The largest cohort to be trained at the Joint IAEA-ICTP Nuclear Energy Management and Nuclear Knowledge Management Schools completed their course last week. The IAEA celebrates a milestone of training 398 young professionals virtually during the 33rd and 24th sessions of the schools, respectively, held in May and June this year.
Jointly organized by Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP) and the IAEA, both the Nuclear Energy Management School (NEM) and the Nuclear Knowledge Management School trains future leadership in managing and leading nuclear energy and nuclear applications programmes, including the development and implementation of nuclear knowledge management programmes in their respective organizations. Education and training are necessary to ensure that the next generation of nuclear industry professionals are prepared to manage nuclear power programmes. Helping national authorities, especially in developing countries, to obtain and manage this knowledge is key to the sustainability of nuclear power.
“The Agency helps Member States that have opted for nuclear energy to use it in a safe and sustainable manner, including through the Nuclear Energy Management School initiative, which the IAEA introduced in 2010,” said Mikhail Chudakov, IAEA Deputy Director General and Head of the Department of Nuclear Energy. “To date, the Agency has organized more than 50 Nuclear Energy Management and Nuclear Knowledge Management Schools together with many partners in several countries.”
Nuclear Energy Management
The two-week NEM virtual school, held 31 May - 11 June, focused on the fundamentals of nuclear energy, where lecturers provided their insights, from best practices and styles for leadership and management to ways of engaging stakeholders and communicating with the public on nuclear technology. Technical issues, including latest developments, economic aspects and integration of the energy mix of nuclear technologies, were also covered, among other issues pertaining to energy policy and energy planning, current and advanced technologies, the nuclear fuel cycle, nuclear safety and security, safeguards and radiation control.
“I really appreciate that the speakers always told real life stories to demonstrate theoretical concepts. I was able to understand the theories and their application at various institutions,” said Andranik Arakelyan, lecturer at the National Polytechnic University of Armenia and participant in the NEM School. “I liked that the online school was held in a self-paced, blended format, well complemented with real-time sessions using chatrooms and Zoom-panels for live Q&A and dynamic discussions.”
Nuclear Knowledge Management
Panel discussions and interactive sessions guided participants to understand methodologies and practices of knowledge management systems during the Nuclear Knowledge Management School, held 24-28 May.
Nuclear knowledge management has become an increasingly important element of the nuclear sector in recent years, not only because of challenges posed by capacity building needs, an ageing workforce, declining student enrolment in science and engineering programmes, but also because an effective knowledge management programme is crucial for the development of a sustainable safety culture.
The growth of nuclear energy and technology creates a continually expanding need for a global cadre of competent nuclear professionals with appropriate technical, managerial skills.
“These two schools represent one of the IAEA’s important mechanisms to support capacity building in Member States,” noted Maria Elena Domenica Urso, Knowledge Management Specialist at the IAEA’s Department of Nuclear Energy.
