Radiation protection officers are specialists who ensure that work involving ionising radiation in medical or industrial facilities is carried out safely in line with national regulations. To help expand this key group of professionals, the IAEA held a train-the-trainers course in which radiation protection officers learned what they need to establish national training programmes.
The 8-12 May course, held in Athens, Greece, formed part of the IAEA’s ten-year strategy for education and training in radiation and waste safety.
“Through the course, we provide the future trainers with the technical knowledge, practical skills and teaching capability needed to establish training programmes for radiation protection officers in their countries,” said Amparo Cristobal, Radiation Safety Specialist at the IAEA, the lead of the training.
The participants from 23 European countries discussed IAEA safety standards, including the International Safety Standards for Radiation Protection and the Safety of Radiation Sources. They also studied the role, duties and training needs of radiation protection officers, and available related IAEA training material.
In addition, the course included sessions on learning theories and methodologies to design training courses, as well as communication topics such as handling complex questions and using body language.
“The IAEA training boosted my public speaking and presentation confidence. It helped me find ways to make the training I deliver to national and international trainees more interesting and interactive,” said one of the participating radiation protection officers, Toms Kusiņš of Latvia.
Train the trainers approach
The train-the-trainers approach aims to create a pool of instructors for radiation protection officers, who are designated by licensee or employer, based on the regulatory bodies’ criteria.
The course was part of IAEA Technical Cooperation project RER9142, which aims to establish sustainable education and training infrastructures for building competence in radiation safety.