
•  development of a Shift Manager training programme;  
•  development of leadership skills;  
• 
• 
• 

improvement of simulator training;  
improvement of on-the-job training;  
review of the training programme content.  

Numerous activities took place and are still on-going to fulfill these objectives, mostly on 
the level of industrial companies. Tecnatom is among the organisations, which developed 
their own action  plan,  based on the assessment, and signed an assistance contract with 
INPO. As a result, important improvements in training programmes and practices have 
been implemented. 

Tecnatom is engaged in training activities as business services, namely: 
-  Training  and  Plant  Operation  Support.  Tecnatom,  having  capacity  of  500  Training 
Units, is able to adapt the courses to the requirements of the customers. The company 
also  offers  employers  its  expertise  in  the  affiliation  of  new  personnel  to  the  NPPs 
(recruiting, selection, contracting and training of the candidates). 
-  Simulation  and  Control  Rooms.  Fukushima  Daiichi  accident  reinforced  the  need  for 
training on severe accident management in nuclear power plants, and full scope training 
simulators are one of the primary tools to address these new needs. Therefore Tecnatom 
completed a project aiming at extending the use of simulators to the emergency center 
staff for training purposes in emergency drills73. 
- Safety Management. Tecnatom's best practices in this area include identification of the 
new  relevant  competences,  seminars,  coaching  for  the  development  and  application  of 
competences, evaluation and improvement of the Organisational and Safety Culture and 
integration of safety in the management system.  
-  New  Reactors.  The  expertise  of  Tecnatom  in  this  area  includes  collaboration  in 
FOAKE (First Of A Kind Engineering) programmes in relation to the GE ABWR and 
ESBWR  and  Westinghouse  AP600  and  AP1000  advanced  reactors,  generation  IV 
advanced reactor (PBMR in South Africa), the Jules Horowitz European research reactor 
(JHR) and ITER fusion reactor projects.  

CEIDEN (The Nuclear Fission R&D Technological Platform) is an entity for the coordination 
of  the  R&D  needs  and  efforts  in  the  field  of  the fission  technology  in  Spain.    E&T  is 
among horizontal topics of its Strategic agenda and is under responsibility of CEIDEN 
F+ (FORMACION) permanent Working Group.  

26 

 
 
 
 
 
Study  of  CEIDEN71  on  the  capabilities  of  the  Spanish  nuclear  industry  to  deal  with  a 
new nuclear project was finalized in 2012. Its main objective was to analyse the Spanish 
nuclear industry’s capacity to tackle the project for the construction of a new NPP in the 
situation when no new nuclear power plants have been built during the last 23 years. For 
the  purposes  of  the  study  it  was  necessary  to  classify  activities  needed  to  carry  out  a 
nuclear  project.  14  large  groups  were  defined  and  for  each  of  them  the  level  of  the 
existing expertise has been established. The conclusion of the analysis is that the Spanish 
nuclear sector has the capacity to handle 77% of new nuclear project at present, which 
would  go  to  82%  within  5  years  after  the  launch  of  a  new  nuclear  programme  in  the 
country.  The survey gives a very good basis to analyse the state of competences of the 
human  resources  of  Spanish  nuclear  sector  per  activity  and  skills  needs  of  the  supplier 
chain for the new nuclear projects. 

Another  study72,  performed  by  CEIDEN’s  F+  WG,  made  an  effort  to  identify  the 
potential strengths and weaknesses of the E&T capabilities of Spanish nuclear industry. 
Used methodology, relying on three sources – ECVET, NEA data, EHRO-N’s nuclear 
job taxonomy, allows to establish a taxonomic reference in classification of job-oriented 
training capabilities.  The main conclusion of this first analysis is that there are no critical 
weaknesses in the  catalogue of training courses of the Spanish nuclear industry, due  to 
the fact that even if the course is not currently available in certain area of specialisation, 
there is a potential for its development. The areas showing some  weaknesses  are those 
dealing with nuclear fuel cycle and the security of nuclear facilities. The training capability 
catalogue  of  the  Spanish  industry  is  updated  regularly  and  is  accessible  through  the 
CEIDEN  website  (http://www.ceiden.com/programas/indice-formacion/).  It  includes 
the  courses  available,  job  oriented  training  capabilities  that  may  be  developed  by  the 
companies, tools and training methods. 

CIEMAT (Centro de  Investigaciones  Energéticas, Medioambientales y Tecnológicas) promotes and 
executes R&D activities in the fields of energy, environment and technology, including 
nuclear energy. Education, training and tutoring constitutes a major part of the activities 
of  its  nuclear  division.  Postgraduate  programmes  on  nuclear  technology  (e.g.  MINA), 
virtual  centre  for  E-  and  B-learning,  specialized  programmes  (Radiation  Measurement 
and Dosimetry, Waste management, Safety Assessment Methodologies for Near Surface 
Radioactive  Waste  Disposal,  occupational  training  programs),  participation  in  FP7 
Euratom E&T projects are among them. 

The  Foro  Nuclear  (Nuclear  Forum  or  Spanish  Nuclear  Industry)  is  a  civil  non-profit 
organisation, which has the following specific objectives: 
- Reporting and communication activities on the use of the nuclear power. 
- Promoting the public image of the nuclear power, especially the provision to the public 
of information on the reality of the sector. 
- Encouraging training and education on nuclear power related issues. 
-  Encouraging  the  participation  of  the  Spanish  nuclear  industry  in  the  public  events  at 
the international level. 
For  the  teachers  from  all  levels  of  education  Foro  Nuclear  offers  training  through  the 
organisation  of  different  courses  on  energy  issues.  It  has  also  created  a  nuclear  energy 
manual for journalists. 

Spanish  Young  Generation  in  Nuclear  (JJNN)  is  a  non-profit  organisation  that  depends  on 
the  Spanish  Nuclear  Society  (SNE).  As  one  of  its  main  goals  is  to  disseminate  the 

27 

 
 
 
 
 
 
knowledge  about nuclear power, several technical  tours to different nuclear facilities to 
understand  different  stages  of  the  open  fuel  cycle,  lectures  explaining  evolution  of 
Spanish nuclear power program are organised for young specialists. 

As  for  the  new  developments  with  experimental  and  research  facilities  in  Spain,  the 
Government  agreed  at  the  end  of 2011  to  initiate  the  construction  of the  ATC 
(Temporal  Centralized  Storage)  for  HLW  waste,  which  will  open  up  more  possibilities 
for the education and training. 

4.6  Sweden 

The Swedish nuclear industry, which operates 10 reactors at the moment, is in a state of 
renaissance.  In  2011  a  new  law  allowing  building  of  new  nuclear  reactor  to  replace 
existing  old  one,  was  adopted.  There  has  been  estimated  that  in  the  coming  ten  years, 
6000  new  staff  will  be  employed  -  number  of  jobs  in  the  whole  nuclear  industry 
nowadays64.  

In  the  early  1990s  after  Swedish  government  stopped  funding  universities,  nuclear 
courses  practically  disappeared  from  their  offer.  Long  before  Swedish  government’s 
policy changed, industry and regulators approached universities with the offer to provide 
funding  if  the  numbers  of  students  following  nuclear  programmes  could  be  increased. 
Today a typical educational institution obtains 2/3 of its funding from non-government 
sources. An education programme is also supported by financial contributions to senior 
positions at the universities, so it is common in Sweden for the professors to have direct 
contacts with the industry.  

Till  recently  Sweden  did  not  even  have  a  dedicated  bachelor  level  nuclear  engineering 
programme. In 2010 a new course has been introduced in Uppsala University, where an 
existing  education  programme 
in  mechanics  engineering  has  got  a  third-year 
specialization in nuclear engineering. Higher nuclear education is mainly concentrated in 
the  Royal  Institute  of  Technology,  Stockholm  (KTH),  Chalmers  University  of 
Technology and Uppsala University. The three Swedish nuclear power plants (Forsmark, 
Ringhals,  Oskarshamn),  Westinghouse  and  the  Swedish  Radiation  Safety  Authority 
(SSM) jointly fund education and research at these three universities. The Swedish Nuclear 
Technology  Centre (SKC)  75  has been  formed  to coordinate these activities. Till the  end of 
2013  Swedish  regulator  SSM  collaborated  directly  with  industry  on  academic  funding, 
which  was  unique  in  the  world  nuclear  sector.    After  Vattenfall,  the  largest  Swedish 
nuclear  operator,  submitted  an  application  for  the  construction  of  new  reactors,  which 
SSM has to assess, the regulatory authority found it unsuitable to continue joint activities 
with  the  organisation  it  is  assessing.  At  the  beginning  of  2014  SSM  left  SKC,  but 
continues to support education financially at the same level. It should be pointed out that 
Sweden  has  no  technical  support  organisation  as  mediator  between  industry  and 
Regulatory Authority. 

SKC’s main goals are: 

Increase the interest among students to enter nuclear technology education 

• 
•  Make  sure  that  the  needs  of  the  SKC  financing  parties  to  recruit  qualified 
personnel  are  met  through  the  universities’  offer  of  relevant  basic  education, 
executing  research  projects  and  supporting  continued  education  of  engineers 
already active in the nuclear technology area 

•  Offer attractive education in the nuclear technology area 

28 

 
 
 
 
 
 
•  Create  strong  and  internationally  acknowledged  research  groups  within  areas 

which are vital and unique 

•  Create  organisations  and  skills  at  the  universities  of  the  level  that  can  support 

research. 

Besides SKC, all universities have bilateral collaboration with industry as well as with the 
regulatory authority. Typically, the nuclear power plants support the closest university. In 
2009-2010 Swedish  universities received an  all-time high funding through two projects: 
GenerationIV  research  -  special  grant  from  the  Swedish  Research  Council  and  joint 
research  and  education  collaboration  with  France  in  nuclear,  as  well  as  in  other  fields.  
The  latter  framework  guarantees  for  Swedish  students  access  to  training  reactors  in 
Saclay,  transfer  of  nuclear  physics  experimental  research  equipment  to  the  GANIL 
laboratory  in  Caen;  access  for  Swedish  PhD  students  to  the  research  centres  in 
Cadarache,  Marcoule  and  laboratory  tutorials.  Involvement  in  the  development  of 
ASTRID sodium-cooled reactor and its fuel  cycle has been one  of  the  activities within 
the  project.  These  collaborations  are  of  a  special  importance  for  Swedish  nuclear 
education and training, as Sweden closed its research reactors a few years ago. The only 
existing  neutron  facility  is  the  cyclotron-based  neutron  source  at  the  Svedberg 
Laboratory, Uppsala, which is operating at energies far above the reactor-relevant range. 
Uppsala uses the TRIGA reactor in Helsinki for its training exercises. Besides France and 
Finland, Mol in Belgium and the training reactor at Budapest University of Technology 
and  Economics  have  been  used.  The  Barseback  NPP,  which  has  been  taken  out  of 
operation some years ago, is used for maintenance training. However, its deconstruction 
will start soon. Construction of a new training reactor is being considered in Sweden.  

Student interest in nuclear subjects has improved also due to innovative forms of training 
the  universities  offer.  A  four  week  course,  providing  an  overall  view  on  nuclear 
technology and radiation protection, has been offered by Uppsala University. Industry is 
funding  the  course  by  paying  for  its  participants.  Places  which  have  not  been  used  by 
industry are filled by the university students. Main challenge of Swedish high education 
remains  in  the  falling  numbers  of  STEM  students.  To  keep  the  number  of  technical 
students choosing for nuclear at sufficient level, a system has been set up to allow young 
people  to  do  a 4-months’  internships  with  the  industry.  It  is  addressed  to  the  students 
who  are  interested  in  technology,  but  haven’t  made  their  minds  about  a  certain  sector. 
Vattenfall has funded the fifth month of this training, during which interns visit final year 
high  school  students  to  tell  about  their  experiences.  The  campaign  earned  a  lot  of 
positive  publicity  and  interest  from  the  potential  students.  Another  initiative  is  the 
Sigvard  Eklund  prizes  to  the  best  PhD  and  Master  thesis  in  nuclear  field,  which  are 
awarded annually by SKC. 

‘Finding viable formats for maintaining strong academic education and research in the traditional nuclear 
engineering fields with simultaneous growth in materials research, in a situation of cost-cutting pressure 
presents a challenge in the coming years’, - said SKC director J. Blomgren75. 

4.7  United Kingdom 

The United Kingdom’s nuclear industry operates 16 nuclear reactors at nine plants and 
has plans to build up to 16 GW of new nuclear capacity by 2030 (4 reactors are planned, 
7 - proposed). Projected demand from new build (a detailed labour market analysis has 
been  carried  out  by  Cogent  SSC  in  2009)  will  bring  UK  nuclear  workforce  to  around 
66.000  (currently  –  25.000  are  employed  directly,  15.000  –  through  supply  chain). 

29 

 
 
 
 
Constructing new stations, decommissioning activities, safe operation, maintenance and 
further life extension of existing fleet, building a UK nuclear export sector asks for a new 
strategic approach to ensure requirements are met across the whole sector. Taking into 
consideration the fact that 50-70% of the UK’s experienced workforce is due to retire by 
2025,  the  task  becomes  really  challenging.  The  Cogent  sector  skills  council  research 
report ‘Next generation: Skills for new build nuclear’66 estimates that there is a demand 
for around 400 new Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths graduates, throughout 
the civil nuclear industry and supply chain, each year to 2025. 

Reorganisation  started  at  the  government  level.  The  Office  for  Nuclear  Development  was 
established in early 2008 with a remit to facilitate new nuclear investment in the UK and 
advise  the  Secretary  of  State  on  the  exercise  of  his  regulatory  and  policy  functions  in 
relation  to  the  nuclear  industry.  In  October  2008  the  Department  of  Energy  and  Climate 
Change was created bringing together energy policy with climate change mitigation policy. 

To  address  the  challenge  the  UK  Government  adopted  in  March  2013  the  Long-term 
Nuclear Energy Strategy68, which ‘sets out the Government’s vision for the future of nuclear energy 
in the UK and strategy to ensure nuclear has the best prospect of reaching its full potential. 

Government has an important role to play. Successful delivery of the strategy will also require action from 
regulators,  industry,  academia  and  other  interested  parties.  Delivery  of  the  strategy  will  need  secure 
underpinning  in  research  and  development.  The  document  provides  a  clear  framework  against  which 
decisions  and  priorities  for  policy  and  research  can  be  assessed  in  a  coordinated  manner,  guiding  the 
development of detailed plans and actions.  

Government and industry have a clear vision and comprehensive skills strategy for the nuclear industry, 
detailing clearly how skills gaps will be identified and addressed by Government and industry working 
together,  supporting  the  effective  delivery  of  the  nuclear  programme  and  leading  to  the  creation  of  jobs, 
career opportunities and economic growth in the UK.’ 

The  development  of  skills  strategy  for  the  nuclear  industry  is  the  responsibility  of  the 
employer-led  National  Skills  Academy  for  Nuclear  (NSA),  launched  in  2008.  The 
coordinated delivery of skills interventions across the sector is facilitated by the Nuclear 
Energy Skills Alliance (NESA). It brings together relevant skills bodies with Government 
(Cogent SSC, CITB, ECITB, National  Skills  Academy for  Nuclear, Semta SSC,  Dalton 
Nuclear  Institute,  Department  for  Business,  Innovation  and  Skills,  Department  of 
Energy and Climate Change, Welsh Government) to ensure an aligned and collaborative 
approach to address skills challenges 62. Cogent Sector Skills Council’s main task is to ensure 
that  the  most  appropriate  qualifications,  standards,  training  programmes  and  other 
initiatives  are  in  place.  Through  the  approved  Nuclear  Industry  Strategic  Action  Plan, 
Cogent  develops  employer-led  programmes,  which  are  then  delivered  through  the 
National Skills Academy for Nuclear (Fig.2). Working with the industry ensures that the 
initiatives meet real needs of the latter. 

“The strategic approach to developing nuclear skills” includes: 

Identify future nuclear projects activity and timing,  

• 
•  Determine resources and skills required to deliver client and operator specification, 
•  Assess capacity and capability and define gap against future requirement68   

30 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Cogent's  Future  Skills  research  programme  provides  information  to  define  its  own 
strategy and programme of activity, as well as providing employers with the trend data to 
support their workforce planning. The UK nuclear industry and its supply chain benefits 
from  new  Labour  Market  Intelligence  (LMI)  by  using  the  Cogent  operated  Nuclear 
Workforce  Model.  NESA  members  are  working  with  employers  to  input  relevant 
research and labour market intelligence into a Nuclear Workforce Model. A key feature 
of the model is the ability to dynamically generate future skills scenarios to guide future 
interventions. It will highlight potential nuclear skills pinch points, identify opportunities 
for  workforce  transitioning  and  provide  demand  signals  to  training  providers  (see 
Chapter 5.1.6). NESA partners then develop a common Nuclear Skills Delivery Plan to 
address  the  industry’s  skills  requirements  and  skills  pinch  points  identified  via  the 
Nuclear Workforce Model. Key skills areas where there is a risk of skills shortages have 
been  already  identified.46  Good  example  of  dealing  with  identified  skills  shortage  is 
launching  of  an  £8  million  Employer  Ownership  of  Skills  and  industry  joint-funded 
programme to train an additional 290 high-integrity welders over 2 years. 

General workforce capability priorities have been identified69 as:  
 Educating new entrants on the basic requirements for working on nuclear sites in the 
UK and promoting awareness and understanding of the nuclear industry  
 The flexibility and mobility of the workforce and supply chain 
 The ability to demonstrate supply chain competence  
 Trained and qualified craft and technician personnel.  

Developed  by  Cogent65,  Nuclear  Industry  Training  Framework  (NITF)  provides  a 
database  of  qualifications  and  training  relevant  to  the  nuclear  industry  and  has  the 
benchmark  function  for  skills  gap  analysis  through  the  Nuclear  Skills  Passport.   The 
NITF  is  a  rich  resource  and  includes  nuclear  Job  Contexts,  nuclear  qualifications, 
national  occupational  standards  and 
links  the 
competences  required  for  a  specific  role  with  the  qualifications  and  training  standards 
that will deliver the competences.  

industry  training  standards  and 

Capability Model 69 for the UK Nuclear industry, developed by NSA for Nuclear, enables 
companies  to  assess  their  workforce  capability  and  then  support  the  development  of  a 
competent,  safe  and  secure  nuclear  workforce  with  the  highest  standards  of  nuclear 
professionalism.  The  model  clearly  articulates  the  various  skills  development  tools  and 
techniques, providing users with opportunity to apply good practice guidelines. NSA for 
Nuclear  supports  companies  in  recording  the  training,  qualifications  and  experience  of 
their  workforce  and  their  contractors  by  developing  a  standardised  workforce 
competence and capability assessment.  

•  Define training requirements up-skills, cross-skill, new, or combination, 
Identify funding solutions and deliver training in advance of need68  
• 

The National Skills Academy for Nuclear is the leading body for an employer led strategy to 
develop  a  standardized  and  coordinated  approach  to  education,  training  and  skills  in 
nuclear  sector.  Working  closely  with  industry  the  Academy  focuses  on  vocational  and 
technical skills development, with clearly defined links to higher education. The focus is 
on developing the right and appropriate standards of nuclear professionalism (including 
behaviours,  industry  awareness  and  understanding)  in  all  areas  of  the  workforce,  with 
nuclear safety and security principles embedded throughout. Delivery is via an effective 

31 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Fig.2 Project Management and Nuclear Industry Engagement. Cogent SSC, 201

32 

 
network  of  High  Quality  Providers  and  through  strong  partnerships  with  members  of 
the  Nuclear  Energy  Skills  Alliance,  the  Nuclear  Institute  and  the  Nuclear  Industry 
Association.  

The National Skills Academy for Nuclear offers a range of products to address the skills 
challenges facing the current and future UK nuclear programme, including the Award for 
Nuclear Industry Awareness, Certificate of Nuclear Professionalism, the Triple Bar, the 
Nuclear Skills Passport.  

Award  for  Nuclear  Industry  Awareness  enables  entrants  to  the  sector  to  develop  their 
knowledge and understanding of working in a nuclear environment.  

The aim of the Triple Bar standard is to prepare individuals requiring unescorted access 
to  nuclear  operational  or  decommissioning  sites  (Triple  Bar  Existing  Sites),  sites 
approved by UK Government for the construction of new civil nuclear power stations 
(Triple  Bar  New  Build),  working  in  the  nuclear  manufacturing  sector (Triple  Bar  for 
Nuclear Manufacturing). All courses within the Triple Bar suite have been developed to 
Nuclear  Industry  Standards,  can  be  recorded  on  the  Nuclear  Skills  Passport  and  are 
available via the Skills Academy’s e-Learning Portal, the Nuclear Training Network. 

The  Certiﬁcate  of  Nuclear  Professionalism  is  being  developed  in  partnership  with 
employers and the Open University. This post-graduate qualiﬁcation focuses on nuclear 
principles,  safety,  behavioural,  commercial  and  project  management  skills  delivered 
through employer accredited training/learning, distance learning and traditional lessons.  

The  Nuclear  Skills  Passport  has  been  developed  by  NSA with  industry  consultation  to 
provide  the  sector  with  a  standardised  approach  to  skills  development  and  recognition 
(see Chapter 5.2.2). It enables organisations to effectively assess and plan their training, 
skills and people requirements and ensures industry agreed and cross site recognition of 
internal and external training. This competence recognition enables transferability of staff 
from one area of the nuclear programme to areas of growth and opportunity.  

is 

(NI) 

Institute 

the  membership  organisation 

The  Nuclear 
for  nuclear 
professionals. Among  its  tasks  is  the  improving  of  education  and  training  of  nuclear 
professionals, as well as the increasing of understanding of the nuclear industry from the 
wider  public.  This  work  is  promoted  by  the  NI  Education  and  Training  (E&T) 
Committee.  National  Young  Generation  Network  (YGN)  is  a  group  created  by  the 
Nuclear  Institute  (NI)  to  offer  the  younger  members  the  opportunity  to  further  their 
knowledge and facilitate networking between generations.  

Apprenticeships  and  graduates  are  seen  as  two  key  sources  for  skilled  entrants  for  the 
nuclear  sector.  Apprenticeship  is  a  structured  programme  of  training  which  gives  the 
learner  the  opportunity  to  work  for  an  employer,  learn  on  the  job  and  build  up 
knowledge  and  transferable  skills  that  will  be  needed  throughout  a  working  life.  It 
delivers  a  nationally  recognized  qualification,  providing  learners  with  a  "passport"  to 
rewarding  careers,  and  employers  with  talented  and  competent  employees.  Remaining 
challenge is to develop  apprenticeship framework as ‘fit for purpose’ and portable - to 
be used by wide range of employers across the industry.  

UK  employers  obtain  financial  assistance  from  Government  towards  developing  their 
workforce's  skills.  The  National  Nuclear  Gateway,  an  industry  and  Growth  Innovation 

33 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Fund co-financed project, providing an additional 3,000 apprentices in the supply chain 
by 2016, has been launched under NESA leadership.  

Up  to  £10k  Apprentice  wage  contribution  is  available  to  supply  chain  companies 
through  The  Skills  Academy's  Supply  Chain  Apprentices  for  Nuclear  (SCAN)  grant 
scheme.  Apprentices  can  also  apply  for  SCAN  Educational  Bursaries  to  help  support 
their  continued  professional  development  in  nuclear.  Quality  Assurance  of  training  is 
guaranteed,  as  only  training  via  the  Skills  Academy’s  Quality  Assured  Providers  is 
supported. 

Cogent's new subsidiary Technical Apprenticeship Service (TAS) supports employers, in 
particular  SMEs.  The  TAS  also  offers  progression  routes  to  higher  level  education  to 
apprentices who complete their frameworks, and an alumni programme - to support the 
promotion of apprenticeships to schools. 

in  collaboration  with  a  Nuclear 
The  National  Skills  Academy  for  Nuclear 
Decommissioning  Authority  (NDA)  has  funded  Community  Apprenticeship  Scheme 
(CAS)  to  enable  supply  chain  companies  working  in  the  nuclear  sector  to  access 
additional  funding  to  take  on  apprentices.  The  scheme  has  been  designed  to  ensure 
minimal  bureaucracy  to  make  this  a  realistic  opportunity  for  small  and  medium 
employers. 

Higher Education 
The  National  Skills  Academy  for  Nuclear  works  with  the  Department  of  Business, 
Innovation  and  Skills  to  improve  provision  of  science,  technical,  engineering  and 
mathematics (STEM) education from school right through to higher-level post-graduate 
qualifications. 

Cogent is developing the Higher Level Skills strategy which aims to build frameworks for 
greater  employer  engagement  with  higher  education  providers.  One  of  the  good 
examples  of  industrial  placements  in  partnership  with  academic  institutes  is  Nuclear 
Island initiative. It is  a  week long hands-on experience for engineering undergraduates, 
containing  practical  on-site  training  to  prepare  students  for  working  in  the  nuclear 
industry. Another good example is the Working Higher project, providing flexible work-
based  solutions  for  workforce  development  and  training.  Through  this  initiative  the 
foundation  degree  becomes  an  occupationally  focused  higher  education  (HE) 
qualification that integrates  academic and work-based learning  and is delivered  through 
close  collaboration  between  employers  and  programme  providers.  The  purpose  is  to 
enable  education  providers  to  design  and  deliver  a  foundation  degree  of  optimal 
relevance  to  the  sector.  Programmes  incorporate  e-  and  distance  learning,  on-site 
support, short residential blocks, work-based learning and can accredit in-house training. 

The Nuclear Technology Education Consortium (NTEC), coordinated by the Dalton Nuclear 
Institute,  delivers  training  designed  to  meet  the  UK’s  projected  nuclear  skills 
requirements  in  decommissioning,  reactor  technology,  fusion  and  nuclear  medicine. 
NTEC  comprises  the  universities  of  Birmingham,  Lancaster,  Leads,  Liverpool, 
Manchester, City University  London, Sheffield,  HMS Sultan, Imperial College  London, 
UHI Millenium Institute  &  Westlake  Research  Institute.  Together  it  represents  90% of 
the  UK’s  nuclear  postgraduate  teaching  expertise. Individual  subjects  are  presented  in 
‘short  course’  modular  format,  providing  excellent  access  to  the  programme  for 

34 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
engineers  and  managers  in  full-time  employment  who  wish  to  advance  their  skill  and 
knowledge base. 

Nucleargraduates is a very comprehensive graduate programme, which involves business, 
the  government,  defence,  environment  and  other 
science,  energy  generation, 
stakeholders.  The nucleargraduates  scheme  lasts  for  two  experience-packed  years  and 
includes  a  series  of three  eight-month  secondments  in  the  UK,  Europe  or  beyond. 
Throughout the scheme the graduate is fully supported in all aspects of the training, from 
behavioural to technical. 

Quality and Standards 
The NSA67 plays a leading role in raising standards throughout the industry through the 
Quality  Assurance  of  training  providers  and  courses.  Through  a  regional  network  of 
training  clusters,  acting  as  ‘centres  of  excellence’,  the  National  Skills  Academy  for 
Nuclear  is  identifying,  developing  and  assuring  provision  of  high  quality  nuclear 
specialised training.  

To unable nuclear organisations to choose their training providers with confidence, the 
NSA  for  Nuclear  has  established  High  Quality  Training  Provider  Network.  This 
Network forms the foundation for ensuring quality training delivery is maintained. The 
Network  includes  Quality  Assured  Providers,  Employer  Assured  Training,  Employer 
Nominated  Providers,  Higher  Education  Institution  Members,  Flagship  Training 
Centres.  Additionally a process is being developed jointly with the Nuclear Institute for 
the  joint  accreditation  of  programmes  such  as  apprenticeships  and  CPD  (continuing 
professional development).  

Working via the Standards Advisory Group the NSA promotes best practice standards in 
all  training  requirements.  For  the  “in-house”  training  assuring  NSA  and  New 
Engineering Foundation Nuclear created training standard NEF Assured (Nuclear). 

R&D and Research & Experimental Facilities 
‘The  development  of  suitably  qualified  and  experienced  personnel  (SQEP)  for  the  nuclear  industry 
requires around five to ten years of experience. The development of nationally or internationally renowned 
subject matter experts (SME) takes longer and requires engagement in leading edge R&D. The R&D 
community has historically provided a good training ground to export such staff into the wider nuclear 
community.  The  community  itself  also  requires  personnel  developed  in  applied  R&D  skills,  recruited 
both from education and re-trained into the nuclear research sector from other areas.’68  

The  Dalton  Nuclear  Institute  at  The  University  of  Manchester  has  established  the  most 
advanced  academic  nuclear  research  capability  in  the  UK  and  is  a  leading  centre  for 
higher  learning  in  nuclear  science  and  engineering.  Through  academic  and  industrial 
interdisciplinary  collaboration,  it  has  a  key  role  in  providing  the  knowledge  and  skills 
needed, ensuring  that the  programmes  have  direct  relevance  to  the  nuclear  sector. The 
programme  of  nuclear  skills  training 
includes  undergraduate  course  units  and 
postgraduate  qualifications,  professional  development  courses  for  the  domestic  and 
international nuclear sector. 

The Dalton Cumbrian Facility (DCF) is a state-of-the-art research base of the University of 
Manchester's Dalton Nuclear Institute, specifically designed as a national user facility.  It 
provides academia  and industry with the  opportunity to carry out  high-end  research in 

35 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
radiation  science  and  nuclear  engineering  decommissioning,  incorporating  academic 
access to the active research facilities within National Nuclear Laboratory (NNL).  

The  National  Nuclear  Laboratory  (NNL),  holding  an  exceptional  technical  expertise, 
including  many  skills  unique  to  the  UK,  is  maintaining  critical  skills.  It  attracts  new 
talented people to the industry through bringing academic research and industry together 
by setting up a number of University Research Alliances. NNL has a specific remit from 
the Department of Energy and Climate Change  to maintain  and  develop  key  skills and 
capabilities in the nuclear R&D sector. 

The  University  of  Manchester  and  NNL  have  been  awarded  £8million  to  establish  a 
Nuclear Fuel Centre of Excellence (NFCE), ‘… a unique academic research capability in a technology 
that  is  key  to  securing  the  future  energy  security  of  the  UK,  as  well  as  providing  an  important  skills 
pipeline from academia to the commercial nuclear sector’ (Professor Tim Abram). 

Recently  created Nuclear Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (NAMRC) is at the heart 
of  the  UK civil  nuclear  manufacturing  industry,  combining  industry  expertise  and 
university innovation, working with companies to improve capabilities and performance 
along  the  nuclear  supply  chain,  delivering  training  and  workforce  development 
programmes  and  achieving  nuclear  standards  and  accreditation.  Ask  Nuclear  is  an 
information service  for UK manufacturing companies from the  NAMRC. Ask  Nuclear 
allows non-nuclear companies to access specialist knowledge by drawing on the expertise 
of  the  NAMRC  team  and  key  partners  in  areas  of  manufacturing  processes  and 
technologies; quality codes and requirements; skills and training; market and supply chain 
information. 

Energus  is  a  new  £21  million  world  class  centre  for  the  provision  of  vocational  skills 
excellence  (vocational  and  higher  education)  for  the  nuclear  industry.  It  is  a  flagship 
centre  of  NSA,  providing  training  for  250  apprentices  and  a  range  of  industry 
programmes  featured  in  Nuclear  Skills  Passport.  It  also  works  with  the  University  of 
Cumbria to deliver programmes to 200 undergraduates and postgraduates. 

Several new R&D projects recently  announced  have  among  their main  aims   to attract 
and develop high level skills in the UK nuclear sector.  Thus, funded by the Engineering 
&  Physical  Sciences  Research  Council,  the  project  Decommissioning,  Immobilisation  and 
Storage  solutions  for  Nuclear  waste  Inventories  (DISTINCTIVE)  brings  together  the  nuclear 
industry,  the  Government’s  nuclear  advisors  and  the  country’s  leading  academic 
researchers. Having 10 of the UK's leading universities working collaboratively with the 
National  Nuclear  Laboratory  (NNL),  Nuclear  Decommissioning  Authority  (NDA)  and 
Sellafield Limited in an £8 million project, makes this a very significant programme, also 
for the development of knowledge and expertise of the participants. 

Give2Gain (Growth through Collaboration) pilot project headed by NIS Ltd on behalf 
of  a  network  consisting  of  30  employers  and  coordinated  through  the  National  Skills 
Academy  for  Nuclear,  has  been  successful  in  gaining  funding  from  the  Employer 
Ownership of Skills. The participating employers are given credits for activities they are 
engaging  with  to  develop  a  talent  pipeline,  such  as  taking  on  apprentices  or  graduates, 
STEM  Ambassadors’  activities  and  offering  student  placements.  Give2Gain  will 
be building  up  a  network  of  employers  who  will  target  resources  more  efficiently  by 
working together. 

36 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Safety culture 
Recent signiﬁcant research and analysis of accidents, especially the one at the Fukushima 
Daiichi  NPP,  has  highlighted  the  need  to  focus  on  the  human  performance  aspects 
within  the  nuclear  industry.  Research  on  the  implications  of  an  event  on  the  scale  of 
Fukushima  for  the  UK  nuclear  industry  has  found  no  fundamental  problems  with  the 
UK  nuclear  safety.  However,  it  highlighted  that  ‘the  UK  nuclear  industry  should  continue  to 
promote sustained high levels of safety culture amongst its employees, making use of the National Skills 
Academy for Nuclear and other schemes that promote nuclear professionalism’(Dr M. Weightman). 

In  this  context  new  collaboration  has  been  launched  with  the  UK  Nuclear  Human 
Performance Forum to develop a set of 7 Training Standards for Human  Performance 
Coach Practitioners. It brings a clear focus on maintaining nuclear safety and preventing 
accidents – particularly radiological leaks, explosions and ﬁres. 

NSA for Nuclear in collaboration with the NDA is working to support the development 
of  Nuclear  Industry  Knowledge  Management  Portal  to  mitigate  against  the  loss  of 
knowledge  from  experienced  retirees.  NSA  is  also  working  with  the  Office  of  Nuclear 
Regulation and Safety Directors Forum to raise awareness of the importance of nuclear 
security and safety, especially within organisations - newcomers to the nuclear industry. 

•  Monitor  and  evaluate  the  success  of  training  in  delivering  appropriately  skilled 

workforce68 

It  is  important  to  ensure  that  training  is  successful  and  results  in  an  engaged  and 
productive workforce with the right skills. The Nuclear Industry Council (NIC), the leading 
partnership  forum  between  the  UK  nuclear  industry  and  Government,  will  oversee 
implementation and the development of key performance indicators (KPIs) to monitor 
progress.  Concerning the  investment in  the right  skills, the  KPIs are e.g. age profile of 
the workforce, the number of key vacancies, companies ability to expand. The NSA for 
Nuclear will monitor progress against the KPI’s in line with normal business processes, 
with the Standards Advisory Group overseeing the effectiveness of implementation at an 
organisational level. 

International Skills Development Collaboration  
International  collaboration  of  NSA  with  the  International  Nuclear  Academy  France 
(I2EN),  the  European  Nuclear  Energy  Leadership  Academy  Germany  (URENCO) 
resulted  in  them  joining  the  Skills  Academy’s  network  of  High  Quality  Providers.  The 
NSA can offer its developed products and services abroad and employers in the UK can 
benefit  from  the  offers  from  other  European  providers.  ‘Comparing  our  training  standards 
and the ways we analyse the needs should lead to the improvement of our nuclear training proposals, in 
an international context. This issue is particularly important, as safety and security demand well trained 
engineers, technicians and workers’ (Jacques Figuet, I2EN). 

The  NSA  for  Nuclear  is  working  in  collaboration  with  the  IAEA  on  security  skills 
development  initiatives.  NSA  for  Nuclear,  Cogent  SSC,  The  UK  Human  Performance 
Forum  and  INPO  are  now  working  on  the  development  of  jointly  agreed  skills 
standards, first of all - the Human Performance Practitioner Training Standards.  

The  NSA  and  UK  nuclear  industry  have  developed  in  collaboration  with  the  World 
Institute of Nuclear Security a competence framework for managers with nuclear security 
accountabilities, to be implemented world-wide. 

37 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
5   Development and implementation of  tools that 
support the achievement and demonstration of  
competences  

To  ensure  that  the  most  appropriate  qualiﬁcations,  standards,  training  and  educational 
programmes and other initiatives are in place, relevant tools and techniques that support 
the achievement and provide evidence of competence have to be developed. All nuclear 
stakeholders  have  to  be  informed  and  become  aware  of  the  opportunities  these  tools 
offer.  These  instruments  can  help  nuclear  companies  to  demonstrate  their  workforce 
competence  and capability  to  the  national  regulator  and  the  public.  By  developing  and 
engaging similar tools the employers will have higher return on investment in training by 
reducing  duplicate  training,  implementing  only  adopted  standards  and  qualifications, 
using  only  accredited  training  providers,  enabling  mobility  and  transferability  of  skills, 
etc.  

Among  the  tools  already  in  wide  use  by  the  stakeholders  are  those,  developed  by  the 
IAEA.  To  mention  a  few,  the  Tool  for  Guidelines  for  Systematic  Assessment  of 
Regulatory Competence Needs (SARCoN), which becomes a standard in nuclear safety 
organisations;  InTouch  -  a  communication  platform  that  allows  users  to  complete  and 
maintain professional profile online and to apply for a fellowship, scientific visit, training 
course, or for expert/lecturer assignments; the International Nuclear Information System 
(INIS),  which  supports  transfer  of  knowledge  and  know-how  and  information 
processing. Our task was to present to the users the tools developed and operated by the 
national organisations and the JRC. 

5.1  Instruments for the identification and assessment of 

personal, corporate and industry’s nuclear 
competences and training needs 

A  standardised  workforce  competence  and  capability  assessment  provides  a  way  of 
specifying  the  competence  requirements  for  job  within  the  nuclear  sector.  In  a  highly 
regulated  industry  the  ability  to  demonstrate  workforce  competence  is  critical.  
Advantage of the training needs identification with a software tool is that it enables: 

•  employee  to  create  a  personal  job  profile  and  assess  their  current  level  of 

competence; 

•  corporate training needs analysis;  
• 

the  creation of  a database of all skills possessed by the company and facilitates 
the ability to search for people with particular combinations of skills2.  

 5.1.1   TRAIN, Idaho National Laboratory, USA 

TRAIN  is  a  training  and  records  tracking  system  that  allows  to  plan  and  schedule 
required  training  for  employees  efficiently  and  effectively.  The  system  is  based  on 

2        First  few  systems  further  described  are  not  nuclear  sector  specific,  but  can  be  used  by  nuclear 
employers  as  practical  tools  for  their  internal  competence  assessment.  The  tools  presented  in  this 
chapter represented best examples from the world, not the EU only. 

38 

 
 
 
 
                                                 
requirements-driven  activities  and  can  support  large  numbers  of  employees,  significant 
workplace  hazards  and  a  wide  variety  of  job/task  assignments  in  addition  to  tracking  
training  completions.    It  is  capable  of  forecasting  training  needs  and  tracking 
qualification  requirements  for  company  jobs  and  supporting  a  timely  and  informed 
decision making process before workers are assigned job responsibilities. 

  5.1.2   ‘QuEST’ (Qualifications and Experience System Tool), AMEC NNC, 

UK 

‘QuEST’ is an enterprise solution to assist in identification and communication of skills 
and  competences  using  a  structured  database  approach  based  on  web  technologies.  It 
allows  particular  expertise  to  be  quickly  located.  The  specific  problems  the  system 
addresses are: 

• 

identify and capture qualifications, skills and experience for staff to demonstrate 
it is competent in support of activities in the nuclear sector; 

•  provide  evidence  that  staff  is  competent  and  experienced  in  the  skill  areas 

• 

• 

claimed; 
share  information  about  staff  skills  and  competences  for  use  throughout  the 
organisation; 
integrate  skills  information  with  other  related  issues  such  as  training  and 
development, CV’s, academic and professional qualifications. 

5.1.3  DACUM (Developing A CurriculUM), USA 

DACUM, which stands for Developing a Curriculum, has been developed because of the 
need  for  competency-based  training  to  meet  the  labour  market  demand  for  various 
trades  and  occupations.  It  is  a  means  of  researching  and analysing a  particular  job  that 
results  in  a  chart  listing  the  duties,  tasks,  and  related  information  about  the  job.  That 
information  can  be  applied  in  the  development  of  a  curriculum  or  individual  training 
plans to assure, that the content is directly relevant to what is required on the job. 

While  there  can  be  some  variations  in  the DACUM  process, basically,  a  panel  of high-
performing incumbents develop a list of all duties and tasks associated with the job based 
on consensus.  The panel also develops a list of knowledge and skills, tools, equipment, 
etc., that are essential for success. The final result is an occupational profile presented in 
a chart format, which describes a job in terms of specific duties and tasks that competent 
workers must perform.  Often the same or a validation panel will set priorities in terms 
of  how  frequently  a task is performed and  how  critical  it  is  to  the mission.  Once  peer 
reviewed  and  validated  profile  and  the  task  analysis  can  then  be  used  to  develop  a 
curriculum. 

Key Elements of DACUM: 
• 

It is a competency profile that can be used as a curriculum outline and an 

evaluation tool for a training program. 

• 

• 

It involves an analysis of the skills, knowledge and abilities required for an 

individual to perform effectively in an occupation. 

Its method divides an occupation into general areas of competence. Each of 

them is further broken down into specific skills. These skills are structured 
individually in small blocks on the DACUM chart. Each skill can serve as an 
independent goal for the learner. 

39 

 
 
 
 
 
• 

• 

DACUM chart has a rating scale that evaluates an individual’s achievement of 

each skill. 

DACUM method prescribes self-planning, goal-setting and self-evaluation by the 

learner. 

5.1.4  MySkills, Atkins Training Academy (ATA), UK 

Atkins  Training  Academy  (ATA)  has  developed  software  application  MySkills,  which 
enables a specialist to create a personal job profile and by assessing his/her current level 
of competence to identify his/her current training needs. The training needs of all staff 
are  then  added  together  to  facilitate  a  corporate  training  needs  analysis.  One  of  the 
outputs  from  this  assessment  process  is  the  identification  of  technical  learning  needs 
within  the  company.  This  also  enables  review  of  the  existing  taught  curriculum  and 
development by the academia and vocational training providers of new courses, closely 
aligned to labour market requirements. 

MySkills enables the user to select the skills, knowledge and attitudes from a skills menu, 
which has many levels, irrespective of whether they need to utilise these competences in 
their  current  role.  This  is  a  significant  improvement  over  most  human  performance-
based competence models that only require assessment  against  the  skills  required for a 
specific role. The users also need to fill in an evidence field for each particular skill. This 
individual  assessment  enables  the  creation  of  a  database  of  all  skills  possessed  by  the 
company and facilitates the ability to search for people with particular combinations of 
skills.  The  individual's  MySkills  assessment  is  'blind'  reviewed  by  the  individual's  line 
manager  or  other  nominated  person.  After  discussion  the  competence  scores  are 
accepted  or  moderated  by  the  “heads”  of  the  disciplines  the  individual  has  claimed 
competency in, followed by the final dialog with the individual.  

The  MySkills  output  is  then  used  in  three  ways.  Firstly,  any  gaps  in  the  competences, 
which  are  required  for  the  current  role  and/or  future  development  are  discussed  to 
identify a suitable solution (including a selection from a built-in list of training solutions). 
Secondly, the database can be searched by persons looking for the human resources for 
their projects or for advice on a particular topic. Finally, the total of the individual data 
can be compared with the future capability model to identify any capability gaps within 
the  organisation  that  need  to  be  addressed.  Associated  training  delivery  can  then  be 
planned. 

5.1.5  Competence Framework, UK 

Many  UK  nuclear  operators,  utilities  and  large  supply  chain  companies  adopt  different 
approaches  to  measuring  competence.  The  NSA  for  Nuclear  has  consulted  with  its 
employer members in the development of a common framework for the definition and 
demonstration of competence. 

The developed competence framework and tool to assess, record and verify competence 
has  been  made  available  via  enhanced  version  of  the  existing  online  Nuclear  Skills 
Passport.  It  contains  a  set  of  competences,  which  are  grouped  into  categories  of 
behavioural competences, core nuclear competences and technical competences linked to 
disciplines. These competences, together with generic levels of competence (levels 0-4), 
have  been  developed  by  the  industry  for  the  industry  and  set  a  common  standard  for 
deploying work within a nuclear environment.  

40 

 
 
 
 
 
 
Users are able to tailor content to their specific requirements by selecting competences 
relevant  to  the  people  who  will  be  using  the  system.  This  ‘personalisation’  of  the 
framework  ensures  and  enables  ownership  of  competence  assessment  within  an 
organisation. In the initial stages of development 4 main technical competence areas have 
been built into the framework which: 

reflect the needs of the employers consulted; 

• 
•  are aligned to the current skills shortages experienced at a national level (via the 

Nuclear Energy Skills Alliance). 

These  four  areas  are  Electrical  Control  &  Instrumentation,  Nuclear  Safety,  Mechanical 
Engineering and Project Management.  

The  process  requires  an  individual  to  complete  a  self-assessment  by  selecting  an 
appropriate  level  of  competence  against  each  pre-selected  competency  area.  Evidence 
has to be provided. Self-assessment is then sent to the line manager of the employee to 
complete  a  ‘blind  assessment’.  Once  completed,  a  joint  review  takes  place  and  a  final 
competence assessment is agreed. The process allows a further review step, if required. 
The ‘discipline expert’ provides his/her input to calibrate competence assessments.  

The competence assessment process ensures that any gaps in competence are identified, 
understood  and  managed  e.g.  through  training  or  appropriate  supervision.  Other 
advantages of introduction of the standardised framework are that it is aligned with the 
Systematic  Approach  to  Training  (SAT)  and  provides  one  voice  and  a  standard  for 
competence specification. 

5.1.6  Nuclear Workforce Model, Labour Market Intelligence, Cogent SSC, 

UK 

Modelling  the  nuclear  workforce  can  ensure  the  right  people  with  the  right  skills  are 
available in the industry at the right time for a sustainable future. The Nuclear Workforce 
Model (NWM) has been developed by Cogent SSC with the co-investment from the UK 
Commission  for  Employment  and  Skills  through  the  Employer  Investment  Fund,  the 
Department of Energy and Climate Change and nuclear employers. Through the Nuclear 
Energy Skills Alliance (NESA), the skills bodies collaborate to develop an understanding 
of the workforce requirements for the breadth of the industry and its supply chain. A key 
feature  of  the  model  is  the  ability  to  dynamically  generate  future  skills  scenarios, 
providing demand and supply data which will inform potential interventions. 

How does the industry benefit from NMW? 

•  The Labour Market Intelligence supports employers in developing mid to long-

term recruitment and skills development strategies. 

•  By working with other skills bodies there is an industry-wide analysis. 
•  The data becomes crucial in making the case for government investment in skills. 
•  The  data  leads  to  the  enhancement  and  development  of  skills  interventions  to 

make sure skills shortages are addressed. 

The  NWM  allows  nuclear  employers,  government  and  other  stakeholders  to  have  a 
comprehensive national view of the industry’s current and future skills requirements. The 
model can give advance warning of potential national nuclear skills pinch points, prompt 

41 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
timely  skills  interventions,  identify  opportunities  for  workforce  transitioning,  provide 
demand  signals  to  training  providers,  reflect  the  impact  of  macro  changes  to  the  civil 
programme.  

Fig.3 The Nuclear Workforce Model. Cogent SSC, 2014 

5.1.7  Fit For Nuclear assessment for engineering manufacturing companies, 

NAMRC, UK 

Fit for Nuclear (‘F4N’) is a programme for the supply chain companies to measure their 
current operations against the standards required to supply the UK’s nuclear new build in 
order to identify any gaps in their performance. It is delivered by the NAMRC with the 
Manufacturing  Advisory  Service  in  partnership  with  industrial  partners.  The  ‘F4N’ 
diagnostic  covers  six  key  categories  of company’s  capabilities:  Strategy  and  Leadership, 
Design and Project Management, People Excellence, Process Excellence, Safety, Quality. 

5.2  Existing and planned electronic catalogues and 

databases on competences and training in nuclear 
E&T in the EU 

5.2.1  Nuclear Job Contexts, Cogent SSC, UK 

Nuclear Job Contexts has been developed to describe the role profiles across the breadth 
of the nuclear industry. As already mentioned in Chapter 4.7, the UK’s Nuclear Industry 
Training  Framework  (NITF)  developed  this  database  of  training  standards  and 
qualifications,  to  which  the  competences  required  for  a  specific  role,  are  linked.  These 
training standards, which have been produced by the Cogent SSC and other skills bodies 
where they are relevant to the nuclear industry, sit within a specific category, agreed with 
the national nuclear industry. The competences, training and qualifications are organised 
around four skills areas and associated qualifications: 

•  Technical Competence, 
•  Business Improvement, including quality and innovation, 
•  Compliance, 
•  Functional and Behavioural Skills 

42 

 
 
 
 
 
 
NITF  qualifications  are  accredited  by  national  qualification  credit  framework  (QCF  or 
SCQF).  Developed  Industry  Training  Standards  are  described  using  a  template  that 
identifies  the  learning  objectives,  so  that  it  is  clear  what  an  individual  who  has  been 
trained  to  the  standard,  will  be  able  to  do. Cogent  is  developing  and  maintaining 
standards  that  are  required  by  the  nuclear  industry67.  One  of  the  current  tasks  is  to 
develop a set of National Occupational Standards, vocational qualifications and Training 
Standards  for  the  nuclear  industry  aligned  with  the  development  of  Job  Contexts,  the 
Nuclear Skills Passport project and take account of the development of the qualifications 
and training standards in other industries to enable skills transferability. 

The advantages of using Job Contexts are 
- for the employers:  

internationally  recognized 

levels  of 

• 

industry  wide  skills  benchmark  for 
competence; 
•  possibility  to 

  accredit  and  measure  exisiting  workforce  skills  and  the 

identiﬁcation of any skills gaps; 
transferability of skills across the sector and a reduction of duplicate training; 

• 
•  possibility for workforce planning; 
• 
• 

signposting to the NSA for Nuclear accredited training courses;  
increased retention of high quality skilled employees, as they can be re-trained to 
an industry standard in a changing operating environment 

- for the employees: 

•  nationally  recognised  framework  for  measuring  and  demonstrating  individual 

skills; 

•  gaining competences accredited  to national standards; 
•  career progression and continual professional development; 
• 

the possibility to move from one skillset to another (for example from operations 
to decommissioning). 

Sector wide initiative Career Pathways starts to use Job Context roles as the core of the 
nuclear  career  pathways.  Career  Pathways  is  web-based  tool  for  employers  and  other 
stakeholders, playing an important part in securing the skills industry needs now and in 
the future. It provides a ‘one-stop’ shop for careers information and guidance targeted at 
students, teachers, career information officers, people within the industry considering up-
skilling or reskilling and people from other industries considering a career change. 

5.2.2  Nuclear Skills passport, NSA, UK 

Developed  by  NSA  and  Cogent  SSC  in  collaboration  with  industry,  Nuclear  Skills 
Passport gives all UK’s nuclear organisations instant secure web access to information on 
their nuclear skills base, offering a detailed overview of the training completed by their 
and  suppliers’  workforce.  The  Nuclear  Skills  Passport  is  an  effective  tool  for  the 
introduction  and  cross-site  recognition  of internal  and  external  skills  development 
training.  Until  now  the  nuclear  sites  have  trained  their  employees  and  contractors  to 
their  own  standards,  but  when  transferring  staff  to  different  facilities,  the  training  that 
they have already completed was not recognised, and additional training was required. 

The strategic benefits of the Nuclear Skills Passport include: 

• 

increased flexibility and mobility - industry can successfully and safely respond to 
the peaks and lows of demand;  

43 

 
 
 
 
 
• 

increased retention of skills - employees can be re-trained and recognised as able 
to  work  in  other  sectors  moving  from  operations  to  decommissioning  or  new 
build, and from defence to civil nuclear; 

•  possibility to demonstrate competences to regulators; 
•  attraction and career progression - nuclear industry is seen as a sector with clear 
career paths, offering development and career progression at all levels and for all 
entry routes; 
skills forecasting - clear picture of future skills needs can be developed using the 
Nuclear Skills Passport to enable effective forward planning and budgeting; 
•  efficiency  of  delivery  -  supply  chain  companies  are  able  to  operate  in  a  more 

• 

timely and effective manner as they will not be required to repeat training. 

 The Skills Passport Concept consists of five key elements (see Fig.4): 

1.  A  web  based  accessible  learner  database  that  provides  a  registry  of  training 
records  for  individual  passport  holders  and  the  facility  to  generate  a  skills 
passport card.  

2.  Dataset repository for Job Contexts.  Job Contexts are agreed common job roles 

across industry with which associated competences are aligned (see above). 

3.  Benchmarking tool that supports and enables up-skilling and workforce mobility 
across  the  sector  –  enables  existing  employee’s  skills  to  be  recognised  and 
mapped against defined standard industry Job Context roles, highlighting gaps in 
skills and/or training. 

Fig.4 Nuclear Skills Passport Concept. National Skills Academy for Nuclear, 2011 

44 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
4.  Training  directory  which  supports  up-skilling  by  signposting  learners  to  Skills 
Academy  Quality  Assured 
(courses/programmes 
training 
/qualifications)  to  meet  any  identified  skills  gaps.  Offers  a  simple  modular 
approach  to  closing  skills  gaps  through  continuous  learning  and  development 
with accreditation against national industry standards. 

provision 

5.  A  reporting  suite  that  generates  statistics  at  industry,  regional  and  corporate 

levels. 

It is also important that implementation of the Nuclear Skills Passport is an easy process 
and organisations have the support and guidance of their Regional Manager, the Nuclear 
Skills  Passport  Manager  and  an  IT  helpdesk  which  provide  support  throughout 
implementation and beyond.  

5.2.3  Training capabilities catalogue, Spanish nuclear industry (CEIDEN 

F+) 

Study, performed by CEIDEN F+, made an effort to identify the potential strengths and 
weaknesses of the E&T capabilities of Spanish nuclear industry (see Chapter 4.5). Used 
methodology,  relying  on  three  sources  –  ECVET,  NEA  data,  EHRO-N’s  nuclear  job 
taxonomy,  allows  to  establish  a  taxonomic  reference  in  classification  of  job-oriented 
training capabilities. The training capability catalogue of the Spanish industry is updated 
and  accessible  through  the  CEIDEN  website.  Spanish  nuclear  industry  possesses  all 
training tools necessary to conduct the training activities for professional profiles. 

The web search engine is structured as follows: 

•  Available courses 
• 
•  Tools and training methods 

Job oriented training capabilities that may be developed by companies 

5.2.4  EFTS projects’ instrument for data management   

The  Euratom  Fission  Training  Schemes  (EFTS)  have  been  initiated  as  FP7  indirect 
actions in the areas of nuclear sector where a shortage of skilled professionals has been 
identified 57, 58, 61. The proposed training schemes consist of portfolios of units of learning 
outcomes,  made  of  knowledge,  skills  and  competences  –  KSC,  that  are  needed  to 
perform critical jobs or functions.  

There are eleven European projects under Euratom FP7 programme related to nuclear 
education and training running at present or recently finalised.  

-  ECNET  -  EU-CHINA  Nuclear  Education  and  Training  Cooperation:  mirror 
project to be  financed by the  Chinese  Atomic Energy  Authority  (March  2011  - 
February 2013)  

-  ENEN-III  Training  schemes  -  Generation  III  and  IV  engineering:  addressing 
mainly  nuclear systems suppliers and engineering companies (May 2009 – April 
2013) 

-  TRASNUSAFE  -  Nuclear  Safety  Culture:  addressing  mainly  the  health  physics 
sector  (e.g.,  ALARA  principle  in  industry  and  medical  field)  (Nov.  2010  - 
October 2014)  

45 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
-  CORONA  -  Regional  Centre  of  Competence  for  VVER  Technology  and 
Nuclear  Applications:  focus  on  VVER  personnel  training  (December  2011  – 
November 2014)  

-  CINCH-II - Cooperation in education and training In Nuclear Chemistry: focus 
on the European master's degree in nuclear and radiochemistry (June 2013 – May 
2016)  

-  EUTEMPE-RX  -  EUropean  Training  and  Education  for  Medical  Physics 
Experts in Radiology: focus on Euratom Directive COM(2011) 593 (August 2013 
– July 2016) 

-  GENTLE - Graduate  and  Executive Nuclear Training and Lifelong Education: 
focus on synergy between industry – academia (January 2013 – December 2016)  
-  NUSHARE – Project for sharing and growing nuclear safety culture competence: 
focus on policy makers; regulatory authorities; industry (Jan. 2013 – Dec. 2016) 
-  PETRUS  III  -  Program  for  Education,  Training,  Research  on  Underground 
Storage:  addressing  mainly  the  radwaste  agencies  (September  2013  –  August 
2015) 

-  ENEN-RU-II-  Cooperation  with  Russia  in  Nuclear  E&T  and  Knowledge 
Management:  mirror  project  by  ROSATOM  and  MEPhi  (March  2014  –  Febr 
2017) 

-  ENETRAP-III  -  European  Network  on  E&T  in  Radiological  Protection: 
addressing  mainly  the  nuclear  regulatory  authorities  and  TSOs  (March  2014  – 
February 2018).  

Most  of  them  have  applied  to  some  extend  the  ECVET  principles  in  their  training 
schemes, being worth to point out ENEN, ENETRAP and CINCH as the most active 
on this subject. First attempts are being made to develop, in synergy with the regulators, 
common  EU  approaches  for  assessment  and  validation  of  portfolios  of  learning 
outcomes related to specific jobs or functions. This is the case, in particular, of the E&T 
projects  in  radiation  protection  that  are  based  on  guidelines  for  learning  outcomes 
expressed  in  terms  of  knowledge,  skills  and  competences.  They  are  discussing  mutual 
recognition  of  qualification  processes  with  authoritative  expert  associations  such  as 
ENSREG or HERCA. 

In the course of these activities a huge amount of data has been generated in the form of 
lists  of  courses,  qualifications,  competences,  units,  learning  outcomes  and  job  profiles.  
The project ENETRAP has made several trials to create an instrument to store the data, 
using standard MS Office applications. However, at this moment it has become evident 
that only a powerful dedicated software would comply with the necessary functionalities. 
The  need  of  this  type  of  tool  has  been  considered  also  in  other  projects,  for  example 
PETRUS. 

Within EFTS projects’ contribution to the lifelong learning and cross-border mobility the 
following  list  of jobs or  functions  in nuclear  fission  and radiation  protection, based  on 
learning outcomes, were completed: 

•  "Fluid System Construction and Commissioning Engineer" (ENEN III project) 
•  "Radiation Protection Expert"  (ENETRAP II project)  
•  "Safety Analysis Expert for Deep Geological Disposal" (PETRUS II project) 
•  "Medical Physics Expert" (EUTEMPE-RX project). 

46 

 
 
 
 
 
5.2.5  EHRO-N initiative on a software tool for learning and competence 

management (NUVET). Concept and preliminary model 

In  2011  the  project  EHRO-N  of  the  Institute  for  Energy  and  Transport  of  DG  Joint 
Research  Centre,  European  Commission,  undertook  activities  to  promote  the 
implementation of the European Credit System for Vocational Education and Training 
(ECVET) within  the  nuclear  energy sector (see Chapter 6).   Besides dissemination and 
training, these have resulted in the elaboration of a catalogue of nuclear jobs (the Nuclear 
Job Taxonomy)52 and an associated database of relevant competences. In parallel, in the 
course of the activities under EFTS projects  (see Chapter  5.2.4) a lot of  data  has been 
generated, which needs classification and further management. 

In  January  2014  a  meeting  attended  by  DG  RTD,  DG  JRC  and  ENETRAP  project  
representatives took place, where the project to build up a software tool for competence 
and learning management for the nuclear sector NUVET was outlined.  

The NUVET tool is meant to be a cross-cutting initiative connecting the currently on-
going European  projects  in nuclear education and  training  and  especially  those making 
use of the ECVET principles. By means of the participation and input of these projects it 
will  be  possible  to  adapt  it  to  the  needs  of  the  final  users.  Being  those  users  training 
providers  as  well  as  industry  stakeholders,  sharing  a  joint  system  offers  the  additional 
benefit of establishing a common language and contributing to bring closer qualifications 
and  jobs.    Furthermore,  a  regular  communication  with  institutional  actors  such  as  DG 
EAC  and  Cedefop  will  ensure  technical  compliance  and  synergy  with  similar 
developments. 

Requirements  and  features.  The  conception  of  NUVET  arouse  in  first  place  from  the 
difficulty  to  handle  an  increasing  number  of  learning  outcomes  (LOs).  Therefore  the 
primary idea is a system to store and classify LOs and possibly help in their creation.  

Whilst  helping  the  individual  users  to  design  qualifications,  NUVET  would  be  also  a 
space of synergy and mutual learning by means of a shared production repository and the 
use  of  the  same  inputs.  Furthermore,  it  should  facilitate  a  transparent  correlation 
between qualifications and job positions. 

There is a common agreement on some features that the NUVET tool should have: 

•  Versatility apt for different ways to formulate LOs. Since there is no established 
rule  on  how  to  write  LOs,  users  should  have  the  possibility  to  take  different 
approaches: analytical or holistic, broader or more specific. But some constrains 
will be unavoidable, as the software will necessarily impose an overall boundaries 
for the components of a qualification. 
Inclusion  of  lists  with  standard  expressions.  This  is  meant  to  facilitate  the 
adoption of a common language by means of predetermined inputs such as job 
profiles, library of competence items and lists of action verbs. Nevertheless, they 
will  be  rather  informative  than  prescriptive,  allowing  users  to  use  alternative 
expressions that can in turn be added to the input data. 

• 

•  Hierarchical  structure.  The  design 

levels, 
corresponding  to  qualification,  unit  and  learning  outcome.  As  long  as  possible, 
no workflow for the design process will be mandatory. 

interface  would  have 

three 

•  User friendliness. Data management and design functionalities should be as easy 

to use and intuitive as possible.  

47 

 
 
 
 
 
 
•  On-line multiuser solution. It should work mostly or fully on-line, giving access 
to  a  common  repository  of  data  to  all  the  users;  the  creation  of  private  user 
spaces might be considered, perhaps at a later stage. 

The definition of a standard for  the LOs poses some issues derived from the different 
understanding  of  the  concept  of  competence  and  its  link  with  the  learning  outcomes.  
But  the  model  increases  its  complexity  when  is  set  in  the  broader  landscape  of 
interactions with potential inputs and derived products. A first analysis allows identifying 
a number of components possibly making part of the software databases: 
- Qualifications 
- Units 
- Learning outcomes 
- LO assessment methods and assessment criteria 
- Classifications of competences (knowledge, skills and attitudes) 
- Lists of jobs 
- Job profiles and corresponding key activities and job requirements 
- European Qualification Framework (EQF) descriptors 
- Normalised action verbs (Bloom taxonomy or similar) 
- Training courses 
- Bibliographies and other sources 
- Metadata: time of creation, ownership, version tracking. 

A sketch depicting this structure is presented in Fig.5. 

5.2.6  NUSHARE - Project for Sharing & Growing Nuclear Safety Culture 

Competence 

The  Fukushima  Daiichi  accident  on  11  March  2011  reinforced  the  need  for  education 
and  training  in  nuclear  safety.  The  way  to  prevent  accidents  is  to  help  employees  to 
improve their skills before the problems arise.  

The  NUSHARE  project  (Project  for  Sharing  &  Growing  Nuclear  Safety  Culture 
Competence) has been proposed by the Cabinets of Commissioner Mrs. M. Geoghegan 
Quinn (Research and Innovation) and Commissioner Mr G. Oettinger (Energy) after the 
Fukushima  Daiichi  accident.  This  initiative,  implemented  in  collaboration  with  DG 
ENER and DG JRC as well as DG EAC and DG DEVCO, has been launched under 
the  modified  Euratom  FP7  work  programme,  2012.  With  the  funding  of  one  million 
Euros (2013-2016), the project is being coordinated by the ENEN. 

The  objective  of  NUSHARE  is  to  develop  and  implement  Education,  Training  and 
Information  (ETI)  programmes  aimed  at  strengthening  safety  culture  in  the  nuclear 
sector  and  at  sharing  relevant  best  practices  at  the  European  level.  Special  attention  is 
paid  to  safety  culture  competences  in  nuclear  power  plants  and  other  nuclear 
installations, but other nuclear activities and security culture aspects are to be covered as 
well. In practice, project implementation  involves designing Training Schemes and then 
running  them  in  the  form  of  modules,  which  eventually  will  be  standardised.  Phase  1 
involves design of the modules and preparation of NUSHARE ETI catalogue. Phase 2 is 
focusing  on  testing  of  the  training  programme,  to  be  implemented  in  3  steps  -  pilot 
sessions, confirmation sessions, standardisation. 

48 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
NUSHARE  aims  to  develop  safety  culture  training  for  a  variety  of  audiences.  Three 
target groups are considered: 

•  Target  Group  1:  Policy  decision  makers  and  opinion  leaders  at  the  level  of 
national  or  regional  governments,  parliaments, 
international  organisations 
(including  EC),  scientific  communities  (including  relevant  medical  specialists) 
involved in crisis management as well as journalists and other opinion leaders; 

•  Target Group 2: Nuclear Regulatory Authorities and TSOs; 
•  Target  Group  3:  Electricity  utilities  and  systems  suppliers  at  the  level  of 
responsible  personnel  of  organisations  operating  nuclear  facilities  (electricity 
utilities) and of suppliers of such facilities (vendors, engineering companies).

49 

 
50 

 
6  ECVET within the nuclear energy sector. Pilot project to test 

ECVET implementation  

6.1  ECVET in the nuclear energy sector 

6.1.1  Current initiatives 

Personnel  knowledge,  skills  and  competence  are  vital  for  ensuring  safety  of  nuclear  operations. 
Vocational education in NES deserves therefore special attention. The aim of the European Credit 
system for Vocational Education and Training (ECVET) is to offer better qualifications to the next 
generation of leading European talents, taking advantage of a variety of learning pathways, changing 
multicultural  environment  and  networks  of  competences.  Developments  of  the  ECVET  system 
over the period 2014-2020 will take place under the umbrella of the “Erasmus+” programme.  

Developing transparency of qualifications in nuclear field in order to facilitate professional mobility 
at  the  European  scale  is  an  important  task.  Each  MS  has  its  own  nuclear  policy  and  nuclear 
regulator,  many  of  the  countries  have  developed  national  qualifications,  which  are  overseen  by 
national  accreditation  organisations.  In  this  context,  ECVET  represents  an  opportunity  to  build 
bridges between the different national certifications for mutual recognition. 

The ECVET use in the nuclear energy sector is well framed within the general time table of ECVET 
implementation  in  the  EU  as  it  is  shown  in  the  Fig.6.  Main  stakeholders  of  the  Euratom  R&T 
programmes (DG RTD, DG JRC, DG ENER) started in 2010 to lay the foundations of ECVET by 
developing  a  common  approach  regarding  nuclear  qualifications,  vision  and  implementation 
instruments of ECVET in the nuclear energy sector95. 

Fig.6 The ECVET implementation time table. ECVET Recommendations.  

A sound scientific and technical basis for the ECVET implementation has been provided under the 
Euratom  FP7  research  and  training  programme  (2007–2013)  through  indirect  (RTD  driven)  and 
direct (JRC driven) actions. As far as training is concerned, there are two types of initiatives in the 
Euratom R&T projects:  

• 

interdisciplinary  training  workshops  embedded  in  large  collaborative  projects,  aiming  to 
promptly transfer scientific results to the research community;  

•  Euratom  Fission  Training  Schemes,  taking  advantage  of  existing  instruments  and  best 
practices in the EU (see Chapter 5.2.4) in their attempts to define job-oriented qualifications 
based on learning outcomes81 and study cases of individualised learning pathways. 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
The EFTSs are in fact "coordination actions", taking into account scientific-technological and socio-
political “end user requirements” and using the EU education and training instruments (i.e. ECTS in 
the Bologna 1999 process and ECVET in the Copenhagen 2002 process). These training schemes 
are ambitious VET or CPD programmes (usually 3 years long, with the total budget of circa Euro 1 
million  each).  The  EFTS  is  thus  a  significant  development  across  the  EU,  aimed  at  structuring 
training and career development in the nuclear fission sector along the ECTS and ECVET lines. 

In order to improve qualification of the processes  for  creation  and  transfer of  KSC, the  Euratom 
E&T  programmes  should  better 
institutions  and  stakeholder 
organisations  (industry,  research  organisations,  governmental  bodies,  etc.)  in  areas  where  human 
resources could be at risk.  Synergy with the end-users (including the human resource departments 
concerned) is required to improve the definition and the qualification process for safety related jobs 
and functions needed in nuclear installations.  

integrate  higher  education 

First  important  precondition  for  the  successful  implementation  of  ECVET  in  nuclear  sector  has 
been  already  fulfilled  by  the  development  of  Nuclear  Job  Taxonomy52,  which  provides  structured 
description of standard jobs. At the present stage, the NJT covers the jobs within the three life-cycle 
phases of a Nuclear  Power Plant (NPP),  i.e. New Build, Operation  and Decommissioning. Firstly 
the jobs representative of the typical organisation in NPP have been identified, then the profile for 
each job has been developed with the focus on the job requirements, defined in terms of knowledge, 
skills  and  competence.  During  customised  ECVET  nuclear  seminars  these  concepts  for  nuclear 
qualifications  were  tested  in  study  cases,  which  are  practical  exercises  of  the  transfer  of  job 
requirements into the formulation of learning outcomes and units. 

The implementation of ECVET instrument is still voluntary in the European Union. Till now main 
efforts  have  been  carried  out  within  the  education  and  training  institutions  and  related  student 
exchanges. JRC proposal for ECVET nuclear pilot project, if implemented, can become one of the 
first “reality”  trials  of ECVET  involving NES  industrial  players. Involvement of employers in the 
design of learning outcomes based qualifications will guarantee that units are based on actual work 
processes  in  the  nuclear  sector,  making  the  results  of  the  project  relevant  for  the  future  ECVET 
practitioner. 

6.1.2  Nuclear qualifications particularities 

The  nuclear  industry  has  certain  particularities  to  be  taken  in  consideration  when  developing 
projects related to training, education and professional qualification within the sector. It is obvious 
the omnipresence of safety and security aspects when it is referred to any nuclear activity, and also 
the environmental and public opinion issues intrinsically associated to energy production by atomic 
fission.  Related  to  that,  an  extensive  regulatory  framework  has  been  developed  over  decades, 
resulting  in  the  highly  regulated  regime  that  rules  nowadays  the  nuclear  activities.  The  role  of  the 
national  regulatory  bodies  introduces  a  great  diversity  in  practices  on  the  supply,  demand  and 
accreditation  of  education  and  training,  making  the  implementation  of  ECVET  additionally 
challenging. 

It should be mentioned that the qualifications required by nuclear sector correspond mostly to the 
upper levels of the EQF, addressing research and industry workers with higher education levels, i.e. 
EQF level 6 to 8 (bachelor, master and doctorate levels or equivalent). Although transferability and 
comparability between ECTS and ECVET is an overall issue, it becomes especially relevant in the 
nuclear  field,  where  the  qualifications  correspond  mostly  to  the  upper  levels  of  the  European 
Qualifications Framework.  

 52 

 
 
 
 
 
Nuclear  industry  has  a  great  degree  of  internationalisation,  both  for  the  regular  movement  of 
workers  and  materials  and  for  the  transnational  agreements  that  govern  it  to  a  great  extent. 
Moreover, safety concerns, intrinsically linked to nuclear activities, make the availability of sufficient 
workforce crucial. The competence of this workforce must be continuously up-to-date, demanding 
consistent lifelong training schemes besides initial learning upon taking up a job. 

Together with the international scope, the movement of learners - either students or professionals - 
is  also  encouraged  by  the  restricted  availability  of  suitable  facilities  and  expertise.  In  this  context, 
synergies stemming from mobility become not merely beneficial, but essential. Completing the in-
house and on-the-job training with learning periods in different organizations and countries is often 
necessary for acquiring and maintaining an appropriate level of competence. Finally, the prospective 
on the demand of nuclear experts in the medium term suggests the necessity for nuclearisation of a 
number of professionals with initial non-nuclear background. 

Fig.7  The  features  of  the  competence  based  qualification  system.  CEDEFOP.  Terminology  of 
European education and training policy.  

The ECVET would support the improvement of the nuclear qualification system (see Figure 7) by: 

• 
the shift to a competence based qualification system (CB-QS) that is more  flexible; 
•  CB-QS enables competences accumulation (or Learning outcomes) no matter in which 

education system or sector and how long takes to accumulate competences/ LOs; 

•  CB-QS  permits  flexible  learning  pathways:  formal,  non-formal,  work  experience,  Life 

Long Learning (LLL) and training abroad; 

•  CB-QS enables geographical mobility. 

 53 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
6.2  The NU-VET pilot project in the nuclear energy sector  

6.2.1  Existing ECVET projects in non-nuclear sectors 

Commitment  of  the  EU  Member  States  concerning  the  European  Credit  System  for  Vocational 
Education  and  Training  is  still  very  moderate  82.  To  promote  implementation  of  ECVET  the 
European Commission issued a call for proposals to finance international partnerships aimed to test 
the  implementation  of  the  ECVET  process  in  the  contexts  of  mobility.  As  a  result  during  the 
periods of 2008-2011 and 2011-2014 a total of nineteen ECVET pilot projects have been selected 
and completed.  

In  addition  to  the  ECVET  pilot  projects  funded  under  the  lifelong  learning  action  programme, 
other  projects  relating  to  the  ECVET  testing  and  development  took  place,  namely  the  European 
Qualification  Framework  (EQF)  projects  and  projects  funded  by  the  LEONARDO  programme. 
Moreover,  the  thematic  network  NetECVET,  which  consists  of  14  National  Agencies  of  the 
Lifelong  Learning  Programme  (LLP),  promotes  ECVET  in  the  context  of  transnational  mobility 
and  supports  the  implementation  process  in  the  MSs  through  a  bottom-up  approach.  It  adresses 
VET practitioners and supports and guides them in the application of ECVET.  

The pilot projects, developed in different economic sectors  (aeronautical industry, tourism, catering, 
etc.),  became  an  informative  source  on  the  practical  application  of  ECVET  by  providing 
information  about  its  implementation  possibilities  in  different  sectors  and  dissemination  of 
information  about  the  best  practices,  difficulties  and  results  of  the  individual  projects.  In  the 
conclusions of the final conference of the ECVET pilot projects of the first generation, 2012, it s 
stressed  that  there  is  a  need  to  further  strengthen  the  common  European  features  of  the  credit 
system while adopting it to the national or sectorial environment, instead of merely picking up those 
elements that seem to easily fit. 82 

6.2.2  The scope of the NU-VET pilot project 

Nuclear  sector  will  become  the  next  area  for  testing  of  ECVET.  The  NUclear-VET  Pilot  Project 
(NU-VET  PP)  has  been  launched  in  April  2014  by  the  EHRO-N,  the  Institute  for  Energy  and 
Transport, Joint Research Centre (IET-JRC), EC. During the past four years its ECVET team put a 
lot of efforts to increase the awareness and familiarization of the European nuclear community with 
ECVET 83 through: 
- organisation of ECVET seminars customized for nuclear stakeholders; 
- development of nuclear job taxonomy (NJT) and organising a series of workshops to facilitate this 
task; 
- development of a nuclear ECVET network; 
- dissemination of the ECVET principles, tools and benefits among the nuclear stakeholders. 

An  EHRO-N  report  “Towards  the  implementation  of  the  ECVET  system  in  the  nuclear  energy 
sector”56  states,  that  ‘considering  the  particularities  of  the  nuclear  energy  sector,  the  introduction  of  ECVET 
requires  the  development  of  initial  tools,  such  as  a  well-structured  common  terminology  across  the  EU  for  the 
description of professional profiles related to nuclear energy and radiation protection, the definition of roles and required 
competence and the design of agreed learning outcomes and assessment criteria’. 

The implementation of ECVET in the nuclear sector will be a challenging but rewording task, as it 
requires taking into account industry’s particular characteristics, namely: 

  qualifications required by nuclear sector correspond mostly to the upper levels of the EQF, 
which  requires  developing  pathways  and  equal  recognition  between  VET  and  higher 

-

 54 

 
 
 
 
 
education  (ECVET  and ECTS).  Testing  of  EQF level  6  qualifications,  which  are  used  for 
the  occupations  with  limited  exposure  to  the  country-specific  safety  accreditations,  at  the 
start of the pilot project may be a good idea; 

absence  or restricted availability of facilities and  expertise  in  many  countries, which makes 
synergies compulsory; 

  high degree of internationalisation of nuclear industry; 
  high requirements to safety in nuclear industry; 
-
-
-
  nuclear  industry  is  a  highly  regulated  sector,  demanding  high  level  of  certification  on  the 
national  level.  Regulatory  systems  differ  in  the  MSs.  Attention  should  be  drawn  to  a 
potential  barrier,  as  in  several  EU  countries  a  national  licensing  process  is  required  for 
specific jobs or functions (safety-related jobs, usually at higher education level); 

-

  validation/recognition of non-academic and informal learning remains a major challenge, as 
their  outcomes  are  not  standardized.  Methods  and  tools  have  to  be  developed  and  widely 
used  to  identify,  assess  and  accredit  these  learning  outcomes.  This  is  to  be  achieved  by 
applying the European Credit System for Vocational Education and Training (ECVET).  

-

The  main  features  of  the  JRC  approach  to  the  ECVET  implementation  process  in  the  nuclear 
energy sector are:  

there are six major components of the NU-VET system; 

•  ECVET implementation is a stepwise process; 
• 
•  whole NU-VET mechanism consists of six steps; 
•  each step has specific goals and activities as it is explained in the table 1. 

ECVET 
com-
ponents  
1 

2 

3 

4 

5 

6 

Goal  

Activities  

Findings/Achievements  

Scanning the HR demand of the 
nuclear energy sector /market  

Shift from KB-QS to CB-QS/ 
from knowledge creation to 
competence building  

Developing competence based-
qualification system for NES 

Development of the mobility 
tools for NES 

Qualification achievement process 
for NES 

implementation  of 
Supporting 
ECVET  in  the  nuclear  energy 
sector 

EHRO-N 1st survey - 2012 

by 2020- nuclear experts deficit of 50 %  

- Nuclear Job Taxonomy 
preparation;  
- Job descriptions-job 
requirements defined in terms of 
KSC  
- Competence Catalogue: helps 
to define job requirements in 
terms of KSC/A (competences) 
Designing  nuclear  qualifications 
based on ECVET approach  

Memoranda  of  understanding, 
learning agreements and learners’ 
transcripts of records 
Developing specific tools for 
assessment, validation, 
recognition and accumulation of 
learning outcomes 
Organizing a series of WSs (5) 
and 
seminars 

customized 

ECVET 

- 155 jobs;  
- 140-JD  
- 2200 new entries  
All these aim to serve as a tool for 
defining learning outcomes  

1st exercise on designing NPP Operator 
qualifications at 2nd ECVET Seminar - 
Budapest, HU (Oct. 2013) 

Covered by the indirect actions (EFTS 
projects) supported by the DG RTD 

Covered by the indirect actions (EFTS 
projects) supported by the DG RTD 

Test the ECVET implementation in the 
NES through a NU-VET Pilot project 

Table 1. The NU-VET components 

 55 

 
 
 
   
 
 
 
 
 
6.1.1  The NU-VET pilot project objectives 

The  overal  objective  of  the  NU-VET  PP  is  to  test  the  implementation  of  the  ECVET  system 
process in NES in the context of learner's mobility. Also, the NU-VET PP will demonstrate that an 
individual,  working  in  a  nuclear  power  plant,  can  upgrade  his/her  qualification  by  acquiring 
competences  abroad  (see  Fig.8)  at  another  nuclear  power  plant  (or  radioactive  waste  facility),  and 
that  the  achieved  learning  outcomes  could  be  transferred  and  recognized  in  his/her  country  of 
origin. The project will also serve as ‘an example for the other fields and will enable not only to improve EU 
mobility  of  workers,  but  also  the  effective  nuclear  HR  competence  analysis,  i.e.  comparing  competence  existing  with 
competence needs in the EU.’ 93 

Fig. 8. Learning outcomes in NU-VET PP 

The NU-VET PP has two specific objectives: 

a)  shift from knowledge qualification system to the competence based qualification system in 

the nuclear energy sector; 

b)  development  of  the  best  methodologies  and  tools  matching  with  the  ECVET  framework 

and with NES particularities. 

a) Shift from knowledge qualification system to the competence based qualification 
system in the nuclear energy sector 

The  core  task  of  NU-VET  PP  is  the  implementation  of  vocational  qualification  and  education 
system pivoting on Learning Outcomes.  In  particular,  the  NU-VET  PP project is concerned with 
reshaping the approach to vocational education according to Learning Units or, in other words, to 
shift  from  knowledge  qualification  system  to  the  competence  based  qualification  system  in  the 
nuclear energy sector. 

A Learning Unit is supposed to be the “brick” of  learning  programmes: it describes the outcomes 
of  a  learning  process  in  terms  of  the  acquisition  or  improvement  of  a  competence.    Learning 

 56 

 
 
 
 
 
 
Outcomes  describe  in  detail  the  single  learning  acquisitions,  while  the  Learning  Units  aggregate 
Learning Outcomes according to competences.  In other words, a Learning Unit is a set of Learning 
Outcomes  related  to  a  specific  competence.  The  activities  scheduled  by  NU-VET  PP  aim  at 
redefining one or more professions according to competences and outpouring them into Learning 
Units. 

Units of LOs are easier assessed, if they are well defined and designed in such a way that they are 
independent from each other. Certain principles for the formulation of learning outcomes have to 
be  shared  and  adopted  between  partners  from  the  beginning  of  the  project  as  well  as  a  specific 
vocabulary to describe learning outcomes precisely. 

On the other hand the NU-VET PP would select one or more professions to be “nuclearized”.  The 
experimentations on the field, namely the development and execution of mobility programmes for  
vocational  education of learners,  aim  at  testing  the  success  of  the redefinition and validation 
process. Thus, the main goal of NU-VET project is to check if the system lasts and to highlight its 
criticalities. 

b) Development of the best methodologies and tools matching with the ECVET 

framework and with NES particularities 

The  main  concern  for  a  successful  NU-VET  PP  is  to  develop  the  best  methodologies  and  tools 
matching with the ECVET framework and with Nuclear Energy Sector particularities. 

Within the NU-VET PP assessment is used as a means of facilitating transfer and accumulation of 
learning  outcomes  between  two  national  systems.  The  procedure  has  to  be  developed,  jointly 
applied and tested. A Memorandum of Understanding contains main principles for the recognition 
of  LOs,  but  the  challenge  remains  in  how  to  link  already  existing  practices  with  the  assessment 
methods chosen by the partnership. 

It is to mention that a pilot project should not necessarily deal with all above mentioned objectives, 
but with a certain aspect. ECVET has to be seen as an accommodating system. Its flexibility is in the 
unit of Learning Outcomes, which can be  acquired  and  assessed  in  one  setting  and transferred to 
another.  Today  the  shift  to  learning  outcomes  and  competence-based  qualifications  is  mostly 
justified by its advantages  for the  future. This pilot project can demonstrate how the industry can 
benefit from it already now.83 

6.1.2  Participants of the NU-VET pilot project 

The  participants  of  the  NU-VET  PP  have  to  be  representative  of  the  NES.  Therefore  for  the 
selection of the candidates for the partnerships several characteristics have to be taken into account, 
e.g.  they  have  to  be  represented  in  a  national  nuclear  E&T  network,  previous  participation  in 
activities related to the European Credit System for Vocational Education and Training (ECVET) 
will  be  a  valuable  asset.  To  identify  in  which  areas  of  nuclear  industry  (e.g.  new  build, 
decommissioning,  radioprotection,  radwaste,  nuclear  systems  suppliers,  nuclear  chemistry,  etc.)  
ECVET implementation will have the highest added value, it is recommended to take into account 
the  information  from  the  previous  activities  –  EFTS  projects  and  Nuclear  Job  Taxonomy 
development.  

National network of stakeholders from a Member State – a member of a partnership - should ideally 
consist of, at least, the following partners: 
- National administration competent in qualification design and accreditation; 
- Nuclear power plant or radioactive waste facility (nuclear employer); 

 57 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
- Nuclear E&T provider; 
- Nuclear regulatory body. 

Participation and close cooperation with regulatory authorities and competent national authorities, 
who  design,  award  and  recognize  qualifications,  are  of  particular  importance.  They  have  to  be 
engaged in the project as early as possible, especially in case when national regulations have to be 
adapted to make recognition of learning outcomes assessed abroad possible. It’s important to take 
into account the attempts, which have been already made to develop, in synergy with the regulators, 
common EU approaches for assessment and validation of portfolios of learning outcomes related to 
specific  jobs  or  functions.  This  is  the  case,  for  example,  of  the  EFTS  actions  (e.g.  projects 
ENETRAP III and EUTEMPE RX), which are in discussions with European expert associations, 
such as ENSREG or HERCA. Involvement of the latter in the future project has to be given special 
attention. 

As  education  is  one  of  the  competences  of  Member  State  or  region,  where  higher  education  is 
usually  under  responsibility  of  universities  and  training  –  of  regulatory  and/or  industrial 
organisations, project will benefit from cooperation with these existing structures already from the 
beginning.  This  can  be  effectively  achieved  through  the  participation  of  European  Centre  for  the 
Development of Vocational Training (Cedefop) to the pilot project.  

Regarding the practical implementation of the pilot project, on 12-14 November 2014 the Institute 
for  Energy  and  Transport  of  DG  JRC  in  collaboration  with  the  ECVET  Team  of  DG  EAC  is 
organising  the  ECVET  seminar  customised  for  the  nuclear  energy  sector  in  order  to  support  and 
assist the national nuclear E&T networks in setting up a Pilot project on European Credit system 
for  Vocational  Education  and  Training  (ECVET)  implementation  in  the  nuclear  energy  sector. 
Various  nuclear  stakeholders,  including  universities  and  other  education  &  training  providers, 
nuclear  power  plants  and  other  industry  representatives,  research  institutions,  national  regulatory 
authorities, agencies and ministries, from 15 European countries have already applied for the event 
as the members of sixteen proposed networks.

 58 

 
 
 
 
7  Conclusions & Recommendations 

7.1  General Trends 

Even  though  the  national  nuclear  policies  in  the  EU  are  very  diverse,  especially  between  the 
countries with nuclear tradition and the newcomers to the sector, there are still common trends in 
nuclear E&T in the MSs.  

Since the qualification of the workforce has impact on safety, the development of human resources 
is a requirement that is increasingly being placed explicitly on governments. The difference in level 
of  government’s  involvement  in  the  national  nuclear  E&T  in  the  EU  is  really  striking,  but  the 
common feature is that the funding is not sufficient in any MS. Some governments (UK, FI, FR)68, 73 
adopt the measures to ensure the required workforce will be available when decisions are made on 
building  of  new  nuclear  power  plants.  They  recognise  the  need  in  the  local  experts  with  a  global 
understanding of nuclear technology and the emphasis on safety. As a rule, government confidence 
in nuclear power leads to a more supportive public attitude. Among the representatives of nuclear 
community  there  is  an  opinion  that  within  each  national  regulatory  authority  a  core  group  of 
national  experts  with  critical  knowledge  has  to  be  established  and  kept  sustainable,    whereas  the 
industry has to be responsible for the maintaining of a given level of competences, checked regularly 
by the regulatory authority (V. Slugen, STU, SK).  

Nuclear safety is considered one of the most important competences in all MSs77. As nuclear safety 
is a common goal, the competition for the market success has not been an obstacle for cooperation 
in training activities. The best expertise can be made available to all interested stakeholders and the 
costs can be kept very reasonable through real collaboration. In accordance with Energy Roadmap 
205012 number of skilled people engaged by nuclear industry has to expand substantially. This means 
the  requirements  for  education  and  training  will  increase.  Harmonization  of  standards  will  be 
absolutely necessary if a global nuclear safety culture is to be achieved. ‘Getting a European consensus on 
safety  standards  will  be  the  main  objective  of  safety  research.  This  would  considerably  help  to  respond  to  national, 
European and international requests and to take benefit from this nuclear market’ (D. Brochard, CEA)77
.  

The  existence  of  differences  between  MSs  in  terms  of  their  education  policy,  stakeholder 
involvement  and  their  motivations,  technical  issues  like  design  and  use  of  learning  outcomes  and 
their assessment and validation, is a challenge. But ‘the richness and competitiveness of European education 
and  training  lies  in  this  internal  diversity,’84  if  harmonization  and  standardization  of  qualifications  are 
successfully implemented on national and European levels. 

In  most  of  the  EU  countries  nuclear  E&T  system  is  not  straightforward,  as  it  is  a  result  of 
progressive evolution from, for example, small scale cooperation on R&D in public facilities to the 
large  international  regulator-industry-academia  consortia  of  today.  On  the  other  hand,  Finland 
shows how national decisions  at the government level can be directly translated into efficient and 
clear  procedures  all  the  way  down  to  the  design  of  training  courses.  The  general  trend  in  the 
organisation  of  nuclear  education  is  towards  a  consortium  (rather  than  a  network)  between 
universities, one  of the motivations being a  need to share  the  work due to the  limited  number of 
professors available. NTEC, UK, represents an excellent example of this practice.  

As it has been reported at the Workshop on Nuclear Knowledge, January 2013, Paris, there are no 
major  theoretical  obstacles  towards  achieving  the  goal  of  sustainable  nuclear  knowledge 
management and training. Low social acceptability of nuclear energy (as it is in Poland) might be a 

 
 
 
 
 
 
cause  of  uncertainty  for  the  industry,  but  commonly  this  does  not  prevent  progress  in  training. 
However, in many countries the courses which have been set up, have room for more students and 
the industry needs more graduates. Contradictory energy policies, shifting or deferred government 
decisions on the future of nuclear industry have negative effect on the interest and engagement of 
young  people  in  the  industry,  especially  taking  into  account  present  competition  for  the  students 
among  the  different  energy  fields  and  generally  –  for  STEM  students.  Bearing  in  mind  the  long 
period  generally  required for  nuclear  education  and  training,  systematic  planning  decades  ahead  is 
necessary to change this trend essentially instead of dealing with its consequences.  

The  growing  use  of  skills-based  approach  in  the  nuclear  course  design  has  been  welcomed  by 
nuclear  community,  especially  by  the  industry.  Traditionally  most  training  programmes  were 
structured  around  available  knowledge.  Today,  the  ECVET  leads  training  providers  to  develop 
courses based  on expected skills  to guarantee  future employability.  The key question is "What are 
you capable of doing at the end of the course?" This new way leads to a training system with more 
visible outcomes that are comparable across Europe.84,  88 After the results of the current evaluation 
of  ECVET  are  published  later  on  in  2014,  further  developments  of  the  ECVET  system  will  take 
place under the umbrella of the “Erasmus+” programme15 over the period 2014-2020. 

Accreditation  of  qualifications  received  during  company  or  even  site  specific    trainings  is  often 
hindered.    Development  of  modular  qualifications  and  training  standards,  backed  by  National 
Occupational  Standards,  directly  related  to  job  profiles,  provides  employers  and  employees  with 
more ready pathways for re-skilling or up-skilling (UK). Many experts are supporting establishment 
of  the  European  accreditation  body  in  nuclear.  Thus,  Dr  Y.  Janev  from  the  Nuclear  Knowledge 
Management Institute remarked at the Workshop on Nuclear Knowledge, January 2013, Paris, that a 
pilot of a civilian aircraft is certified by International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) wherever 
he/she has been trained.  ‘Do we have that in the nuclear industry?’, -  he queried. 

‘Cooperation  with  other  energy  sectors  is  also  increasingly  important,  for  the  development  of  transversal  skills  and 
competences oriented to the wellness of society, for the analysis of global socioeconomic challenges and for the creation of 
awareness of and acceptance of nuclear energy as part of the whole energy mix'77, - stressed the experts, consulted 
for the 2012 Interdisciplinary Study “Benefits and Limitations of Nuclear Fission for a Low-Carbon 
Economy”, Dr F. Weiss among them. Inter-sectorial collaboration in energy is a necessity – pointed 
out  the  European  Economic  and  Social  Committee22.  How  this  statement  is  reflected  in  practice? 
The “European Foundation for the energies of tomorrow”, created by EDF, helps universities and 
Grandes  Ecoles  to  provide  students  with  appropriate  training  for  low-carbon  energy,  promotes 
strengthening  international  and  interdisciplinary  cooperation  and  supports  the  enhancement  of 
teaching  and research.  Another  example  of  collaboration  between  energy  sectors  is  SEETI 
(Sustainable  Energy  Education,  Innovation  and  Technology),  developed  within  SET-plan.  Its 
Educational  Programmes  will  result  in  a  series  of  mutually  recognised  and  accredited  modules 
offered by partners as joint partner activities. A new certification board across Europe is needed for 
developing  criteria  and  assessments,  and  go  further  than  the  existing  European  Qualification 
framework.  This  will  lead  to  a  number  of  programmes  such  as  a  European  Graduate  School,  a 
European  Industrial  PhD  Programme  and  a  European  School  of  Continued  Education.  All 
programmes have built-in mandatory mobility schemes. The Flexible Learning System will provide a 
structured  approach  to  accommodating  European  networking  and  cross-disciplinary  collaboration 
on  real-life  innovation  projects.  The  unique  integration  of  ICT,  physical  facilities,  and  a  hands-on 
approach to entrepreneurship and innovation provides a stimulating framework, which mirrors the 
non-linear learning characterising students today.  The flexibility of the  system  refers  to the use of 
blended  learning  tools  tailored  to  accommodate  individualised  learning  in  interactive  learning 
modules. Modules are developed in accordance with shared quality standards and will be open for 
partners to use. The flexibility also refers to the strong involvement of industry in learning modules 

 60 

 
 
 
and  activities.  This  involvement  will  create  a  maximum  of  relevance  for  industry  while  providing 
students with the opportunity to work with real-life innovation challenges and cases.  

International  cooperation  is  a  compulsory  attribute  of  nuclear  E&T8,  especially  at  the  European 
level. All national nuclear E&T programmes have links with the international partners at least on the 
level of  students’ exchange. These exchanges have  a  long-term positive  aspect as they allow those 
people  who  will  work  in  the  nuclear  field  in  the  future  to  meet  during  their  studies.  Sharing  of 
training facilities and resources brings significant improvement.  

The  need  to  keep  European  R&D  on  a  high  level  is  generally  recognized.    That  was  also  a 
conclusion  of  Symposium  on  “Benefits  and  Limitations  of  nuclear  fission  for  a  low-carbon 
economy”77: ‘…any nuclear  future  for Europe must be underpinned by top quality  research  and development, to 
ensure that the highest possible public and environmental safety standards are maintained’. The European Union's 
Horizon 2020 programme5 for investment in research and innovation, adopted on 3 December 2013 
by the Council of the EU, funds a number of nuclear energy activities and among them - a specific 
programme  for  Euratom  research  and  training  with  a  total  budget  of  Euro  1603  million  (without 
ITER).10 Within its work package “Support the development of nuclear competences at Union level 
and socio-economic aspects” of spesial interest for nuclear E&T are:  
NFRP 10 – 2014 Education and training (Bologna and Copenhagen processes)- 4 mil 
NFRP 12 – 2014 Nuclear developments and interaction with society- 2,5 mil 
NFRP 13 – 2015 Fostering the network of National Contact Points – 0,4 mil 
NFRP 14 – 2014 Regional initiative aiming at nuclear research and training capacity building – 2 mil. 
Research  efficiency  and  cooperation  under  Euratom  increased  due  to  the  introduction  of  the 
technology  platforms  (SNETP,  ESNII,  Nugenia,  IGD-TP),  Melodi  association  and  networks  of 
excellence. Each of them has cooperation on E&T among its objectives and will play an important 
role in the implementation of Horizon 2020. 

Collaboration of E&T providers with industry at all levels is another trend common to the most EU 
countries.  Its  aim  is  to  ensure  that  the  most  appropriate  qualiﬁcations,  standards,  training 
programmes  and  other  initiatives  are  in  place  and  that  they  meet  the  real  needs  of  the  industry. 
Business  companies  in  the  nuclear  industry  are  part  of  the  market,  their  business  planning  and 
approach to recruitment, retention and workforce development is affected by many external drivers, 
such  as  government  policies  concerning  nuclear,  skills,  education,  regulator’s  requirements, 
international developments, etc., even to the greater extent than the policies of predominantly public 
funded  educational  institutions.  This  awareness  of  interdependency  of  nuclear  industry  and  E&T 
institutions  is  in  the  foundations  of  new  strategies  and  initiatives,  regardless  of  whether  they  are 
adopted with the state support or independently.  

Industry-academia cooperation is a necessity, as it is very difficult to have practical training without 
access to the facilities which are mostly of industrial scale and therefore unaffordable for a university 
(see,  however,  the  thermal  loop  facility  at  LUT  in  Finland  and  the  Dalton  Cumbrian  Facility  at 
Dalton Nuclear Institute of Manchester University). In many countries there are not enough places 
available for internships in nuclear sector. There are few training reactors in the world and some of 
these  have  just  been  closed,  but  efforts  are  being  made  to  counter  this  problem  in  Europe. 
According  to  the  European  Strategy  Forum  on  Research  Infrastructures  (ESFRI)  strategy 
document11,  ‘in  the  field  of  nuclear  fission,  the  need  for  further  experimental  reactors  has  been  identified.’ 
Construction of a new training reactor is being considered in Sweden. Many professionals agree that 
building  of  their  own  research  reactor  can  be  a  very  good  first  step  into  nuclear  industry  for  the 
countries  which  are  new  to  it.  Educational  and  training  programmes  in  many  MSs  are  already 
coupled  to  Europe’s  best  research  facilities,  including  national  research  infrastructures,  research 
institutes’ laboratories, industrial  technology testing and  demonstration facilities. Such  cooperation 

 61 

 
 
 
 
frameworks  with  research  and  industrial  infrastructures  enhance  the  overall  quality  of  the  E&T 
system and facilitate innovation developments.  

Virtual  nuclear  reactor  development  is  another  interesting  effort  to  make  electronic  training 
resources available to everybody (CZ, ES). A distance on-line training on a real reactor operation, 
developed  by  the  INSTN,  FR,  is  broadcasted  via  internet  to  guest  institutions,  where  a  real-time 
display  of  the  reactor’s  control  room  is  visible  for  the  trainees.  The  learners  can  interact  with 
INSTN's on-site personnel via video conference to “conduct experiments” by asking the operators 
to modify the configuration and observing the real-time reactor changes. In many cases preparing of 
the e-learning material is left to the responsibility of the teacher, while in other instances audiovisual 
material for the programmes is prepared by a centralised team, skilled in providing technical support 
to different types of courses. This appears to be advantageous both in terms of technical quality of 
the material, as well as allowing the teacher more time for the preparation of the actual work. The 
majority of the courses in nuclear, as in other scientific fields, are of hybrid or blended type. A part 
of the course has to be studied at the training provider premises, where labs, models, experimental 
facilities are situated. Creation of a centralised information source on nuclear education and training 
courses,  a  web  based  platform  (NWBP)  with  publicly  available  nuclear  engineering  lectures, 
education  and  training  materials,  supporting  documents,  books,  webinars,  etc.,  is  one  of  the 
recommendations  given  in  SET-Plan  Education  and  Training  Initiative  (WG  Nuclear  Energy) 
report.90  

Enhancing nuclear education attractiveness for a young generation is another important task for the 
nuclear  community.  Current  enrolment  of  students,  having  had  a  nuclear  energy  related  subject, 
covers only up to 70% of the demand.51 The challenge is pretty similar in all MSs. This is due to the 
fact  that  today  young  people  from  different  European  countries  are  very  much  more  alike,  than 
before.  And  this  Millennial  Generation  has  a  different  perception  and  way  of  doing  things  than 
generation whose task is to introduce them to the nuclear knowledge and teach them nuclear skills. 
The  nuclear  sector’s  message  to  this  generation  first  of  all  must  be  credible  and  honest.  Research 
shows that many young people are not willing to work for the industry regarded as having negative 
impact on the environment. But the awareness of issues such as CO2 emissions and climate change, 
the concept of sustainable development and the need for security of supply is increasing. Due to the 
European  uncertainty  about  the  future  of  nuclear  programmes  many  are  not  convinced  that  this 
career  is  a  secure  choice.  They  have  to  be  shown  that  there  are  new  technological  challenges  in 
nuclear field, including plant life extension, safety and research into ageing issues, decommissioning 
and waste management. Young generation wants to do something important for the world and they 
want to do it soon, but career growth in nuclear is slow in comparison with other industries/fields. 
It takes at least 3 years to develop basic operating competences, and another 10 – to reach a mid-
level position, when the employee can finally be given responsibility to run the project. Whereas in 
other businesses young people  manage the projects in their late 20s. To accelerate the careers of its 
employees,  EDF  Group  created  “Campus  EDF”  and  launched  “Training  Challenge”  and  “The 
People  Development  Programme”  in  all  countries  where  the  group  is  present.  Within  these 
programmes  any  employee  may  receive  promotional  diploma  courses,  allowing  him/her  grow 
professionally and access positions of greater responsibility. The fact that today fewer students are 
pursuing  traditional  STEM  degrees,  not  just  nuclear  engineering  and  science,  makes  the  problem 
even  more  urgent.  These  issues  have  to  be  addressed.  Young  Generation  Network  and  similar 
organisations can be effective in persuading school and university students to think seriously about 
careers in science and technology generally and in nuclear science and technology in particular and 
should be supported. 

It’s  also  important  to  ensure  students’  time  at  university  is  interesting.  Using  only  traditional 
methods  of  learning  is  no  longer  sufficient,  there  has  to  be  interaction  between  lecturers  and 

 62 

 
 
 
students.    Spain,  Sweden  and  UK,  for  example,  demonstrate  good  progress  in  attracting  good 
students  to  the  nuclear  courses.  Aware  of  the  fact  that  new  technologies  are  a  magnet  for  young 
people,  Tecnatom,  ES,  has  developed  new  training  applications,  which  can  be  connected  to  full 
scope simulators. In addition the ability to run training scenarios on any display devices appears to 
be  a  motivating  tool  for  young  engineers.  Inspiring  young  people  to  study  nuclear  science  and 
engineering  requires,  in  addition  to  the  highest  quality  of  teaching,  offering  an  international 
perspective  for  innovative  developments.  And  this  is  where  the  EC,  European  initiatives  and 
research projects play an important role. 

Excellent  background  of  future  nuclear  graduates  in  basic  sciences  and  avoiding  specialization  on 
too early stages is beneficial for both parties –  students, because it leaves them with the wide choice 
and  they  do  not  feel  trapped  in  the  nuclear  industry;  and  nuclear  industry,  because  fundamental 
sciences  are  absolutely  crucial  in  the  training  of  efficient  and  adaptable  engineers  and  managers. 
Industrial companies today are not satisfied with the graduates specializing at the cost of adaptability 
and  vision.  The “Ingénierie  Physique  des  Énergies”  Master’s  degree  course  at  Paris-Diderot 
University  aims  to  attract  physicists  to  engineering  positions  in  the  field  of  energy.  Strong  core 
curriculum  allows  to  address  the  issues  of  a  power  plant,  so  the  future  engineers  will  be  able  to 
adjust to any kind of production activity, with further specialisation in one of the currently growing 
areas (wind energy, solar energy, etc.) or nuclear energy. This  flexibility is seen by the students as a 
real asset, as well as is the social and human sciences approach. Nuclear specialists must be able to 
put energy issues into context, including their environmental or political dimension. The challenge is 
to  ensure  that  university  educated  nuclear  engineers  have  the  skills  suitable  to  a  commercial 
environment (example – nuclear law course, FR), as well as that the nuclear industry is able to attract 
non-engineers  and  non-scientists  (e.g.  new  social  and  human  sciences Master’s  degree  “Energy, 
Ecology and Society”, starting in September 2014 in Paris-Diderot University). 

Several countries and organisations put a lot of efforts in the development of tools and instruments 
which can help to assess, validate and forecast their training needs in nuclear and radiation safety. 
The  purpose  of  the  measures  taken  by  the  National  Skills  Academy  for  Nuclear,  UK,  is  that 
competences  and  training  are  recorded  on  a  Skills  Passport,  common  and  accepted  by  all  nuclear 
employers,  enabling  a  greater  flexibility  of  the  workforce  across  the  sectors  and  individual 
employers. Some interest has already been expressed by the European Nuclear Education Network 
(ENEN) and other forums about this concept being rolled out on a pan-European basis. 

Special  attention  has  to  be  further  dedicated  to  building  competences  and  high-level  expertise  in 
radiological  protection,  safety  and  security,  decommissioning  and  waste  disposal,  reinforcement 
regulation  and  legal  control.  European  Commission  is  funding  a  European  Master  course  in 
radiobiology,  when  about  15  students  per  year  follow  courses  in  5  specialised  centres  throughout 
Europe. Within the European Radiation  Protection Education and  Training (ERPET)  framework, 
the European Commission has funded for almost a decade now several tens of training courses for 
professionals  in  different  areas  of  radiation  protection  such  as  emergency  management,  medical 
applications, dosimetry and radiation-ecology. 

To what extend the EC has to be involved and have an influence on the national strategy for the 
retaining competences in the nuclear and radiation safety? What is the right correlation between the 
measures  at  the  European  and  national  levels?    Nuclear  safety  and  therefore  the  quality  of  the 
nuclear workforce can be considered only in a European context. The long-term common European 
strategy  on  nuclear  E&T  and  common  instruments  for  its  implementation  allow  consolidation  of 
the efforts of all interested stakeholders. ‘It is now time for all the governments of Europe to agree what the 
European Commission has been proposing for some years. It is to have a truly European energy policy, ‘- said the 
EC President Barroso on the June European Council, 2014.17 

 63 

 
 
 
 
7.2  Recommendations 

The current state of the nuclear workforce’s supply and demand gives this issue very high priority 
on national and European political and technical agendas. Education and training systems in nuclear 
safety,  as  well  as  nuclear  policies,  differ  significantly  in  the  EU  Member  States.  This  makes  the 
efforts to retain key competences in nuclear safety especially challenging. To address the challenge a 
long-term  nuclear  energy  education  and  training  strategy  has  to  be  adopted  on  the  national  and 
European levels. Such strategy has  to provide  a  clear legal and physical framework -  basis for the 
development of detailed plans and actions. It has to be developed by the competent body designated 
by the national government and facilitated by the regulator-academia-industry-research fora.  

Strategy is a plan of actions. To develop a plan the objectives have to be identified. That has been 
done in many studies and legal documents, dedicated to the situation in education and training in the 
nuclear energy field in the European Union. The remaining questions are – By what means and on 
which  level?  How  already  existing  measures,  organisations,  practices  can  be  put  together  and 
fulfilled with new initiatives to form a well coordinated system to implement these objectives? 

The  goal  of  this  chapter  is,  based  on  the  analysis  of  the  existing  and  planned  best  practices  in 
European and national nuclear E&T systems, to propose the actions and to outline possible ways of 
implementation  of  the  future  strategy.  Following  conclusions  and  recommendations  are  based  on 
many sources, namely - SET-plan Roadmap on Education and Training90, 93, EC Situational Reports 
on  E&T  in  te  nuclear  energy  field  in  te  EU1,  materials  of  interdisciplinary  symposium  on 
HORIZON  202077,  SNETP  recommendations60,  conclusions  of  the  WS  on  retaining  nuclear 
competences,  organised  by  I2EN,  Action  plans  of  the  UK  NSA  for  Nuclear  and  Cogent  SSC  70, 
interviews with experts. 

-  EU common energy policy is necessary in order to face a double challenge – energy security 
and 2030 climate targets – and as a basis for the structured developments in all areas, which 
have  to  do  with  its  implementation.  ‘Government  interventions  that  affect  this  market  framework 
(internal market for energy), such as national decisions on renewable energy or efficiency targets, decisions 
to support investment in (or decommissioning of) nuclear generation, or decisions to support key infrastructure 
projects need to be discussed at European and/or regional level to ensure that decisions in one Member State 
do not undermine security of supply in another Member State. A real European Energy Security Strategy 
requires that enforcement tools are preceded by a strategic discussion at EU level, not just at national level.’6  

•  National  laws  and  regulations  and  Euratom  directives  should  play  more 

• 

• 

important role in the organisation of nuclear E&T;  
future  funding  efforts  in  nuclear  E&T  should  be  policy  driven.  In  addition  to 
Euratom  funds,  innovative  financing  instruments  such  as  loan  guarantees,  EIB 
credits and structural funds, could support E&T strategies; 
setting  up  ‘a  common  education  and  training  fund  jointly  managed  by  the  European 
Commission and Member States and financed by a mandatory levy on nuclear generators based 
on nuclear MWh produced’ (D’Haeseleer)77. 

-  Strategic role of governments: 

foster links between the nuclear industry and national government; 

• 
•  put  the  issue  of  availability  of  nuclear  workforce  on  the  political  agenda’s  on 

national and European levels; 

 64 

 
 
 
 
 
•  promote  long-term  comprehensive  national  strategy  against  incidental  or 

• 

individual approaches77; 
support  students  and  provide  adequate  financial  resources  for  nuclear  R&D 
programmes. 

-  Reinforcement  of  the  organisational  mechanisms,  harmonisation  of  regulations  by  further 
involvement  of 
(ENSREG), 
Multidisciplinary European Low Dose Initiative (MELODI), te association of the Heads of 
European Radiological Protection Competent Authorities (HERCA), as well as the existing 
nuclear industry platforms – SNETP, ESNII, Nugenia, IGD-TP.  

the  European  Nuclear  Safety  Regulators  Group 

-  Development  and  enhancement  of  a  common  nuclear  safety  culture,  harmonisation  of 

regulations across the EU. 

-  Promote nuclear as a career choice. Enhance sector attractiveness: 

•  enhance  visibility  of  nuclear  industry,  show  its  breadth  and  opportunities, 

• 

including international; 
inform  about  the  opportunities  for  nuclear  education  and  training  at  European 
level; 

•  enhance the attractiveness of nuclear education programmes to foreign talent93; 
•  create and implement for each employee career development plan; 
• 

increase  scholarships  for  the  students,  choosing  nuclear  degrees  at  the 
universities; 
support the Yong Generation Network and similar. 

• 

-  Forecast  of  the  workforce  supply/demand,  analyse  resources  and  needs  of  society  and 

industry and identify gaps in knowledge, skills and competences in nuclear sector: 

•  develop credible labour market intelligence to be able to project skills gaps; 
•  quntify the imbalance in supply vs. demand of nuclear specialists per areas; 
•  define in cooperation critical areas of nuclear competence; 
•  cover  in  the  surveys  also  socioeconomic  and  managerial  skills  gaps  in  nuclear 

• 

sector77; 
regularly perform national and European labour markets surveys.  EHRO-N has 
to play a leading role in these. 

-  Address gaps in KSC: 

•  encourage new entrants to the nuclear sector, including the intake and re-training 
of  the  employees  from  other  industries,  offer  a  well-structured  spectrum  of 
“entry  points”  for  people  with  a  different  educational  or  professional 
background; 

•  explore  the  possible  synergies  and  cooperation  on  E&T  with  other  energy 

sectors; 
• 
identify and improve E&T in the areas with potential and actual skills shortage; 
•  establish  a  flexible  framework,  which  allows  quick  upgrade,  optimisation  of 
current  or  development  of  new  curricula,  teaching  materials  and  methods,  and 
their dissemination and integration by the educational institutions; 

 65 

 
 
 
 
 
 
• 

facilitate  the  development  of  joint  education  and  training  programmes  among 
different  academic  institutions,  encourage  the  establishment  of  centres  of 
excellence in specific universities with the necessary critical mass of expertise77; 
•  encourage  the  acquirement  of  solid  background  in  basic  sciences  (by  avoiding 

too early specialization), human and social sciences; 

•  develop  a  programme  of  training  for  professors  and  lecturers  in  fields  where 

expertise is scarce; 

•  promote 

innovative  approaches 

to 

teaching  and 

learning, 

including 

apprenticeships, internships, hands-on training, e-learning, etc.; 

•  ensure that all stakeholders  within the nuclear  industry and its  supply  chain are 
aware  of  the  education  and  training  opportunities  available  on  national  and 
international levels. 

Virtual learning 

•  encourage virtual learning, especially for multidisciplinary education, by providing 
high quality digital courses, development of new approaches, including design of 
“intelligent games”22; 
facilitate  e-learning  in  the  areas  where    expertise  is  available  at  relatively  few 
universities or training centres; 

• 

•  provide  access  via  distance  learning  to  remote  research  infrastructures,  test 
facilities, data banks, and other valuable elements of education and training; 
•  develop  and  provide  access  to  new  databases,  containing  valuable  learning 

materials; 

•  create a centralised publicly available information source on nulear education and 

training courses 93; 

•  develop quality assurance methods and increase comparability of e-learning and 

traditional courses. 

-  Reinforce the collaboration between  education  and training  providers,  industry &  research 

institutions: 

•  prepare the mechanism, which ensures industry leadership at the level of decision 

making; 

•  encourage early contact between students and industry; 
• 

support the existing and encourage development of new fora and partnerships for 
relevant nuclear stakeholders from academia, research and industry; 
facilitate  mobility,  practical  experience 
for 
business/research and teaching staff,  create conditions for business and research 
staff to teach at higher education and training institutions; 
increase  the  interaction  and  mobility  between  research  institutions  and  higher 
education institutions across Europe via joint research projects and programmes; 
stimulate  high-quality  fundamental  and  applied  scientific  research  at  the 
universities. 

and  knowledge  exchange 

• 

• 

• 

  Facilitate access for education and training purposes to research infrastructure facilities: 

-

•  establish  necessary agreements to provide access to students and teaching staff to 

national research infrastructures; 

•  create  conditions  providing  access  to  learners  to  large  international  nuclear 
facilities  in  the  nuclear  fission  and  fusion  energy  field,  including  Generation  IV 
experimental  reactors  and  demonstrators  for  nuclear  fission,  e.g.  MYRRHA 

 66 

 
 
 
(Multipurpose hYbrid Research Reactor for High-technology Applications), JHR 
(Jules  Horowitz  Reactor  Infrastructure);  JET  (Joint  European  Torus)  and  ITER 
(International  Thermonuclear  Experimental  Reactor),  IFMIF  (International 
Fusion Materials Irradiation Facility) and others; 

•  cooperate with the European Strategy Forum on Research Infrastructures. 

- 

Identify  the  ways  to  transfer  radiological  protection  techniques  and  knowledge  about  the 
low-dose effects from the nuclear energy community to the applications in other industrial 
areas  (medicine,  environmental  protection,  water  use,  etc.)  and  promote  creation  of  joint 
programmes. 

-  Enable  mutual  recognition  through  common  instruments  and  techniques  for  lifelong 

learning and cross-border mobility of nuclear professionals: 

•     establish the European certification/accreditation body in NES 

KSC & Qualifications. Training standards 

•  ensure  a  common  understanding  on  the  definitions  of  knowledge,  skill  and 

competence; 

•  develop  and  widely  use  tools  and  techniques  that  support  the  achievement  and 

demonstration of competence; 

•  ensure  clear  routes  between  vocational  education  and  training  and  higher 
education  through  the  use  of  learning  outcomes  for  defining  and  describing 
qualifications and consistent application of EQF levels; 
strengthen mutual recognition of qualifications; 
introduce  mechanisms  for  quality  assurance,  which  involves  reviews  and  regular 
feedback  from  relevant  stakeholders,  develop  mechanisms  to  assist  the 
deployment of common training standards; 

• 
• 

•  capture all forms of formal and informal learning and reflect it in the standards;  
• 

take  account  of  the  qualifications  and  training  standards  developed  for  other 
industries  to enable transferability of KSC; 
introduce compulsory accreditation of training providers; 

• 
•  establish and maintain national networks  of quality training providers. 

Implementation of ECVET. Nuclear Job Taxonomy 

•  accelerate the process of ECVET implementation in nuclear sector at the national 

level; 

•  encourage transnational mobility via Erasmus and Marie Curie type programmes; 
•  create  commonly  recognized  and  shared  job  taxonomy  as  portfolios  of  learning 

outcomes; 

•  establish  network  of  National  bodies  in  charge  of  certification  of  learning 

the  establishment  of  a  community  of  practice  on  ECVET 

• 

outcomes 93; 
support 
implementation in nuclear sector; 
implement nuclear ECVET pilot project; 

• 
•  establish  EHRO-N  National  Contact  points  in  the  MSs,  closely  connected  with 

the existing Euratom National Contact Points.90 

International collaboration is to be further enhanced. 

-
-  Establish European Nuclear Sector Education & Training Council in synergy with EHRO-

 67 

 
 
 
 
 
N.90
 Its aim will be ‘to carry out strategic analyses of gaps and shortages on a continuous basis, to provide 
innovative paths to improve flexibility of the sector workforces and improve learning outcomes and training 
supply.’ Among its main tasks: 

• 

facilitate  services  related  to  job  qualifications  that  are  based  on  portfolios  of 
learning  outcomes  in  view  of  their  recognition  across  the  EU  in  close 
cooperation  with  national  and  international  E&T  institutions  concerned  with 
assessment,  quality  assurance,  validation,  certification  and  recognition  of  the 
proposed portfolios in accordance with the ECVET guidelines;  

•  carry out detailed gap analysis in nuclear energy at all stages of the nuclear fuel 

cycle, including future needs of educators and trainers; 

•  create  synergies  with  relevant  sector  skill  alliances  or  other  industry-academia 

partnerships at EU level;  

•  develop coordination with other energy sectors. 

-  Public involvement. Rebuilding of public confidence. ‘The development of societal awareness, 

through outreach to opinion leaders and policymakers’: 77  

•  develop a platform, which can help to inspire public confidence in the high level 

of skills of the workforce in the nuclear industry. 

Continuous  monitoring  of  the  challenges  and  the  ways  of  addressing  them  by  already  existing  or 
planned initiatives has to be further endorsed by the European Commission. This is to ensure timely 
actions to cover identified gaps and a better coordination of initiatives to maximise their effectiveness. 

 68 

 
 
 
 
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Websites 
Nuclear energy skills alliance – DECC: www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/meeting_energy 
/nuclear/new/supply_skills/nesa/nesa.aspx 
The National Skills Academy for Nuclear: www.nuclear.nsacademy.co.uk 
Cogent: www.Cogent-ssc.com 
Office for Nuclear Development: www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/meeting_energy/nuclear/ 
new/office/office.aspx 
SNE-TP: “Sustainable Nuclear Energy Technology Platform" - http://www.snetp.eu/  
IGD-TP: "Implementing Geological Disposal of Radwaste TP" - http://www.igdtp.eu/  
ENEF: "European Nuclear Forum Energy" - 
http://ec.Europa.eu/energy/nuclear/forum/forum_en.htm  
NUGENIA: NUclear GENeration II & III Association - http://www.nugenia.org/ 

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NERIS: “European Platform on  Preparedness for Nuclear  and Radiological Emergency Response 

and Recovery” http://www.eu-neris.net/ 

EurADOS: European Radiation Dosimetry Group in medical and industrial applications  

http://www.Eurados.org/en   

ENSREG: “European Nuclear Safety Regulators Group”  
 http://ec.Europa.eu/energy/nuclear/ensreg/ensreg_en.htm 
WENRA: Western European Nuclear Regulators Association/ - http://www.wenra.org/  
HERCA: “Heads of European Radiological protection Competent Authorities Association”   
 http://www.herca.org/index.asp 
MELODI: "Multidisciplinary European Low Dose Initiative" - http://www.melodi-online.eu/ 
EHRO-N:  http://ehron.jrc.ec.Europa.eu/  
European Nuclear Education Network (ENEN): http://www.enen-assoc.org 
ECVET: http://ec.europa.eu/education/lifelong-learningpolicy/ecvet_en.htm  
EQF: http://ec.europa.eu/eqf  
EQF: http://ec.europa.eu/education/lifelong-learningpolicy/eqf_en.htm  
Cedefop: http://www.cedefop.europa.eu/EN/understandingqualifications/index.aspx 
Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA): http://eacea.ec.europa.eu 
ECVET pilot projects: http://www.ecvet-projects.eu  
FP7  projects,  ENEN:  http://www.enen-assoc.org/en/training/for-nuclear-community/efts-
fp7.html 
ENETRAP: http://enetrap2.sckcen.be/ 
TRANUSAFE: http://www.trasnusafe.eu/  
CINCH: http://www.cinch-project.eu/  
CORONA: http://www.cvrez.cz/en/trainings-education/projects/corona/ 
SETIS: http://setis.ec.europa
European Foundation for the energies of tomorrow http://www.energiesdedemain.com/ 
I2EN: www.i2en.fr 
International WS, Paris, I2EN:  http://nkm2012paris.wordpress.com/about/ 
NIA: http://www.nuclearsupplychain.com/skills-education-and-training 
Career Pathways http://www.career-pathways.com/  
Nuclear Skills Passport http://www.nuclearskillspassport.co.uk/  
National Skills Academy for Nuclear https://www.nsan.co.uk/ 
Nuclear AMRC http://namrc.co.uk/ 
Idaho National Laboratory https://inlportal.inl.gov/portal/server.pt/community/home/255  
AMEC http://www.amec.com/

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European Commission 

EUR 27181  EN – Joint Research Centre – Institute for Energy and Transport 

Title: Retaining critical competences in nuclear energy sector: national initiatives and best practices, instruments and 
tools 

Authors: Oksana Matselyukh, Cesar Chenel-Ramos, Mihail Ceclan 

Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union 

2015 – 74 pp. – 21.0 x 29.7 cm 

EUR – Scientific and Technical Research series – ISSN 1831-9424 (online) 

ISBN 978-92-79-47232-9 (PDF) 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
L
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JRC Mission 

As the Commission’s  
in-house science service,  
the Joint Research Centre’s  
mission is to provide EU  
policies with independent,  
evidence-based scientific  
and technical support  
throughout the whole  
policy cycle. 

Working in close  
cooperation with policy  
Directorates-General,  
the JRC addresses key  
societal challenges while  
stimulating innovation  
through developing  
new methods, tools  
and standards, and sharing  
its know-how with  
the Member States,  
the scientific community  
and international partners. 

Serving society  
Stimulating innovation  
Supporting legislation 

doi:

10.2790/592189 

ISBN 978-92-79-47232-9