Roadmap for Human Resources for Expanded Indian Nuclear Industry

Abstract

This paper deals with detailed requirement of human resources for all phases of nuclear power plant, for the manufacturing sector and the probable roadmap for achieving India's target. The accident in Fukushima has brought out that only nuclear power that avoids being a threat to the health and safety of the population and the environmental will be acceptable to the society and for this to be achieved human resources could be a single major contributor. India has ambitious plan of achieving 20,000MW by 2020 and 63,000MW by 2050. It is felt out of the three resources men, material and money; the critical shortage would be human resources both in quality and quantity. As per IAEA report (Publication of 2008 edition of energy, electricity and nuclear power estimates for the period of 2030), nuclear capacity must grow to at least 1.8 times current capacity by 2030 if global temperature rises are to be kept at 2°C. Objective of recruiting and training human resources for Indian Industry can be as follows: a) For catering domestic market. b) For catering international market later on for nuclear industries outside India. As India will be an important future international player.The above would require a multiplication of human resources by nearly seven times. In addition it has to be wholesome covering all levels and all skills and all disciplines and stages covering the whole nuclear cycle including regulators. Human resources are required for design and engineering, construction, commissioning, operation, manufacturing and for support services. The manpower for these has to be trained to achieve high quality of nuclear standards. Presently Indian Department of Atomic Energy(DAE) runs several training schools giving one year Post Graduate, tailor made courses. This needs to be multiplied by Joint efforts. Training should be on "SAT (Systematic Approach to Training)" methodology to ensure focussed, specific, needed to culminate in safe, reliable and viable operation of NPPs and other nuclear facilities. On the job training should be given due emphasis. Training is management responsibility. Private companies should consider resources spent on human resources development as a good long term investment and should set up organisation, system, procedures etc. for training. Nuclear power plants require lifetime technical and design support and for this corporate memory/knowledge management assume vital importance.The trait of the nuclear industry to learn from good practices, operational experience, feedbacks etc. needs to be further strengthened. Nuclear is knowledge driven industry and organisations should ensure the attainment of the same.