The Professional Development Culture and Performance Improvement

Abstract

The decline in performance of Canadian nuclear power plants has been widely analyzed and discussed at industry meetings. Many excellent performance improvement programs have been put in place to restore performance to an international standard of excellence. Most of these improvement programs focus on the management of processes and people. The purpose of this paper is to examine the role of professional conduct and professional development in strengthening and supporting performance improvement programs. The nuclear industry has accepted global performance standards. 'World class' no longer means exceptional achievement--it is the expected industry norm. To build and maintain professional qualifications to international standards, requires a long-term commitment from employees, employers and the supporting institutions. Atlantic Nuclear's programs to address this challenge are discussed.