ENEN+
The ENEN+ project aims to contribute substantially to the revival of the interest of young generations in careers in the nuclear sector.
The ENEN+ project aims to attract, retain and develop new nuclear talents beyond academic curricula. This is to be achieved by pursuing the following main objectives:
- Attract new talents to nuclear careers
- Develop the attracted talents beyond academic curricula
- Increase the retention of attracted talents in nuclear careers
- Involve the nuclear stakeholders within the EU and beyond.
- Sustain the revived interest in nuclear careers
The ENEN+ consortium will focus on learners and careers in the following nuclear disciplines:
- Nuclear reactor engineering and safety
- Waste management and geological disposal
- Radiation protection
- Medical applications
Integration of further nuclear disciplines (e.g., nuclear chemistry, decommissioning, fusion engineering…) and sustainability of the ENEN+ achievements beyond the life of the project is foreseen within the existing ENEN Association and its members and the partnering of the ENEN association with ongoing and future projects.
The attraction, retention and development of new nuclear talent can only be sustained beyond the project life through strong partnership of all nuclear stakeholders. Involvement of various nuclear stakeholders including academia, industry, international organisations and technical support organisations is therefore of primary importance for the success and sustainability of the proposed activities also beyond the life of the project.
Basic information
No information available at the moment
The overall strategy of the ENEN+ work plan is to build a large collaborative effort integrating resources from university, research centres, industry and international organisations such that the results jointly obtained will deliver effective means to support education and training in four major nuclear fields.
To achieve the objectives the project is divided into seven work packages (WPs). Attracting the interest of secondary school students on nuclear issues is the first topic of the project. The main objective is to provide these students with complete, straightforward and balanced information on nuclear energy and its applications. Indeed, there is a clear correlation between knowledge and support. Large numbers of young public are still unaware of (or choose not to believe) the potential benefit of nuclear in their normal life (e.g. medical applications, reduction of carbon dioxide emissions, …) and consequently do not consider nuclear careers as an option.
Work Package 1 deals with actions towards secondary school students by:
- making available reliable and honest information through a dedicated website and social networks
- organising attractive competitions in European countries where students will compete and present projects on nuclear topics at the national level
- organising a summer camp for the national winners where students will have the opportunity to be familiarised with nuclear applications and discover nuclear careers.
As for WP1, spreading information will be done through Web-based instruments.
Work Package 2 is dedicated to university students with particular attention to Bachelor level. In most universities, the Bachelor level in science is cross-disciplinary and students choose their specialisation at the end of this level. In addition, specialisation in nuclear topics is often done at Master’s level. Therefore, the challenge is to guide the best talent to nuclear specialties in the relatively short time frame of the first years at university. Specific instructional materials will be developed in generic nuclear topics and students will have the opportunity to enrol in mentoring programmes in which they will benefit from academic support and career advice. Participation in summer schools and the access to internships in the professional world financially supported by the ENEN+ project are among the activities foreseen in WP2.
Work Package 3 aims to attract the non-nuclear workforce to nuclear fields. In this work package the prospective needs for human resources within next decades in different nuclear sectors will first be assessed and then the corresponding job profiles will be defined. Following the ECVET principle, training curricula will be specifically devised for the “nuclearisation” of professionals who have formal education and training in a technical area outside the nuclear domain and a mobility fund will be dedicated by the project to selected candidates. Particular attention will be paid to the level of qualified technicians as the present demand for this category in the nuclear industry is about four times greater than for graduate level. While absolutely essential for the continuation and improvement of knowledge and even safety, the decrease in research activities in nuclear fields at the European level is an established fact.
Work Package 4 will develop mobility schemes to facilitate access to infrastructures and participation to EURATOM research projects to enhance the experience and retention of PhD Students and post-docs. In order to wider the career perspective and better develop interaction between PhD students and industry, the project proposes the establishment of Doctoral Schools on Nuclear Innovation under the umbrella of the ENEN Association.
Work Package 5 will consolidate and further develop European Fission Training Schemes and Mobility. Developing life-long learning in nuclear is essential for both the updating of competences and the improvement of safety. The use of ECVET principles and approaches must be harmonised in different sectors. Pending the practical implementation of the ECVET system in European countries, WP5 will propose a voluntary accreditation system that could be developed under the umbrella of the ENEN Association.
Work Package 6 will propose to build solid bridges between different players acting for the improvement of recruitment in nuclear sectors benefiting from the presence of major industrial partners in the ENEN+ project. Work in WP6 includes communication with industry and legislators, development of education, training and knowledge management strategy and facilitation of access to internships.