New IAEA E-Learning Course Focuses on Strategic Planning and Management Skills for Young Nuclear Leaders

In addition to presentations by IAEA and ANL staff, the course benefits from the participation of guest lecturers from the Donald C. Cook Nuclear Power Plant and from human resource development firms.

“Transparency, transparency, transparency,” reiterated William Downey, the Communications Manager of the DC Cook Plant, who spoke about the value of stakeholder engagement. “Whether an issue is big or small, a proactive approach to keeping people informed allows you a better opportunity to take control of the narrative and shape it in a positive way.”

Ongoing support and cooperation

IAEA support over the past decades has enabled close to 20 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean to establish, and subsequently enhance, nuclear institutions and national commissions that focus on the peaceful applications of nuclear science, added Raul Ramirez, Section Head at the Division for Latin America and the Caribbean in the IAEA’s Department of Technical Cooperation.

“As the need for academic pipelines, qualified nuclear professionals and regional partnerships grew, the IAEA and the States-Parties of the ARCAL Regional Cooperation Agreement recognized that additional steps were needed to guarantee that the application of nuclear technology would be visible and sustainable, and that it would contribute to the achievement of national strategies and global development goals,” said Ramirez.

Since 2018[1], a series of IAEA technical cooperation (TC) projects has helped NNIs in Latin America to enhance their sustainability and gain greater relevance and visibility. Regional meetings were organized to establish collaborative networks amongst the region’s national nuclear institutions and visits were organized to glean the experiences of counterparts at the U.S. Department of Energy and the Argonne National Laboratory. Further training courses and expert visits have been organized through a follow-up TC project launched in 2020[2], which has emphasized the development of capacities in the younger staff and researchers of NNIs.

[1] RLA0062, ‘Promoting the Sustainability and Networking of National Nuclear Energy Institutions (ARCAL CLXIII)’

[2] RLA0069, ‘Promoting Strategic Management and Innovation at National Nuclear Institutions through Cooperation and Partnership Building -Phase II (ARCAL CLXXII)’