Nuclear Education and Training, Cause for Concern

This report is a summary of the study Nuclear Education and Training: Cause for Concern?, which was undertaken to consider the concerns raised by the OECD/NEA Member countries that nuclear education and training is decreasing, perhaps to problematic levels. Mankind now enjoys many benefits from nuclear-related technology in areas as diverse as medicine and advanced materials, as well as electricity production. Today, nuclear technology is widespread and multidisciplinary. Yet the advancement of this technology, with all its associated benefits, will be threatened, even curtailed, unless the declining number of university courses associated with it, and the declining interest among students in it, is arrested. In most countries there are now fewer comprehensive, high-quality nuclear technology programmes at universities than before. The ability of universities to attract top-quality students to those programmes, meet future staffing requirements of the nuclear industry, and conduct leading-edge research in nuclear topics is becoming seriously compromised. There currently appears to be enough trainers and quality staff in industry and at research institutes. However, the provision of suitable trainers in the near future is becoming a concern because of the university situation.