Training & Tutoring for experts of the NRAs and their TSOs for developing or strengthening their regulatory and technical capabilities - Lot 1

In the frame of the INSC program The European Commission (EC) has promoted and financed this project with the main objective to provide training and tutoring activity for staff of NRA and their TSOs for developing or strengthening their regulatory and technical capabilities.

The project MC.03/10 was made of two Lots: Lot 1 and Lot 2. Both dealt with competencies associated to responsibilities and functions of the regulatory body and related TSOs.

The overall objective of the project was strengthening the capabilities of the beneficiary Nuclear Regulatory Authorities (NRA) and Technical Safety Organisations (TSO) in the field of nuclear safety and security as well as promoting regional and international networks with the respective NRAs. The project focused on providing suitably standardized training and tutoring activities on a multi-national level where feasible and required to allow for uniform quality standards and consistent training content, and to enable the trainees from the beneficiary countries to form their own contacts with regional and international partners as well as develop their networks within EU member states’ organizations.

The project implementation has encompassed three distinct main phases:

1. Preparation of the Training & Tutoring (T&T) programme
2. Organization and implementation of the Training &Tutoring (T&T) activities
3. Evaluation and assessment of results

These phases were respectively addressed by Task 1, 2 and 3; while Task 0 was devoted to project management and quality assurance.

2.1.LOT 1 TASK 1 – The Task 1 dealt with the preparation of the Training and Tutoring program, more particularly:

• Elaboration of a list of training modules based on the terms of reference (TOR) and the specific regulatory competences needed
• Elaboration of possible combination of the identified modules in training courses
• Identification of a list of proposed Training courses
• Identification of a list of Tutoring courses in complement of the training courses
• Elaboration, in cooperation with the Partner Countries, of the National Training Plans with the indication of the needs indicated by each partner country for development of competence
• Creation of a website with information about the Project
• Selection of a first set of T&T courses to be carried out and preliminary schedule
• Selection of trainees.

TASK 2 & TASK 3 - the Task 2 and Task 3 started in parallel to implement the T&T modules and perform the evaluation and assessment of the results to feedback improvement in the activity. They covered the overall duration of the project up to the conclusion. The T&T activity was implemented through subsequent steps:

• Selection of course
• Development of the program and place for delivery
• Identification of trainers
• Selection of trainees
• Implementation
• Contractor monitoring of the implementation
• Final interview and questionnaire
• Evaluation of results
• Feedback

Globally, 13 training courses and 9 tutoring modules were implemented with the participation of 150 trainees and 19 participants respectively. To be mentioned that among the Training courses one regional Course was successfully held in 2013 in Hammamet for the ANNuR ( Arab Network of Nuclear Regulators).

The Final Report have been finalised and submitted to the EC before the Final Meeting, which has taken place in Brussels on November, 4 and 5, 2014.

2.2.LOT 2TASK 1 - The objective of this task was to identify the specific needs for a specific country or region and on this basis to develop an appropriate multinational training/tutoring programme to cover the 13 technical aspects listed in the project ToR. This task included training preparation covering the three first step of the SAT approach: need analysis; training design; and training development; and trainees’ and tutees’ selection. National Training Plans were developed as a basis of beneficiaries training and tutoring needs assessment, resulting in the development of seventeen training modules for the project. The subject matter of the tutoring organised during the project responded to the different requests of the Partner Organisations. In total, 9 different subjects were defined.TASK 2 - This task was devoted to the implementation of training courses and tutoring periods as defined at the development step. It included some general management actions necessary for both training and tutoring activities such as planning management for training and tutoring implementation; financial management for training and tutoring implementation; management of trainees’ attendance to training and tutoring activities.

For each training course approved by the EC, a systematic process of implementation was put in place, including successive steps, each made of parallel actions.

In total, 29 weeks of training were organised. 247 professionals from the Partner Countries participated into the training activities and 135 experts from the consortium lectured for these activities.TASK 3 - This task was devoted to the evaluation and feedback process. This process includes a trainee evaluation on the methods, resources employed, and the materials provided as well as their effectiveness in achieving the agreed learning outcomes.

Regarding knowledge and know-how gained by the trainees, 98% of them successfully passed the final testing. The Gaussian statistical distribution of marks proves that in general the level of testing was appropriate. It demonstrates the real benefice that trainees and tutees obtained from the project.
The averaged evaluation by the trainees of modules’ contents, practical information and other features of training modules were in general equal or higher than “good”. The usefulness of the workshops and exercises during the training was always acknowledged by the trainees.

The outcomes of the activities of the T&T Lot 2 project were presented at several forums such as the 2012, 2013 and 2014 IAEA General Conferences, the 2013 IAEA Global Nuclear Safety and Security Network (GNSSN) annual meeting, the 2012 NESTet Conference, and the 2013 European Nuclear Education Network (ENEN) annual meeting.

Conclusions and recommendations

The project trained staff from nuclear regulatory authorities including their technical support organisations and promoted cooperation of nuclear regulatory authorities between the EU and partner countries by exchange of experience.

The beneficiary were ‘’Partner Countries’’ outside the EU who had agreed to cooperate (Armenia, Belarus, Brazil, Egypt, Georgia, Indonesia, Jordan, Malaysia, Mexico, Morocco, Philippines, Thailand, Russia, Tunisia, Ukraine, Vietnam).

Globally the projects provided high-level training and tutoring activities reached out more than 400 participants. The project activities have been fully and effectively implemented according to the initial planning, expects results and with optimization of use of the budget.