GADDIE

Tecnatom has developed and put into service a newtool for training management. The tool, known asGADDIE, will replace the current Training Intranet. Thename reflects the different phases of the SAT process:Analysis, Design, Development, Implementation andEvaluation, plus the G for “Gestión” (Management inSpanish).

It has been designed to cover the entire trainingprocess, from the initial pre-job briefing to the closingof the training action. There is a specific part for thedevelopment of training materials and another for themonitoring of instructor certification. Collaborativetrainee-instructor tools are incorporated and there is atrainee forum. In addition, and associated with thedevelopment of the training material, there will be aWIKI environment for the gathering of knowledge andcollaborative working.

A digital signature process will be incorporated to speed up formalities, both as regards the drawing up of trainingrecords and reports and the development of teaching materials. The first phase has now been completed and byApril the tool will be fully operative, with the incorporation of the digital signature, the trainee forum and the WIKI forinstructors.

Inter - centres meeting at Trillo NPP

On November 29th 2012, and as in previous years, the Inter-centres Nuclear Training Meeting was held. Theobjective of these sessions is to promote the exchange of experiences and the sharing of ideas regarding theproblems and current affairs in which the different training centres are involved.

The host of the session on this occasion was the Trillo NPP, whose Training Manager, Julio Benavides, participatedin one of the papers and in the opening and closing of the session.

The subjects dealt with were as follows:

Development of educational and methodological skills and proposal regarding the on-going training ofinstructorsExperiences in maintenance training at the Ascó-Vandellós NPPs training centrePilot courses and post-scenario critique on licensed operator on-going training. The experience of the GaroñaNPP training centreQualification of auxiliary operator instructors by Trillo NPPTraining supervisor knowledge transfer process: practical experience at the Trillo NPP training centreThe function of training tutorship and the learning community blog and other activitiesFirst instructors experiences in the simulator training implementation of Generation III plants in USA and China.

As part of the session there was a visit to the plant, which was an excellent opportunity for the instructors to learnmore of one another’s concerns, projects and realities.

Specific seminar for Engineers on human error prevention techniquesLast December a seminar was held at the ENEL headquarters in Rome for 15 engineers of different nationalities.

The main objective of this seminar was to provide proactive methods oriented towards the detection andprevention of errors related to the work of engineers.

Why develop a set of tools for engineers different from that used by control roomoperators and field workers? The errors of workers involved in knowledge, especiallyengineers, may have a major impact on plant safety and on the economicresults. The errors embedded in engineering processes are more subtle than thosemade by operators and field workers. Latent errors may go unnoticed, leadingto hidden defects in the plant equipment or supporting documentation.

The fundamental purpose of these tools is to help the engineer to maintain “positivecontrol” over a working situation, especially during critical tasks or activities.

FORATOM visit to the Hospitalet Centre

On February 28th 2013, a meeting of the FORATOM Education and Training Task Force (ETTF) was held,including a visit to the Tecnatom Training Centre in Hospitalet. Eleven persons from different European countriesparticipated.

In collaboration with the European Nuclear Society (ENS), the ETTF provides a window onto information on theindustry for the EU institutions and initiatives in the field of education, training and knowledge management. Forexample, the ETTF may define the actions to be carried out and the role of the industry in the area of education andtraining: collaboration with universities and research centres, providing data, etc.

Main activities of the International Training Centre in 20122012 has been the first complete year of activity sincethe International Training Centre (ITC) unit was set upat Tecnatom in late 2011 with a view to developing theTraining and Operational Support service atinternational level. Throughout this period the activitiesalready implemented have been consolidated andothers have got under way.

ENEC Training Centre in Abu Dhabi, where training activitiesare performed for the new nuclear power plants of the United Arab Emirates

The ITC team is made up of 30 Spanish and Britishinstructors who are currently undertaking training andoperational support projects for a number of clients inArgentina, Brazil, the United States, China, Italy andthe United Arab Emirates.

The following are particularly significant among the activities performed:

On-going simulator training for Angra NPP, BrazilInitial simulator training for Angra NPP, BrazilValidation of the AP1000 simulator, USAConsulting for the Start-up of Atucha II for ARN,ArgentinaAP1000 training, USAAP1000 training, ChinaNuclear Training Preparatory Course, United ArabEmiratesSAT operation Atucha ICourse on Nuclear Basics

One of the first operating crews at San Men on theAP 1000 simulator with the Tecnatom instructor

Most of these activities are carried out at the clients’ installations, this requiring lengthy journeys by the teamsassigned to the projects.

These projects strengthen TECNATOM’s position on the international market and allow the activities performed atthe national training centres to be reinforced through the transfer to them of the know-how acquired during theperformance of these services.

Catalogue of training capabilities in the Spanish sector

The CEIDEN platform, a Spanish entity for the coordination of R&D&i needs and efforts in the field of nuclear fissiontechnology, encompasses all the sectors involved in nuclear R&D&i in Spain, its area of activity covering bothoperating plants and new reactor designs, nuclear fuel cycle companies, universities, etc. It is currently made up of79 members and has eight areas of activity under way. One of these relates to education and training, for which theTraining Group was set up in 2007, its first stage being dedicated to cataloguing the activities of theuniversities regarding post-graduate and master courses. In 2011 its name was changed to Formación Plus(CEIDEN F+), the aim being to extend its work to the field of education oriented towards the job post or training.

Throughout 2012 the group has developed an initial catalogue of the training capabilities of the Spanish sector.For this purpose a classification taxonomy was developed, inspired by several different European reference studies,and data were gathered by distributing questionnaires among the companies and organisations involved in theSpanish sector. The results of this work, which include both existing courses and specific course developmentcapabilities, as well as training tools and capabilities for the development of training tools and environments, maybe seen on the CEIDEN website (http://ceiden.com). In total more than 268 courses, 18 tools and 14 companieswere identified.

The catalogue is complemented with a study of the strengths and weaknesses of the Spanish sector in the trainingarea, which may also be seen on the CEIDEN website.

Implementation of the initial training programme for Shift Managers at Almaraz NPP

The month of October last saw the launching of the new training programme for three candidates to the post ofShift Manager at Almaraz NPP, the programme concluding in January 2013. The reference used in designing theprogramme was the INPO ACAD 97-004: “Guidelines for Shift Manager Selection, Training, Qualification andProfessional Development”, the corresponding Accreditation Manual (AM) being drawn up in agreement with theAlmaraz NPP Training Department.

In early January a training programme follow-up meeting was held at Almaraz NPP.Meeting was directed by the Plant Manager and attended by the managers of thedifferent departments involved in the training. All the participants agreed that thistype follow-up tracking meetings were very positive for the training of new Shift Managers.

The resulting programme has consisted of a series of debate sessions on differentissues relating to the operation of Almaraz NPP, followed by interviews with each ofthe managers of the different departments of the plant, the programme finishing withtwo weeks on the Control Room simulator to reinforce the behaviours and skillsacquired during the instruction and debates. The result of this new training plan forthe Almaraz NPP shift managers was highly valued by all those involved, andespecially by the trainees, who are now Shift Managers.

ECVET

During October last, the third meeting of the working group in charge of implementing the European Credit Systemfor Vocational Education and Training (ECVET) in the nuclear sector took place in Thessalonica (Greece). As in thecase of the two previous meetings held in Peten (Holland), Tecnatom attended along with other companies andinstitutions from European Union member countries, with a view to developing a taxonomy of the job posts ofnuclear power plants by identifying the knowledge, skills and aptitudes required for performance of the tasksassigned to a given post.

The ECVET system for the recognition and transfer of credits associated withVocational Education and Training is the one proposed by the EuropeanUnion. Its objective is to facilitate the transfer, recognition and accumulation ofthe training received by a worker, both formally and informally (professionalexperience), in order to obtain a qualification recognised by all the EuropeanUnion member countries. A fourth meeting is expected to be held this year tocomplete the work on taxonomic development, after which efforts areexpected to focus on the implementation of the ECVET system in the nuclearsector. For this purpose the European Union will support the performance ofpilot implementation projects led by the institutions and companies of theEuropean nuclear sector.

Measurement of training effectiveness

Actions are being carried out to measure the effectivenessof training. Worthy of mention in this respect is theimplementation by the Tecnatom Nuclear Trainingdepartment of front-line supervision actions in training, aswell as the establishment of indicators based on INPOaccreditation criteria, which will allow us to determinewhere we are and where we should be going.

The effectiveness of training should be assessed andmeasured. The training actions that come about as aresult of the need to improve performance are the mostappropriate for measurement, establishing indicators of theresults in the plant.

The first and most important thing is to identify shortcomings in the performance of the workers and confirm thatthey may be attributed to a lack of understanding and/or skills that may be dealt with through training. In theexample shown, a high percentage of the workers did not remove their protective clothing in accordance with theexpectations and procedure established for passage areas.

The aim is to establish an indicator capable of measuringa plant result before and after training and to observe theevolution of this indicator as a result of training. If thetraining action is effective, the improvement may beidentified, the result quantified and the cost of the trainingthereby determined. Shown below is an example of animprovement in results following a training action.

Analysis of references and proposal for the application of the continuous trainingprogrammes for instructors

Following the 2012 session, which included the participation of the training managers of all the Spanish nuclearpower plants, Tecnatom undertook an analysis of the continuous training programmes for instructors, with twoaims in mind:

Identification of the contents and duration of the continuous training programmes established by the nuclearindustry by means of an international sample.On the basis of the reference models of the international sample, drawing up of a proposal for the continuoustraining of the instructors at the Spanish nuclear power plants.

In view of the results, it may be concluded that themajority of the companies address continuous training inthe following manner:

Technical area

- The same training scheduled within thecycle of requalification of the personnel intheir area of specialisation in the plant.- Performance or observation of activitiesin the plant.

Training methodology and pedagogical skills.

In this respect, a proposal has been launched regarding a change in the certification requirements, structuringand characterising training at the plant and detailing the contents of the training for the instructors in their differentspecialities. A phase of adjustment is currently under way to relate the tasks subject to training in the plant and theirprocess of evaluation.

Progress of the agreement between INPO and Tecnatom

Particularly significant in 2012, within the framework of the agreement between INPO and Tecnatom, has been thetechnical exchange visit for the evaluation of the initial training programme for mechanical maintenance workers.

Participation in the INPO Accreditation Visits to US plants has also continued. Theyear 2012 included participation in two visits on technical programmes at theByron and Harris plants.

Byron NPP

There have been several participations by Tecnatom instructors in INPO seminars:

First Line Leadership SupervisorCertificaton Course (Instructor training)Operations Supervisor Professional Development

Other activities performed in 2012 within the framework of the agreement with INPO have been as follows:

Participation in and performance of a seminar for first-line supervisors at Cofrentes, Trillo and ANAVParticipation in and performance of seminars for Control Room Supervisors at ANAVEvaluation of non-technical training of Tecnatom instructors

New Advanced Training Tools In recent years Tecnatom has developed a set of advanced Training Tools within the framework of itstechnological innovation plans, based on the application of technologies and tools consolidated in both industrialenvironments and new generation teaching techniques. These new tools and environments imply drastic changes infuture initial and continuous training processes.

It should be stressed that to a large extent these developments have been fostered bythe development of simulation technology, which has adapted continuously to the needsof our clients and to the evolution of the technology. The new tools are able to operateconnected in real time with full-scope simulators or graphic simulators or in stand-alonemode (without connection with the simulation, with the autonomous execution ofpreviously defined exercises or lessons).

They also incorporate the capacity to be operated in web environments and different mobile devices.

The following may be singled out among the new teaching resources:

Immersive Virtual Reality tool connected to the full-scope simulator. This tool allows plant walkthroughs to besimulated by interacting with the different components in real time and incorporating dynamic feedback from thesimulator.

Severe Accidents simulator. This development has connected the MAAP severe accidents code to full-scopecontrol room simulators. The functionality of the application consists of using simulation data to stimulateemergency management support tools in order to facilitate the monitoring of emergencies through the displayof parameters critical to the evolution of the scenario, and the tracking of Severe Accident ManagementGuidelines showing the availability of equipment and strategies. The inclusion of severe accident modules intraining simulators was nominated as an “INPO strength” in 2012 (Monticello).

Virtual Panels simulator. This development consists of replicating the control roompanels by means of touch screens, such that the use of simulators may beextended to other stages of the training of licensed personnel and other groups.

As in the previous case, this type of developments was considered an “INPOstrength” in 2012 (Palo Verde).

3D display of thermohydraulic processes. A three-dimensional view of theNuclear Steam Supply System (NSSS) of a PWR reactor is developed, allowing thethermohydraulic phenomena occurring during normal operation and in complextransients to be displayed via a dynamic connection with the control room simulator.

Control Room Virtual Reality Applications. These simple applications providecandidates for an operating licence with a tool allowing them to become familiarisedwith the layout of the systems and instrumentation in the control room.

Although all these applications have been developed for use in initial and continuous training, their applications inother areas to improve the safe and efficient operation of the plants are self evident.