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Report

Teaser, summary, work performed and final results

Periodic Reporting for period 2 - CORONA II (Enhancement of training capabilities in VVER technology through establishment of VVER training academy (CORONA II))

Teaser

Summary

The safe and sustainable use of the nuclear energy requires operating personnel that have adequate scientific and engineering capabilities. Correspondingly, the necessary regulating, engineering and technical support in all related fields should be available throughout the lifetime of a nuclear power plant. Training is essential, particularly when state-of-the-art science and technology must be implemented. Thus, access to high level education and training on the key matters has to be promoted and the availability of important knowledge and tools for its transfer should be guaranteed in order to ensure the safe operation of NPPs. Most of the EU Member States that operate VVER reactors are relatively small and not have the capability to manage on their selves with such problems that are of EU magnitude. For this reason it is necessary to improve and expand the methods for providing training in VVER technology to regional and also EU extent. To meet these challenges the CORONAII project was launched. The project is focused on building Europe-wide source for education and training and knowledge preservation in the VVER Technology area. Following The Copenhagen Declaration it will provide tools for cross-border education and training, as well as inclusion of countries across Europe in a common platform.
By diminishing the risks related to human factors faced by the nuclear energy sector, CORONA II will directly benefit to the well-being of the EU citizens. Furthermore, the availability of a single source of knowledge on VVER technology will facilitate the workforce mobility within the Union. Special attention is devoted to society critical issues, such as nuclear facilitiesâ€™ decommissioning and public information. The training devoted to the public communicators will give them knowledge on VVER related issues to allow them to communicate with their audiences in a proper and educated manner and thus increase their comfort of life. The nuclear safety culture is strongly presented in every training course, and is additionally treated separately.
Following its general objective - to enhance the safety of nuclear installations through further improvement of the training capabilities, the project will establish a state-of-the-art regional training network for VVER competence as a viable solution for supporting transnational mobility and lifelong learning among VVER operating countries.

Work performed

The framework for the advanced training on VVER technology established facilitates in a unique way the transfer of higher-level knowledge and skills between disciplines, sectors and countries. The adequate addressing of the training needs of the new target sub-groups, defined on the basis of the global trends, will also attract trainees outside the EU. In this way the competitiveness and the excellence of the EU countries in the VVER knowledge management area will be increased and extended beyond the EU borders. Within the project training and methodological base for the implementation of personnel training programs for various categories of personnel with a view to improving the safe and reliable operation of nuclear infrastructure facilities has been established. The training programs and training materials cover different categories of personnel from students studying nuclear disciplines to nuclear professionals, non-nuclear professionals and subcontractors. The recognition of qualifications and the transparency of what learners have achieved abroad are the core to mobility in vocational education and training. Within the project scope of work large amount of activities was devoted to pilot implementation of European Credit System for Vocational Education and Training (ECVET) with the aim to facilitate transnational mobility and lifelong learning for recognition of achieved qualifications in the different training systems of VVER countries. Realizing that leadership is one of the most important aspects in enhancing safety and culture in nuclear organizations, special attention was devoted to the elaboration of management and leadership pipeline training scheme. In this respect three levels of training have been established that are completed with pipeline developed by the academy. Furthermore Human Factors simulator has been established to allow reinforcement of personnel safety behaviors and use of human error prevention tools simulating real task performance. Considering the current technology developments e-learning platform has been identified and is currently up and running in the frames of project implementation. It provides a wide variety of opportunities, resources and new strategies for nuclear education and training. The creation of a VVER Technology Academy (called CORONA Academy) has provided the resort to structure and offer education and training on VVER technology from the CORONA consortium to organizations interested in the VVER technology. The link with the ENEN Association will be set up in order to develop a long term vision and to create a coherent and dynamic strategy for achieving the integration of the education and training on VVER technology in the European level.

Final results

The training schemes and training programs developed and updated within the project have been compiled using the experience of the best national training centers that have excellence in teaching VVER technology in the EU and abroad. As a result a state of the art training programs have become available for transferring the VVER knowledge to the specialists that need it to perform their duties in safe and efficient manner. This will directly impact on the safe use of the VVER technology, by increasing the qualification of the involved nuclear specialists and facilitating the entry of other profile specialists in performing works for a VVER NPP with an increased awareness of its specifics. In a long term the specially developed training programs will ease the process of recruitment of new specialists for working with the VVER technology and ensure the availability of well trained personnel during the whole life-cycle of the VVER installations in EU. The European credit system for VET (ECVET) is one of the important common European tools to support and increase European mobility. ECVET calls for better transparency and mutual trust between education systems and providers, as well as more efficient and readable recognition of non-formal and informal learning. The link of the project with the ENEN Association will contribute to develop a long term vision and to create a coherent and dynamic strategy for achieving the integration of the education and training on VVER technology in the European level.