Your future in the Nuclear Industry
HEALTH & SAFETY NEXT GENERATION
NTEC
Your future in the Nuclear Industry
Postgraduate training that is personalised , flexible and taught by experts – that is what ’ s on offer from the Nuclear Technology Education Consortium ( NTEC ), whose unique course aims to create the UK ’ s next generation of nuclear experts , with the skills to secure a sustainable and safe nuclear industry .
Seven educational organisations in the UK who work together as the Nuclear Technology Education Consortium ( NTEC ), to support the UK nuclear energy programme . Established in 2005 after consultation with the nuclear industry , NTEC provides a wide choice of Master ’ s level course units for students with a science or engineering background , or relevant work experience , that are looking to enter the nuclear industry . The units are delivered in a short-course format of one-week duration that are suitable for full-time or parttime study . As well as the full Master ’ s option , students can also study for a PG Diploma ( eight units ) or PG Certificate ( four units ) or take individual modules for continuing professional development .
The units cover a broad range of topics including nuclear policy and regulation , decommissioning , environmental remediation , radiological protection and reactor physics and are therefore suitable for students with a wide range of backgrounds and career aspirations . We engage with our Industry partners to establish which new skills / units are required and we are looking at introducing three new units to the portfolio for 2024-25 ; Control & Instrumentation and
Functional Safety ; Tritium and the Fusion Fuel Cycle ; Primary Circuit Materials and Manufacturing .
Control and Instrumentation and Functional Safety covers the design , validation and verification , safety justification and assessment of C & I , focusing on its use in the nuclear industry . The unit spans topics from hazard identification and analysis , through the implementation of C & I systems , to the impact of developing technologies such as AI and quantum computing . Delivered by academic staff , industrial partners and former Office for Nuclear Regulation inspectors , the unit offers the chance to develop detailed knowledge of how C & I is applied in practice in the context of a functional safety process .
Tritium and the Fusion Fuel Cycle gives students an introduction to the growing nuclear fusion industry and the key tritium science and technology that underpins commercial fusion power . Tritium science is an inherently multi-disciplinary field , and this unit brings together nuclear physics , radiological protection , physical and chemical processing , and environmental impact considerations . It provides a wellrounded overview and enables learners to join the fusion industry with a solid understanding of the uses of tritium and its associated challenges . The unit includes experimental work and a guest lecture from the UK Atomic Energy Authority ’ s world-leading H3AT centre for tritium research .
Primary Circuit Materials and Manufacturing provides a comprehensive overview of the welding and cladding processes used in the fabrication of primary circuit components for pressurised water reactors . The unit starts from the physics of heat source-material interactions for the different processes used , moving through the metallurgy of welding and specific considerations for primary circuit materials . Links between manufacturing choices and throughlife structural performance are considered , as well as strategies for inspection and quality assurance . Case studies are used to demonstrate how the principles are applied in practice , as well as the issues that can occur .
With the consortium approach , students have access to a very wide range of academic and industry experts that provide challenging vocational modules but also support the students through their studies , in preparation for a career in the nuclear industry . Students are helped with the transition from university to industry by completing an industry-based project as the final part of their degree .
It ’ s an exciting time to join the nuclear industry .
For further information , please visit www . ntec . ac . uk
78 PECM Issue 67