Master program in physical protection, accounting and control of nuclear materials

The Department of Nuclear Power Plants and Thermal Physics Engineering of the Thermal Power Engineering Faculty in NTUU “Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute” has launched a program for masters in physical protection, accounting and control of nuclear materials. Practical training will be carried in the G. Kuzmich Training Center for Physical Protection, Accounting and Control of Nuclear Materials of Institute for Nuclear Research, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine. The training process will involve faculty members who have completed internships at the Texas Tech University and the US Sandia National Laboratory, as well as those who participated in the IAEA training courses at the George Kuzmich Nuclear Materials Training Center for Physical Protection, Accounting and Control of Nuclear Research of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine. The term of a study – 1 year 6 months.

The results of the four-year joint actions of the Ministry of Energy and Coal Industry with the Kiev Polytechnic Institute, undertaken to start the master’s training program “Physical Protection, Accounting and Control of Nuclear Materials” were presented in the Ministry of Energy and Coal in March during a round table on the topic “Training of Physical Protection Specialists, accounting and control of nuclear materials. Overview of the Master’s Program”.

Deputy Minister Yulia Pidkomorna thanked the Department of Nuclear Energy and the Atomic-Industrial Complex of the Ministry of Energy and Coal Industry, Vice-Rector of the KPI Sergey Sidorenko, Dean of the Faculty of Heat and Power Engineering Evgeny Pismenny for the support, professionalism and dedication shown during these years.

“We are pleased that this specialization opens in the leading educational institution for the Ukrainian training specialists in the nuclear power industry  – the Kiev Polytechnic Institute, where we found like-minded people in such an important matter as the formation of human resources for the nuclear power industry. I hope that there will be revealed considerable interest to this program and our ranks will recruit with new professionals”, – the deputy minister noted.

Training under the master’s program will be carried out in the framework of the preparation of masters in the educational program “Physical Protection, Accounting and Control of Nuclear Materials” in the specialty 143 “Nuclear Energy” in full-time and part-time forms of education. This training program is fully consistent with the requirements of current national legislation and the recommendations of the IAEA.

Exam programs will be published on the website of the National Technical University “Kyiv Polytechnic Institute. Sikorsky. The first undergraduates will begin training in September 2019.

Representatives of the Ministry of Energy and Coal Industry of Ukraine, NTUU “Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute”, State Nuclear Regulatory Inspectorate of Ukraine, Ministry of Health of Ukraine, State Agency of Ukraine on the Exclusion Zone, National Guard of Ukraine, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Administration of the State Border Service, SE NNEGC ENERGOATOM, OP Rivne NPP, OP Khmelnitsky NPP, GC Nuclear Fuel, State Enterprise VostGOK, State Enterprise 38 VITCH.

All those present at the round table agreed on the importance of training specialists in physical protection, accounting and control of nuclear materials at the master’s level for Ukraine, which is difficult to overestimate, given the lessons learned from the radiation accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant and new challenges and threats, such as cyber threats, hybrid war and others. It is hoped that the need for training young highly qualified personnel, who will become a reliable change for specialists of pre-retirement age, in Ukraine will be gradually satisfied.

According to the materials of the Ministry of Energy and Coal Industry