Participants in the International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA’s) first major conference in this area, the International Conference on Human Resource Development for Introducing and Expanding Nuclear Power Programmes that was held in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, from 14 to 18 March 2010, placed a high value on information exchange and recommended that similar conferences be organized every four to five years. Furthermore, participants also:
- Highlighted the need to broaden nuclear engineering and technology curricula to include ‘soft’ sciences, such as risk analysis, law, and social sciences;
- Recognized that successful nuclear power programmes can succeed only with strong governmental and societal support; and
- Requested more cooperation — locally, nationally and internationally — in building human resources for a nuclear power programme, overcoming isolationist trends.
Consequently, the IAEA is organizing the International Conference on Human Resource Development for Nuclear Power Programmes: Building and Sustaining Capacity (Strategies for Education and Training, Networking and Knowledge Management) in Vienna, Austria, from 12 to 16 May 2014.
Capacity building is a major first step in the process of ensuring a sustainable supply of suitably qualified human resources that are ready to assume their responsibility for safe, responsible and sustainable use of nuclear technologies. Capacity building in the IAEA is defined as consisting of four essential elements: human resource development (HRD); education and training; knowledge management; and knowledge networks at the national, regional and international level. The IAEA’s capacity building programmes cover all the nuclear safety areas — including safe operation, emergency preparedness and response, and regulatory effectiveness — and seek to build upon existing capacity building infrastructures. The importance of capacity building was underlined in the IAEA Action Plan on Nuclear Safety (2011), where one of the actions calls upon Member States with nuclear power programmes, as well as those planning to embark on such a programme, to strengthen, develop, maintain and implement their capacity building programmes. Also, the critical role of human resources and capacity building in developing and maintaining nuclear infrastructure was reiterated by subsequent international experts’ meetings related to this topic.
This conference will focus on the global challenges of capacity building, HRD, education and training, nuclear knowledge management and the establishment of knowledge networks, including the themes reflected in the IAEA Action Plan on Nuclear Safety.
Capacity building is a major first step in the process of ensuring a sustainable supply of suitably qualified human resources that are ready to assume their responsibility for safe, responsible and sustainable use of nuclear technologies. Capacity building in the IAEA is defined as consisting of four essential elements: human resource development (HRD); education and training; knowledge management; and knowledge networks at the national, regional and international level. The IAEA’s capacity building programmes cover all the nuclear safety areas — including safe operation, emergency preparedness and response, and regulatory effectiveness — and seek to build upon existing capacity building infrastructures. The importance of capacity building was underlined in the IAEA Action Plan on Nuclear Safety (2011), where one of the actions calls upon Member States with nuclear power programmes, as well as those planning to embark on such a programme, to strengthen, develop, maintain and implement their capacity building programmes. Also, the critical role of human resources and capacity building in developing and maintaining nuclear infrastructure was reiterated by subsequent international experts’ meetings related to this topic.
This conference will focus on the global challenges of capacity building, HRD, education and training, nuclear knowledge management and the establishment of knowledge networks, including the themes reflected in the IAEA Action Plan on Nuclear Safety.
