Message from the President
Welcome to the new website of European Nuclear Education Network Association.
Since several years, studies have been undertaken to examine the concern that nuclear education and training are in decline. Already, in July 2000 a study conducted by OECD/NEA came to the following conclusion:
“Although the number of nuclear scientists and technologists may appear to be sufficient today in some countries, there are indicators that future expertise is at risk.
In most countries, there are now fewer comprehensive, high quality nuclear technology programmes at universities than before.
The ability of universities to attract top quality students, meet future staffing requirements of the nuclear industry, and conduct leading-edge research is becoming seriously compromised”.
The results of this study where published in a report entitled “Nuclear Education and Training: Cause for Concern?” giving clear recommendations.
Similar studies undertaken by groups of experts have analysed the problems in details. Among these groups, I will mention the CCE-FISSION working group on Nuclear Education, Training and Competence (EURATOM), reached the same conclusions.
More recently, in its 18th of October 2007 statement, the OECD Steering Committee for Nuclear Energy agreed to convey to its members governments on their role in ensuring qualified human resources in the nuclear field with the following recommendations:
- Governments should regularly carry out assessments of both requirements for, and availability of, qualified human resources to match identified needs.
- Governments, academia, industry and research organisations should collaborate both nationally and internationally to enhance nuclear education and availability of nuclear expertise, including financial support to universities and scholarships to students.
- Governments, whether or not they choose to utilise nuclear power, should also encourage large, high-profile, international R&D programmes which attract students and young professionals to become the nuclear experts required for the future.
As a first step and within the 5th Euratom research and training programme on nuclear energy (FP5), the European Commission supported a project starting January 2002 on European nuclear engineering education. 22 academic institutions and research centres participated.
The temporary network described above, established through the European 5th Framework Programme project ENEN, was given a permanent character by the foundation on the 22nd of September 2003 of the European Nuclear Education Network Association, a non-profit-making association pursuing a pedagogic and scientific aim. Its objective is the preservation and development of expertise by higher nuclear education and training.
Since its establishment ENEN, either through its activities or under the different Coordination Actions contracted with the European Commission's Framework Programme n°6, extended its activities from education (focussed on nuclear engineering at the beginning) to include training in the nuclear field.
Today, the membership of the ENEN Association consists of 45 members, namely: 38 universities, 6 research centres and one multinational company. A large amount of information can be obtained on our new website. I have to add that ENEN is recognized as the representative European organization operational in networking activities related to nuclear education and training.
Education and training are closely related. In our point of view, for a particular job either in nuclear research activities or in industrial applications, it is necessary to acquire skills and competency in different topics. This objective is attained by following first a long process of initial training, commonly called education, followed by training or seminar sessions, vocational training or on the job-training as well as advanced courses. The process can be designated as a necessary scheme constituted by the different elementary bricks.
Attractiveness and incentives for nuclear disciplines are important topics today. We believe that this would be achieved by enhanced collaboration between the academics and the “future employers”. An attractive perspective for possible job opportunities and career design could attract more the young generation.
Last but not least, we have to place ENEN in the international perspective. Today the major European nuclear companies are recruiting staff from different European countries as well as on a worldwide basis. ENEN has developed close contacts beyond Europe and has adopted new associated members by concluding a memorandum of understanding with them. Also several members or clusters of members are teaching their courses in English, increasing significantly the attractiveness of these courses for foreign students. It is noteworthy that ENEN training courses are receiving a growing number of participants coming from non-European countries, such as Australia, Canada, China and India.
On behalf of the European Nuclear Education Network Association and its members over Europe and beyond, I would like to express our sincere appreciation for your interest in our activities. I hope that this new website will be one of the tools that will help enhance a fruitful collaboration, between on one hand industry and regulatory bodies and on the other Universities and Training organizations involved in education and training. This I am sure will help in increasing the attractiveness of young scholars towards promising careers in the nuclear applications.
Joseph Safieh
President
European Nuclear Educatioin Network Association
