The Ukrainian Nuclear Society participated in the 1st NURECAB Workshop
The Ukrainian Nuclear Society participated in the 1st NURECAB Workshop “UA and EU Nuclear Education Trends and Nuclear Industry Prospects,” held on October 10, 2024.
The event facilitated a dialogue between representatives of the nuclear sector and specialized educational institutions. The workshop aimed to discuss current trends in nuclear education, the needs of the nuclear industry in Ukraine and the EU, and explore ways to improve educational programs for training specialists.
Participants included representatives from the European Nuclear Education Network (ENEN), the Ukrainian Nuclear Society, the Joint Support Office of the European Commission in Kyiv managing the Instrument for Nuclear Safety Cooperation, the Joint Research Centre of the EU (JRC), JSE NNEGC “Energoatom,” the Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA), the POLATOM Radioisotope Centre, CVR, the Spizhenko Clinic, as well as leading Ukrainian universities and research centers. A total of 92 experts attended the event to discuss the state of nuclear education in Ukraine and share European experiences.
Key topics of discussion included the prospects for nuclear energy development, the state of higher nuclear education in Ukraine, materials science, nuclear medicine, radioactive waste management, and more. An important focus was the collaboration between educational institutions and industry to improve educational programs. The participants also addressed pressing issues such as the main barriers to the development of nuclear education in Ukraine. Key challenges identified were the declining interest in natural sciences among youth, resulting in a shortage of students in physics faculties, weak laboratory infrastructure, and insufficient government attention and support for technical disciplines.
The participants also discussed potential solutions to these problems in both the short and long term. A short-term solution could be deepening the integration of Ukrainian nuclear education with European programs and participating in international grant projects aimed at creating new curricula and developing Ukraine’s educational infrastructure. The participants concluded that achieving long-term positive changes would require urgent and significant changes in government policy regarding higher nuclear education and increased involvement of nuclear industry companies in the educational process.
Details and workshop materials can be found at the links below: https://bit.ly/3BFy6VI
