Promoting Education and Training

Introduction

The education and training provided by the IAEA follows the resolutions of its General Conferences and reflects the latest IAEA standards and guidance. Several General Conference resolutions have emphasized the importance of education and training (e.g. GC(XXXV)/RES/552 in 1991; GC(XXXVI)/RES/584 in 1992; GC(43)/RES/13 in 1999 and more recently GC(44)/RES/13 in 2000).

In response to GC(44)/RES/13 in 2000, the IAEA prepared a "Strategic Approach to Education and Training in Radiation and Waste Safety" (Strategy on Education and Training) aiming at establishing, by 2010, sustainable education and training programmes in Member States. This Strategy was endorsed by the General Conference resolution GC(45)/RES/10C in 2001, that, inter alia, urged the Secretariat to implement the Strategy on Education and Training, and to continue to strengthen, subject to available resources, its current effort in this area, and in particular to assist Member States' national, regional and collaborating centres in conducting such education and training activities in the relevant official languages of the IAEA. In a General Conference resolution GC(46)/RES/9C adopted in September 2002, the IAEA was requested to continue implementing the strategic plan, including the convening of a steering committee to oversee and advise on the implementation of the strategic plan for a sustainable education and training programme. In addition it also encouraged IAEA to implement e-Learning in radiation protection, which is presently paper based Distance Learning.

The range of education and training in radiation protection activities currently undertaken by the Agency can be summarized as follows:

In addition, the Agency carries out other activities that support the aforementioned training modalities. These support activities include: (a) preparation of standardized training aids and material; (b) promotion of and assistance to Regional Training Centres, and co-operation with Collaborating Centres; and (c) publications relevant to education and training.

Post-Graduate Educational Course in Radiation Protection

The Post Graduate Educational Course in Radiation Protection and Safety of Radiation Sources (PGEC) is a comprehensive training programme aimed at training young professionals at graduate level or the equivalent for initial training to acquire a sound basis in radiation protection and safety of radiation sources, some of them would be expected to become the trainers in due time. PGEC is designed to provide both theoretical and practical training in the multidisciplinary scientific and / or technical bases of international recommendations and standards on radiation protection and their implementation. The Agency has been assisting the organization of the regular PGECs in different Regional Centres and in different Agency's official languages. These include Argentina (Spanish), Syria (Arabic), Malaysia and Greece (English), Morocco (French) and Belarus (Russian).

A Standard Syllybus (.pdf -336kb), for post-graduate Educational Courses in Radiation Protection, was published in 2002. The revision of the Standard Syllabus takes into account the requirements and recommendations of the BSS and related Safety Guides.

Practice Specific Specialized Training Courses and Workshops

The specialized or task-specific/practice-specific training courses are usually shorter in duration. These courses last in general one or two weeks and are in principle given to those who have already attended PGEC. Workshops are also task or practice specific and provide more opportunity to the participants for hands-on training and exchange of information. The training courses and workshops cover, inter alia, a wide range of topics including regulatory framework, occupational exposure (external and internal), patient protection (diagnostic radiology, radiotherapy and nuclear medicine), radioactive waste management, transport of radioactive materials, emergency response and preparedness, safety and security of radioactive sources, safety in industrial applications etc. They are frequently organized as national or regional or inter-regional courses for different target audiences like regulators, radiation protection officers, technicians, etc. The Agency is annually supporting more than 50 national and regional events.

Fellowships and Scientific Visits

Fellowships and scientific visits supplement the education and training courses. They are meant to provide individual practical training in well-recognized national and/or regional centres. Duration of fellowships range from one month to six months. Scientific visits are shorter in duration ranging from one week to a maximum of one month for visiting one or more centres in other organizations abroad. They are usually meant for decision makers/managers, senior level persons, and specialists requiring exchange of information and observation of other facilities for transfer of know-how, joint collaboration, etc. The Agency arranges annually more than 150 fellowships and scientific visits on radiation and waste safety from approximately 100 countries.

Distance Learning

Distance learning is complementary to the IAEA radiation protection-training programme for strengthening national infrastructures. This type of paper-based training is extremely useful for people who live far from training centres. It can be used also as refresher training or be used for equalizing/harmonizing purposes to prepare an individual(s) to reach a certain level for successfully attending a training event. The participating countries in the IAEA/RCA project on paper- based Distance Learning in Radiation Protection are Australia (co-ordinator), Korea, Indonesia, Mongolia, Thailand, The Philippines and New Zealand. The results of the trials (I and II) and feedback have proved this to be one of the effective mechanisms of radiation safety training. Feasibility of web-based training is also being considered by the IAEA. This would reduce the global resources required and would potentially address a much larger audience.

Strategic approach to Training

The past approach to education and training in radiation protection and waste safety has been reactive rather than proactive. Training packages developed had different approaches and lacked a corporate image. This was reflected in the training packages as differences in the treatment of subject matter or as duplication The weaknesses were identified and are addressed. This prompted the IAEA to set up a strategy for a progressive shift from the present "reactive" approach to training, to a "proactive" approach aimed at helping Member States to develop a sustainable education and training system compatible with the requirements of the Basic Safety Standards and other safety standards. This is meant to operate in the context of a combination of regional and international collaborations, in which, of course, the IAEA would continue to play a primary role.

One of the first steps in the implementation of this strategy by the Agency is the development of guidance on how to build competence in Member States in order to help them to achieve the ability to put in place a sustainable and self-sufficient education and training programme in radiation protection.

Vision and Strategy

The new vision and approach to strategy is to:

The specific activities proposed for the IAEA to implement the strategy are:

The Steering Committee was formed in 2002, with nominated members, representing regional, collaborating training centres, European Union and Professional organizations (IRPA). The first meeting was held in Vienna in November 2002 with 19 members. The second meeting was held in Vienna in November 2003.

The objective of the meeting is to provide the Agency with relevant advice on its education and training activities, and also review the standardized training material developed, advise on the establishment of inter centre network .

Visual Aid Material

Several visual aid materials as slides, overhead transparencies and videos are available. Specifically the multimedia package (video, CD ROM and brochure with the narrated text in English, Spanish, French, Russian, Chinese and Arabic) on "Radiation Safety: An Overview" was prepared for training purposes to familiarize trainees with the current concepts of radiation safety according to the BSS. It has 20 minutes of duration and a modular content as follows:

Publications on training

The Safety Guide on Building Competence in Radiation Protection and the Safe Use of Radiation Sources, is intended to assist regulatory bodies in establishing training and qualification requirements, and a national strategy to build competence in radiation safety.

The Safety Report on Training in Radiation Protection and the Safe Use of Radiation Sources, is intended to assist regulators, training centres and all those involved in setting up classroom training courses or distance learning in radiation protection as well as organizing on the job training. It provides guidance on the preparation of syllabus, programme, organization of the training and its evaluation under a systematic approach.

IAEA Staff Training

The RMPS Section is providing radiation protection training to any IAEA staff and fellows working at the IAEA Laboratories. Such training is commensurate to the level of risk of exposure to radiations. Practical training may be offered, also in the frame of TC projects.

For further information please contact K. Mrabit or G. Sadagopan


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