Nuclear Future Volume 9 issue 1
Transferring simulation skills from other industries to nuclear
Nawal Prinja, Jim Wood and Tim Morris give a brief overview of the EASIT2 engineering analysis and simulation project and point out how it can help address skills issues faced by the nuclear industry
SQEP prerequisites are often broad in nature and also include the requirements for technicians and skilled workers. There are commercial, legal and regulatory requirements to
T
engage a SQEP and it is worth noting that such responsibilities can often be discharged by delegating authority to a SQEP. In the UK, the Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR) requires that any activity related to nuclear safety is carried out by a SQEP. The EASIT2
is inherently linked to the concept of SQEP and a primary aim of the project is to produce deliverables that companies can use to demonstrate SQEP, specifically in the analysis and simulation area. In industry, it is common for the expertise and skill levels
necessary to be matched with the requirements of the job. For example, at AMEC five different levels of SQEP are used: – Level 1 Supervised – Level 2 Unsupervised – Level 3 Advising and guiding others – Level 4 As a company ‘Expert’ – Level 5 As an externally recognised ‘Expert’ The design of the EASIT2
he term suitably qualified and experienced personnel (SQEP) originated within the UK nuclear industry, although similar concepts exist in other industry sectors and other countries.
The goal is to transfer, modify and extend the innovative
output from the CCOPPS project, which was based on the pressure systems industry sector. The CCOPPS Educational Base, consisting of competence statements across 16 analysis and simulation areas, is freely available2
. The EASIT2 project also
follows on from participation by the authors in a Skills Forum held at SMiRT 20 in Helsinki3
project
were outlined during this event, including concerns raised regarding analyst qualifications, fed directly into the project proposal and are reflected in the project deliverables. The project outlined in Figure 1 is managed by a partnership
headed up by the University of Strathclyde (also leader of the earlier CCOPPS project). Other key partners represented petrochemical industries, process engineering, nuclear power, aerospace, civil engineering, construction, marine, offshore, consumer goods, land transport, defence and general industrial goods sectors.
Competence Framework and Analysis
has the inherent flexibility to cater for multiple levels of competency. SQEP cannot be built by simply serving time in a job. It is built through a process of developing competencies and these are at the core of the EASIT2
project.
The big challenge is to have consistent criteria to assess competencies as professional engineers move from one industry to another. Explicit knowledge in the form of formal qualifications can be easily assessed but assessment of implicit knowledge based on experience can be subjective. The EASIT2
project has aimed to
remove this subjectivity and offers consistent criteria in the form of competency statements.
The EASIT2
Background The EASIT2
project project1 can trace its origins back to the EU-funded
FENet Thematic Network aimed at Finite Element technology and, more directly, to the recently completed Certification of Competencies in the Power and Pressure Systems (CCOPPS) project. In addition, it builds directly on the NAFEMS Registered Analyst Scheme and, indirectly, on the work of the NAFEMS Education and Training Working Group. The main aim of the EASIT2
project is the development of a
unique and versatile Competence Framework, focused on the use of engineering analysis and simulation tools across all sectors of industry, including nuclear.
38 EASIT2
The Educational Base This is a set of statements explaining what competencies a simulation engineer should have. These are split into a number of different modules, covering various areas of technology, as detailed in Table 1. The list was drawn up as a result of an extensive study of industry needs4,5
. The project focuses on the production of generic (non-
industry-specific competencies), although it is recognised that SQEP will require additional industry-specific, company-specific and software-specific competencies, as shown in Figure 2. The EASIT2
Competence Framework will allow for these specific
competencies to be added by sector bodies or individual organisations, either by adding to the above modules or by creating new ones. Each competency statement will eventually have a reference
link to appropriate sections in textbooks and training courses, that will assist staff in the development of the appropriate competency. This concept is illustrated in Figure 3, which shows a selection of competency statements from the CCOPPS project in the fatigue area. The Educational Base, containing over 1,000 statements of
competency over 23 modules, will have the following uses: • providing useful information to self-learners; • providing focus for the developers of short courses, textbooks and other learning material;
• providing a basis for the production of self-test quizzes and examinations to aid in self-assessment or formal assessment of competence;
• providing the basis for SQEP registers; and • providing the basis for the Competence Framework and Professional Simulation Engineer System (as described later).
. The nuclear industry needs, which
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