A Lifetime of Challenges in Nuclear Education & Training

1. A Lifetime of ChallengesinNuclear Education & Training Robert L. Long, PhD Nuclear Stewardship, LLC Albuquerque, NM May 31, 2006

2. Outline • In the Beginning • Performance Based Training • The Workforce Environment • Growing Generational Conflict • NPP Skills Needed • NPP Workforce Size • Getting Started • IAEA and DOE Resources • Conclusion

3. In the Beginning • Decided on college teaching as UG student • PhD advisor was role model • Searched every semester for ways to improve • UNM Faculty 1965-78 • Chair, ChE & N E Dept 1974-78 • Committed to behavioral objective based education & training in late 1960s • GPU Nuclear Director of Training 1980-83

4. Performance Based Training • A behavioral learning objective states a performance, describing what the learner will be doing when demonstrating mastery of the objective • Performance based training is terminology commonly used by NPP trainers • Learning objectives are developed through a Systematic Approach to Training (SAT)

5. Steps in SAT • Analyze • Design • Develop • Implement • Evaluate

6. Some References • Robert F. Mager, Preparing Instructional Objectives, 2nd Ed., Fearon Publishers, Belmont, CA (1975) • W. James Popham and Eva L. Baker, Establishing Instructional Goals, Prentice-Hall, Inc, Englewood, NJ (1970) • Carter McNamara, Systematic Approaches to Training and Development www.managementhelp.org/trng_dev/basics/isd.htm

7. The Workforce Environment • Talented people are our most important resource • Poland situation similar to USA? • 40% to 50% of utility employees will be retiring in next 3-4 years • In US NRC nearly half of staffers are at least age 50; 36% eligible to retire in next 5 years

8. Supply Shortage • During 2004-2012, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects 21 million new jobs with only 17million new entrants to workforce • In U.S. 30% of science and engineering faculty members are over age 50. • Universities dropped power and nuclear engineering programs, e.g. in 1975 there were 77 NE programs in U.S., now only 18

9. Growing Generational Conflict* Younger generations are defining “success” differently from the people they work for. And they - • Feel entitled to their “success.” • Don’t respect or value the hard work the generations before them have done to get to where they are. • Don’t believe they need to “pay their dues.” • Think their boss should be more of a friend than a boss. * Reference for generational conflict material is a May 2006 presentation by Cam Marston, Marston Communication, Inc. • www.marstoncomm.com

10. Ages of the Generations* Matures: > 61 yrs. + Boomers: 42 to 60 yrs. Gen X: 27 to 41 yrs. Millennials: 26 & younger *Generations have common experiences and shared values

11. The Matures • Duty, honor, country • Dedication, sacrifice • Conformity, blending, unity – “We First” • Patience • Hard, hard times then prosperity • National pride • Doing a good job was most important • Age = Seniority

12. The Baby Boomers (42 – 60 yrs) • Work ethic; “workaholic” • Competitive • Visible signs of success: trophies, plaques, lifestyle elements • Optimistic • Consumers • Defined by their job • Personal development • Forever rebellious, nostalgia • We are the world; We are the children

13. Generation X (27 to 41 yrs.) • Taught to question authorities at a young age. • Saw end of lifelong employment. • No shared heroes. Heroes are personal. • Question the sacrifices the Boomers have made to achieve their “success.” • Latch-key kids… Raised as their parent’s “friends”. • Independent. Loners. Nomads. Poor team players. • “Prove it to me.”

14. Millennials (26 & under) • Optimistic • Individualistic yet group oriented • They have a hard time focusing on anything. • Busy, active, full schedules since grade school. • Like “X”, raised as their parent’s friends. • Their work does NOT define who they are. • Staying closer to their parents longer. • Big, ambitious goals. Clueless on the execution

15. Views on Time • Matures – Work ethic defined by the punch clock. • Boomers - Visibility was/is the key. Workaholics. • Gen X - “What does it matter when I work, as long as I get the job done.” • Millennial – “It is five o’clock – I have another life to get to.” Job = gig.

16. Views on Work/Life Balance • Matures– Very interested in flexible hours. • Boomers – “Was/Is this workaholic lifestyle worth it?” Are the rewards worth the cost? • Gen X – Balance is very important. Willing to sacrifice it occasionally. Success. • Millennial – Lifestyle vs. promotion.

17. Views on Authorities • Matures – Based largely on seniority and tenure. • Boomers – Similar values to the Matures. They’ve earned it. • Gen X – Authority figures deserve skepticism & testing. • Millennial – Test but search.

18. Views on What Makes a Good Team • Matures– Produces quality. Not in it for individual recognition. Work is done in proximity to one another. • Boomers – Everyone works until all the work is finished. Long and hard hours. Committed to the job and each other. • Gen X – Teams are not defined by proximity.Each team member serves a unique role. • Millennial – What will I get out of this team?

19. How to Coach • Matures – “This is what we need…” • Boomers – “Here are some things that will help you get ahead…” • Gen X – “Here are some things that will help you get to your next position, wherever that may be…” • Millennials – “Do this and people will notice…”

20. Retaining X’ers and Millennials • Whether the job is “good” or not and whether or not they are “happy” is largely determined (85%) by their relationship with their boss. • X’ers and Millennials are loyal to people, not to companies or organizations. • They rarely quit their job or their company, they quit their boss. • To them, the boss = the company. • Must ask the question, “Who are they working for? Is this the person to whom they can develop loyalty?”

21. Applicability to Nuclear Education & Training • Commitment to NPP construction and startup will require commitment of workforce with great variety of talents, many of them new • Recruiting, training and retaining these new workers will demand new management and leadership skills • Some, if not many, of the old management lessons learned will not be applicable

22. NPP Engineering & Technical Skills Needed-1 • Computer Engineering • Plant process computers & simulators • Design/Modifications Engineering • Civil/Structural, including seismic • Mechanical • Electrical • Instrumentation and Controls

23. NPP Engineering & Technical Skills Needed-2 • Engineering Programs • In-Service Inspections and Testing • Corrosion Phenomena • Probabilistic Risk/Safety Analysis • Equipment Qualification • Motor/Air Operated Valves • Fire Protection

24. NPP Engineering & Technical Skills Needed-3 • Procurement Engineering • Reactor Engineering • Nuclear Fuels Analysis • Systems Engineering

25. NPP Skilled Craftsmen Needed • Reactor operators • Plant equipment operators • Radiation protection technicians • Chemistry technicians • Mechanics • Electricians • Instrument and control (I&C) technicians

26. Nuclear Safety Culture • Entire workforce trained in and committed to strong nuclear safety culture • Nils Diaz, US NRC Chairman: “We cannot take safety for granted.” • Tom Beckett, Dep. Dir., US Naval Reactors : “Never lose sight of the need to successfully control this unforgiving technology.”

27. Radiation Awareness Training • Radioactivity and its sources, • Radiation health (biological) effects, • Radiation protection methods and regulations, • Measuring of radiation, • Exposure and contamination control, • Handling of radioactive wastes, • Establishment of radiation protection programs, • Releases and emergency response

28. NPP Engineers Need Breadth • Many skills needed beyond neutronics and core physics • In addition to a strong safety culture some of these are- • NPP integration into the electric generating grid • Assuring reliable plant chemistry • Materials selection and aging issues • Instrumentation & controls • Heat transfer and fluid flows • Synthesis and design

29. Lead Time to Prepare Personnel • 4-6 years for graduate engineers, plus 1-2 years of on-the-job training • 1-2 years for licensed reactor operators • 2-4 years for licensed senior reactor operators • Additional years of NPP work experience for plant shift managers and senior management

30. Factors Influencing Workforce Size • Number of units at a site • Site location with respect to population centers and contractor support services • Construction & operations regulatory requirements • Environmental laws and monitoring requirements • Labor laws and workforce unions or not • Public education & awareness requirements

31. Process Group Operations Licensing & Engineering Corp Finance/Administration Common Processes Total * Variances may be + or - 300 Number 425 170 110 95 800* Typical NPP Staffing*

32. Categories of Personnel Needed

34. Getting Started Consider establishing a national committee: • Representatives from universities, trade schools and power industry • Assess current resources, determine future workforce needs and identify those that will require introduction of new programs • IAEA document assesses minimum infrastructures needed for educational programs and human resources

35. Education & Training Resources Assessment of Poland’s Institutions* • No universities offer nuclear engineering (NE) • Technical universities do have electric power degree options • A few have introductory NE courses • Likely candidates for NE programs • Warsaw, Krakow, Gdansk and Silesian Technical Universities • Will be need to develop NE Faculty *Information provided by T. Wojcik and J. Niewodniczanski

36. Poland’s Trade Schools • Vocational schools (2-3 yrs) and technical colleges (4-5 yrs) train chemistry, I & C, electrical and mechanical technicians • Unions/guilds have apprenticeship programs, but these may be decreasing • No programs for radiation protection technicians • All would need radiation awareness training

37. Minimum Infrastructure Items* • Development of educational facilities for nuclear related subjects • Courses to be added for nuclear power reactor staff development • IAEA supported training programs • Training programs from countries with nuclear power program *See IAEA Tech. Doc., “Minimum Infrastructure for a Nuclear Power Plant Project”, Final draft, 12 Jan 2006

38. Example of USA Startup (‘50-’60s) • USAEC sponsored university faculty 6-wk workshops at Universities/National Labs • A Bucknell University professor attended a workshop, returned and taught the first “Introduction to Nuclear Engineering” course • As 3rd year student, I took the course. • During my 4th year I applied for and received a fellowship to study nuclear engineering at any of the 6-8 universities having USAEC approved programs

39. Developing Educational Facilities • Government funded workshops for college professors (some now available through IAEA and in other countries) • Government reviews and approves curricula eligible to have graduate students enrolled with government & industry fellowships • Government, industry and national labs assist with equipment for teaching labs

40. Courses to be Added • Faculty from traditional disciplines (CE, ME, EE, ChE, Physics, etc) can teach new courses (See Table 3 in Long NPPP 2006 paper) • Distance learning, web-based courses available in English and probably other Euro languages • World University Summer Institute, Sweden, 8 Jul – 18 August 2006.

41. Nuclear physics and reactor design Nuclear safety Radiology, radiography and radiological protection Thermal, hydraulics and thermo hydraulics analyses Advanced structural analysis and structural mechanics Advanced computer hardware and software design and maintenance (control computers hardware and real time control software) *IAEA Tech Doc, op cit Materials sciences for civil, mechanical and process related applications (steel, concrete, zirconium, ceramics, resins, cabling, etc.) Application, calibration and maintenance of electrical, mechanical and digital instrumentation devices Human factors engineering principles QA/QM processes and methodology Planning, scheduling, material management and cost control Environmental analysis Courses to Be Added*

42. Courses to be Added • Faculty from traditional disciplines (CE, ME, EE, ChE, Physics, etc) can teach new courses (See Table 3 in Long NPPP 2006 paper) • Distance learning, web-based courses available in English and probably other Euro languages • World University Summer Institute, Sweden, 8 Jul – 18 August 2006.

43. IAEA & Other Training Programs • Many training opportunities exist today that were not available 30-40 years ago • IAEA is a great resource • USA Institute of Nuclear Power Operations (INPO) publishes detailed guidelines for training of NPP personnel • World Association of Nuclear Operators (WANO) offers professional and technical development programs

44. U.S. DOE Innovations in Nuclear Infrastructure and Education (INIE) Program established in 2002 to provide funds to universities and colleges to: • Improve instrumentation and equipment • Maintain highly qualified research staff • Integrate the use of nuclear research facilities with NE education programs • Establish internal and external user cooperative programs

45. INIE Consortiums Universities encouraged to actively seek and establish collaboration with: • Other colleges and universities • DOE national laboratories • U.S. industry • Other private and/or public organizations

46. INIE Accomplishments • Six university consortiums funded • Four began in FY 2002 • Two were added in FY 2003 • Results have been phenomenal in terms of cooperation between schools, and with labs and industry, as well as building the infrastructure at participating schools. • In 2004 former Office of Nuclear Energy Director Bill Magwood said that INIE was best university program DOE had ever developed

47. INIE Consortiums • BIG-10: Penn State, Illinois, Wisconsin, Ohio State, Purdue, Michigan, Cincinnati and National Labs/Industry • MIT: MIT, RPI, Rhode Island Nuclear Science Center, Massachusetts-Lowell • Southwestern: Texas A&M, Texas, New Mexico, and National Labs • Western: Oregon State, UC-Berkeley, UC-Davis, UC-Irvine, Washington State, Reed College, Nevada-Las Vegas, Idaho State, Utah, and National Labs/Industry • Southeastern (MUSIC): NC State, Tennessee, South Carolina, Maryland, Georgia Tech, Florida, SC State • Midwest: Missouri-Columbia, Missouri-Rolla, Missouri-KC, Kansas State, Linn State Technical College, Polytechnic University of Puerto Rico, Tuskegee and National Labs/Industry

48. INIE as a Resource • Opportunities for undergraduate and graduate student enrollments • Opportunities for Poland faculty training and exchanges • Developing on-line NE courses, both asynchronous and synchronous • Developing on-line radiation measurement and reactor laboratory courses • Many different programs for non-technical students and public education

49. INIE Contacts • Any of the consortium members • John Gutteridge, DOE Manager of University Programs: JOHN.GUTTERIDGE@hq.doe.gov • Craig Williamson, Clemson University: wcraig@clemson.edu • Robert Fjeld, Clemson University: fjeld@clemson.edu

50. Conclusion-1 • Performance based education & training essential for effective use of resources • New management and leadership skills needed to recruit, train and retain workers from all generations, especially X’ers and Millennials • Great variety and breadth of skills needed to construct and startup NPPs