France

The size of the French nuclear power programme has forced EDF to set up within a period of a few years training system enable all nuclear power plant personnel to perform their job within the international safety and quality requirements. From the launching of the first plants, training has been

recognized as a safety related activity. As such, the standard quality assurance programme has been applied to training of nuclear power plant personnel from the beginning

5.7.1. Initial aims of the EDF training system

First, the training system had the role of providing a mass schooling accessible for all nuclear power plant personnel. The strategic choice to man the first nuclear power plants with personnel coming from the fossil generation side of the company made the training system a huge technical school. At the same time as training was providing nuclear power plant personnel with basic education elements, it also provided them with a social cohesion, a specific nuclear culture.

The second aim of the training system had to provide nuclear power plant personnel with knowledge and skills to allow them to acquire the competencies necessary to hold the job. It was a tremendous effort, involving a huge amount and diversity of scientific, technological and procedural knowledge requirements for all operation and maintenance positions.

The third aim or function was to reassure a number of groups: the company, the personnel, the government and the public. The huge dimension of the training system was then a guarantee for high qualification and therefore for a good level of nuclear safety.

The last function is related to the bound any existing between training and job appointment, training was used for recognition of a given qualification which then legitimated the change in job through promotion. As the programme accelerated, vertical job movement called for more training which thus became the control device of the internal job market.

5.7.2. Training organization

Despite all technological and managerial changes or mutations, the training organization stayed the same for a little more than 15 years This can be read at two levels.

57.2.1. The formal organization

The first level is that of a mass schooling system, training was the essential part of a systematic approach to personnel management. There was a strong will to cover in all domains all the different fields of knowledge. Safety does not allow any gap in the personnel qualification. Thus training was for all. The Nuclear Generation Division had become a teaching organization where each job position is held in direct relation with the knowledge and skills that the incumbent has demonstrated at a given time and which could be documented through the training system. The validation of knowledge legitimated the job appointment which gave the rank m the division hierarchy scale as well as m the local society.

The necessary knowledge- scientific, technological and procedural — most of it external to the company, was instilled through self-contained training modules listed in a training catalog 18% of the division payroll was devoted to training during for all these years.

At this time SAT had not yet been formalized and recognized world-wide as the best practice m nuclear power plant personnel training Nevertheless, it is believed that EDF was using SAT, or a similar quality assurance system, without calling it SAT Indeed, the approach was encrusted into the Nuclear Quality Manual and comprised the following phases: problem identification, needs analysis, design and development, implementation, evaluation and feedback.

3.7.2.2. The non-organized training

The success of the French nuclear power programme cannot be exclusively attributed to formal training, although its huge development in terms of quantity and quality has been one of the main criteria.

In informal and non-structured ways, competence of nuclear power plant personnel has been constructed in direct relation to the day-to-day work. Owing to strong team spirit, self-training and eagerness to comprehend the machine from job activities, first during construction and then start-up, knowledge acquisition occurred through direct contact with equipment. It was not only knowledge but knowledge and skills enabling personnel to perform, actions; it was actual competence.

The development of this informal training was possible because all conditions were favorable, in particular the work climate in all nuclear power plant work teams. The future offered equal opportunities to all and inter-individual competition practically did not exist. Furthermore, in the control room, dialogue and collective reflection before action were usual attitudes. It is worth noting that nuclear power plant personnel spent as much time in training themselves or training colleagues as in producing electricity!

The informal system was reinforcing the formal one and vice-versa. It was a dual system in synergy in which everyone shared knowledge as well as limitations, gaps and questions.

The success of the acquisition of high qualification and team competencies is to be found in the synergy between the quality of the systematic training modules and the good conditions in work teams.

5.7.2.3. Organization effectiveness

With a historical perspective, it is striking to note the good match between the training systems then in place and the four aims/functions that it was set to achieve. It is the main reason of its duration, whereas training practices evolved greatly in all other fields of activities. The system was pertinent and effective from both the points of view of the company and of the individuals.

5.7.3. Changes

The key-words of the changes in the environment could be:

• From a pioneer area to industrial reality

• An increase in the international pressure on nuclear safety

• An increase in procedural work

• An emphasis on management and more reporting

• An economic crisis triggering uncertainty about the enterprise future

• A general career development plateau

• An aging of installations and personnel.

5.7.4. The local system of development of competencies

Several favorable conditions have disappeared along with several internal drives. External and internal pressures on safety have increased asking not for more knowledge or skills but competencies.

Professionalism is the master word, formal training had to change. Self-contained training modules could be maintained but had to be used in a more dynamic manner:

• More mdividualization to take into account the diversity of personnel.

• Still more field quality.

• A better integration between training and personnel management. Training has now to be thought of not only as a necessary step to promotion but firstly, as a necessary step to adapt and acquire pertinent background for new competencies of new trades and of new jobs.

• A better integration between training and work, to progress toward a "learning organization".

A number of nuclear power plant employees have not only acquired knowledge and skills but have also produced new ones, often without their complete awareness. These people will then participate in training not for more knowledge but for assistance to identify, formalize and circulate their own experience.

5.7.5. SAT in EDF

SAT has been integrated into the existing training system which has itself evolved according to the new needs mentioned above The main difference between the EDF system and the initial SAT was the methodology used to define any job needs.

For historical reasons, the EDF training system has evolved towards a needs analysis through what it is now called a job competencies analysis (JCA). This methodology by itself has also evolved as experience accumulated.

All nuclear power plant jobs have been progressively analysed using JCA and to each of them a

"referentiel metier" or job reference frame, was associated. Activities, competencies, performance level required and associated knowledge, skills and attitude are listed in interrelation. This analysis phase is performed through table top investigation during meetings between job experts, experienced job incumbents, trainers and human resources corporate experts. Such an analysis requires typically less than 50 person-days for a job family. From the associated knowledge, skills and attitudes learning objectives can then be derived.

5.7.6. Role of regulator

The French safety authorities are attached to two ministries, the Ministry of Industry and Ministry of Environment An external body provides for technical support and expert opinion.

The Safety Authority body delivers plant operations authorizations. It is in charge of drawing all general safety objectives. It verifies conformance with all legal requirements as well as effective implementation of all arrangements agreed upon.

EDF Nuclear Generation Division is responsible for overall nuclear power plant safety. It makes proposals on how to meet the safety objectives. It must thus take all arrangements to assure safety of all nuclear power plants in all functioning modes. It must also prove and document that those arrangements are within safety requirements.

The Safety Technical Support body assesses EDF proposed arrangements and documentation It also prepares the technical file for decision.

Concerning training of nuclear power plant personnel specifically, EDF is responsible for the whole process from personnel recruitment to individual nuclear safety authorization delivery.

Training is only a part of this process.

The safety authorities verify the pertinence of all training programmes and the fulfilling of qualifications requirements of all trainers.

5.7.7. Experience gained through the introduction and use of SAT

As mentioned earlier the introduction of SAT had rather been a rewording of an existing system rather than a revolution in the way training was conducted. JCA has been developed and more formalized to meet international standards. Other countries have now preferred the JCA approach to the more conventional JTA approach, and thus confirmed EDF in its initial choice.

Training as such is slowly transforming into a more individual-targeted system of competence development. The aim is twofold: helping the person to develop the competencies needed to hold the job of today as well as of tomorrow and, at the same time, providing the facilities and conditions for work teams to develop collective competencies. It is believed that the use of SAT with the JCA approach is the best way to achieve this endeavor.

5.7.8. How SAT based training programmes are maintained 5.7.8.1. Principles

The top management of the Nuclear Generation Division finalized the above analysis into four principles:

• A global view and forecast of training needs centralized by corporate departments, each of them responsible for a domain: safety, management, radiation protection and security, maintenance, operation, engineering, etc.

• A transitory phase to go from a initial mass training to a system of development of individual competencies

• Manager responsibility for using training as a tool to develop their personnel competencies

• An efficient control of all the training chain with a national steering committee and a recognized partner as our lead contractor.

5.7.8.2. Corporate responsibilities

The different corporate departments are grouped into the Corporate Resources Division (MCP).

Ownership responsibility is shared between the 20 nuclear power plants and MCP. It concerns:

• Identification of job family evolution in terms of new competencies to be acquired and perspective about the impact of technology on specific jobs

• Training needs in terms of competencies

• Conformance between training end-results and what was expected.

The strong will to involve all managers in the training process and the high priority given to the maintaining of knowledge and the development of competencies imply that the ownership responsibility is shared between the local and corporate levels.

• MCP is in charge of the initial training, the implementation of national orientations and training actions needing large resources:

- initial acquisition of basic knowledge - job family and trades evolution

- accident conditions training (simulator policies) - national feedback experiences incorporation - SAT methodology dissemination

- development of national expertise.

• Within each department a small unit has the responsibility to manage job networks in order to disseminate valuable experiences and to relate training to the actual everyday work.

• Within MCP, the Management Support Department (DAM) is in charge of the overall co-ordination of training (methodology coherence, consolidated budget, international training relations, general relations with the internal contractor, in particular for trainer appointments, etc.).

578.3 Site responsibilities

Sites are in charge of the adaptation of training to individuals and implementation of the quality control process:

• Definition of competencies to be acquired and choice of corresponding means

• Control for sat methodology conformance

• Local feedback experiences incorporation.

Each site has the full responsibility for its local training programmes and may call upon the national contractor or external firms.

5.784. Organization

Coherence is achieved through the site local training plan constructed within a 3-year strategic national framework set by top management.

Permanent work groups (GMF), one per corporate department, are implemented with the assignment to act as a validation and control body

A national co-ordination group (IFN) is in charge of all strategic orientations concerned with training for the Nuclear Generation Division. It is the official link between the owner and the internal contractor and is the decision level.