The implementation of a coherent approach to education and training becomes crucial in a world of dynamic markets and increasing workers’ mobility. Through networking and participation in international programmes, the SCK•CEN Academy contributes to a better harmonisation of education, training practice and skills recognition on a national and international level.
Covering electricity production, medicine and several activities within the non-nuclear sector, the spectrum of applications of ionising radiation is very wide. Although working with a variety of responsibilities and specific professional aims, practitioners have a triple common need:
From an executive perspective, education and training are undoubtedly the two basic pillars of any policy regarding safety in the workplace. The radiological protection rationale that serves as the basis for this policy is the same all over the world, going beyond cultural differences and disciplinary applications. In this sense, a coherent approach to education and training becomes crucial in a world of dynamic markets and increasing workers’ mobility.
The SCK•CEN Academy contributes to a better harmonisation of training practice and skills recognition. In this frame, specific issues of interest are: standard requirements for course programmes and educational material, development of transdisciplinary training programmes, E-learning and distance learning, the link between radiation safety and conventional safety, nuclear safety culture, organisation of experience feedback, international exchange of knowledge and experience, sharing of lecturers, training facilities and educational source material, ...
These are the topics covered in European networks such as EUTERP (European Training and Education in Radiation Protection Platform) and 6FP ENETRAP and 7FP ENETRAP II (European Network for Education and Training in Radiation Protection), in which SCK•CEN is playing a prominent role.
Also on the academic level, SCK•CEN plays an active role in networks such as the ENEN Association (European Nuclear Education Network), dealing with the preservation and further development of expertise in the nuclear fields by higher education, through the cooperation between universities, research organisations, regulatory bodies, the industry and any other organisations involved in the application of nuclear science.
While ENEN primarily focuses on the domain of nuclear engineering, European networks working on education programmes in other domains, such as radiobiology, radioecology or emergency planning, can also count on contributions from SCK•CEN's experts.
The SCK•CEN Academy is participating in the following European E&T projects: