It is estimated that over half of all workers in the US nuclear industry will retire within the next 5 years. A large portion of these jobs will be in radiation protection. Historically, master and doctorate level health physicists have provided much needed support in radiation protection positions; however, with a change in the American workforce and education system to accommodate this new reality, new curricula are being developed that include more military veterans, community college graduates, certified technicians, and bachelor level positions. In addition, emerging nuclear markets in areas such as the Middle East and North Africa, Eastern Europe, and Southeast Asia are putting demands on established nuclear countries to export their nuclear "know-how," contributing to an even greater need for trained radiation protection professionals.

1. Emerging Training Needs and
Issues in Radiological
Protection
Derek Hagemeyer, Greg Nichols
32nd International Dosimetry
and Records Symposium
Scottsdale, AZ
June 2-6, 2013

2. Outline
• Introduction
• Domestic (US) Needs/Trends
• International Needs/Trends
• Post-Fukishima Issues
• Summary
2

3. Introduction
3

4. Brief Overview Driving Issues
• Post-Fukishima awareness
• Ageing population in Europe/US
• Growing demand in Asia/South America
• No/extremely limited resources in emerging markets (Mid-
East/Eastern Europe)
• Increasing use of radiation/nuclear imaging in medicine
• Need for standardized curriculum for radiation protection and
other nuclear workforce skills
• Ability to fill openings for new construction/license renewals
4

5. Overall Training Trends
• Countries with expanding nuclear power programs (China,
India)
– Scale up existing education and training
• Countries planning to supply nuclear technology to others (US,
Russia, Canada, France, S. Korea)
– Have to meet own national needs and
– Have to transfer education and training capacity with technology
transfer
• Countries embarking on nuclear power (UAE, Vietnam, Belarus)
– Must rely significantly on technology supplier until national
capacities to train workforce are established
5

6. Domestic Trends
6

7. Overview of Nuclear Industry in US
• Commercial nuclear industry – 120,000 personnel
• Nuclear Navy (104 reactors) – 40,000 personnel
• Nuclear Regulatory Commission – 4,000 personnel (4.5% HP’s)
• Department of Energy – 100,000 + personnel
• 31 research reactors – thousands of staff
• 16 million nuclear imaging and therapeutic procedures
performed annually
7
OECD/NEA. Nuclear Education and Training: From Concern to Capability, 2012

8. Ageing Workforce
• 25,000 workers needed in nuclear industry by 2015 (NEI)
• 38% of nuclear workforce eligible for retirement in next 2-3
years (NEI)
• Health Physics Society estimates losing approximately 167
HP’s/yr.
• NEI estimates 4,500 radiation protection technician openings by
2015
• Human Capital Crisis? Failure to address one of the 4 R’s:
– Recruitment
– Resources
– Retention
– Retirement
8

9. Nuclear Workforce Ageing Trends
9
Source: US NRC Radiation Exposure Information and Reporting System

10. Education/Training Programs
• Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET)
– Accredits college and university programs in the disciplines of applied
science, computing, engineering, and engineering technology
– ABET accredits over 3,100 programs at more than 670 colleges and
universities in 24 countries
• 25 ABET accredited nuclear engineering programs in US, some
incorporate health physics
• 7 separate ABET accredited health physics programs
• Over 40 trade schools/community colleges within NUCP
• 19 universities with nuclear medicine programs
• Approximately 100 trade schools and community colleges with
radiologist assistant degree programs
• New HP grads (non-trade school/community college) have declined
by 21% since 1998
10

11. Education/Training Programs (cont’d)
11
250
200
150
100
50
0
Number of Degrees Granted
Health Physics Degree by Type and Year Granted
Health Physics Enrollments and Degrees Survey, 2005 Data/2010 Data (ORISE) 2006, 2011
PhD
MS
BS

12. Nuclear Uniform Curriculum Program (NUCP)
• Developed by nuclear industry and NEI
• Standardized certificate program to educate operators and
technicians for jobs at nuclear power plants
• Established in 2007 with 3 goals:
– Balance supply/demand for skilled nuclear power workers
– Provide uniform curriculum to ensure those trained for critical jobs meet
industry-wide learning objectives
– Process meets needs of entire industry and not just individual companies
• First certificates issued from Chattanooga State and Salem
Community College in 2010
• Now Over 40 community colleges partnered with industry
• Maintained by National Academy for Nuclear Training (INPO)
12

13. NUCP Schools with Radiation Protection Programs
13
NEI, Nuclear Uniform Curriculum Program Partnered Community Colleges, 2013

14. Government Support
• Millions of dollars in scholarships and grants provided to colleges/universities
annually to support nuclear training, education, and research
• Major supporters of nuclear energy workforce training programs: NRC, DOE,
NNSA
• Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE)
– Supports DOE’s national agenda to advance science education and research programs
– Supports DOE and NRC missions for education and health research
– $229.4 million for Science Education Programs in 2012
– ORISE trained thousands in health physics, public and environmental health, worker
health and safety, national security and emergency management in FY12.
– More than 8,300 students, recent graduates, postdoctoral researchers and faculty
participated in ORISE and ORAU science education and workforce development
programs in FY12.
• Additional support comes from Department of Labor and the National Science
Foundation
• BUT: Most of this funding supports engineering, physics, and chemistry, not
necessarily health physics
14

15. Industry Demands/Challenges
15
• Nuclear power in the mix for carbon emissions
reduction/driving construction
• 50-65 GW generated by coal plants to retire by 2020
• 220 GW new generation planned by 2035
• NRC has renewed licenses for 63 reactors
• 12 new applications under review
• ANSI/ANS N3.1 "Selection, Qualification and Training of
Personnel for Nuclear Power Plants" update coming soon

16. Industry Demands/Challenges (cont’d)
• NEI and Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program (NNPP) signed
formal agreement
– Industry wants young, experienced workers to replace those that
are retiring
– Navy wants to transition service personnel to private sector after
time in service ends (secure jobs for veterans)
– Navy wants trained, new recruits
• Big problem: Health physicists/rad protection techs fall under
Navy Medicine (BUMED), not NNPP
16

17. International Trends
17

18. OECD/NEA and IAEA
• Radiation protection and public health activities
– Periodic surveys on university programs in radiation protection (in
1996, 2001 and 2005)
– In May 2009 a meeting topical session was held on “Qualified
human resources in the field of radiation protection”
• Nuclear Knowledge Management Unit (NKM)
– Assess the status of and trends in nuclear education, including the
harmonization of curricula in nuclear education and the
preservation of knowledge
18

19. Europe
• Council Directive 96/29/EURATOM
• ETRAP (Education and Training in Radiation Protection)
Conferences
– 1999/2003: emerging need for consistent education and training in
radiological protection
– 2005: clarification, harmonization, broadening perspective,
international cooperation
– 2009: Confirmation and evaluation
– 2013: March, Vienna
19

20. Europe (cont’d)
• ENETRAP 6FP (2005-2007) (European Network on Education
and Training in Radiation Protection)
• 2006 EUTERP Platform (European Training and Education in
Radiation Protection)
– Facilitate transnational access to education and training
– Harmonize criteria and qualifications
– Remove obstacles for mobility within EU
– Advise and revision of Basic Safety Standards
• ENETRAP II (2009-2012)
– Develop European high-quality “reference standards” and good
practices in radiation protection
20

21. Emerging Nuclear Energy Countries
• Power reactors under construction
– UAE
• Contracts signed, legal and regulatory infrastructure well-developed
– Lithuania
– Turkey
– Belarus
• Committed plans, legal and regulatory infrastructure developing
– Vietnam
– Jordan
– Poland
– Bangladesh
21

22. Nuclear Growth in Asia
22
Power Reactors Operable or
in Operation
Power Reactors Under
Construction
Power Reactors Planned
Bangladesh 2
China 15 26 51
India 20 7 18
Indonesia 2
Japan 50 3 10
S. Korea 23 4 5
Pakistan 3 2
Vietnam 4
http://www.world-nuclear.org/info/Country-Profiles/Others/Asia-s-Nuclear-Energy-Growth/

23. Post-Fukishima Issues
23

24. Joint G8/OECD NEA Statement (June 2011)
• Necessary to reinforce the global role and missions of the IAEA
and in particular the review mechanisms for which it is
responsible.
• It is also necessary to reinforce the safety activities of the OECD
Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) working towards greater
harmonization of safety practices.
• Crisis management training should be carried out at the
international level in order to bring together a maximum amount
of experience.
24

25. ICRP Task Force 84
• Identified issues and made recommendations regarding the
response to the Fukishima disaster
• 18 issues were identified with some broad themes regarding
radiological protection
– Dosimetry issues (low-dose, internal, risk coefficients)
– Crisis and medical management
– Protecting volunteers and the public
• 11 recommendations are sure to be good starting points for
future training
25

26. Fukishima Response Steering Committee (INPO/NEI/EPRI)
• Maintain focus on excellence in existing plant performance
• Develop and issue lessons learned from Fukushima events
• Improve the effectiveness of U.S. industry response capability to
global nuclear events
• Ensure accident response procedures provide steps for
controlling, monitoring, and assessing radiation and
communicating that information
26

27. IAEA Action Plan on Nuclear Safety
• Approved in September 2011, offered several
recommendations. Those related to radiation protection and
training include:
– IAEA stakeholders should facilitate the use of available information,
expertise and techniques for monitoring, decontamination and
remediation both on and off nuclear sites
– IAEA Secretariat to consider strategies and programs to improve
knowledge and strengthen capabilities in these areas
– Strengthen, develop, maintain and implement their capacity
building programs, including education, training and exercises at
the national, regional and international levels
– To continuously ensure sufficient and competent human resources
necessary to assume their responsibility for safe, responsible and
sustainable use of nuclear technologies
27

28. US NRC: Enhancing Reactor Safety in the 21st Century
• Initiate rulemaking to require EP enhancements for multiunit events in
the following areas: personnel and staffing, dose assessment
capability, training and exercises, and equipment and facilities. (Section
4.3.1—detailed recommendation 9.1)
• Initiate rulemaking to require EP enhancements for prolonged SBO in
the following areas: communications capability, ERDS capability,
training and exercises, and equipment and facilities. (Section 4.3.1—
detailed recommendation 9.2)
• Study the efficacy of real-time radiation monitoring onsite and within
the EPZs (including consideration of ac independence and real-time
availability on the Internet). (Section 4.3.2—detailed recommendation
11.3)
• Conduct training, in coordination with the appropriate Federal
partners, on radiation, radiation safety, and the appropriate use of KI in
the local community around each nuclear power plant. (Section 4.3.2—
detailed recommendation 11.4)
28

29. Summary
• Ageing workforce throughout most of the Western world
• Limited resources but increasing demand for Asia/Middle East
• Countries that export nuclear “know-how” have to support
their domestic needs as well as support radiation protection
needs in growing/developing markets
• In the US, it appears that less-skilled radiation protection
technicians being used to replace long-tenured health physicists
• Fukishima disaster placed greater emphasis on training for
radiation protection and emergency preparedness
29

30. Questions?
30