In order to prepare human resources for the first nuclear power project, Vietnam has sent experts to short term training courses abroad and permitted some universities to open nuclear energy faculties. However the future human resources seem to be shortage of experts while coming soon graduates from the nuclear field may fall in unemployment status because the plant has not yet been built.

In order to prepare human resources for the first nuclear power project, Vietnam has sent experts to short term training courses abroad and permitted some universities to open nuclear energy faculties. However the future human resources seem to be shortage of experts while coming soon graduates from the nuclear field may fall in unemployment status because the plant has not yet been built.

Vietnamese experts attend in a training course at Pak nuclear power plant in Hungary (Photo: SGGP)

According to a Ministry of Science and Technology’s report on the human resource demand of nuclear power field, about 1,300 people of bachelor’s degree or higher will directly work in the nuclear power field by 2020.

The plan on nuclear power development by 2020 needs 6,000 workers of bachelor’ degree and higher. Of these, universities will have to train about 5,000 experts and this training mission is a big challenge for them.

Because being unable to train experts for nuclear power plants, Vietnam has sent engineers and lecturers to South Korea, Russia, and Hungary to attend in short term training courses.

Dr. Tran Kim Tuan from the Hanoi University of Technology said that the nuclear power industry has not had policies to prepare the human resources including experts and lecturers for a long time. Those who are working in the field have improved their knowledge by self-study.

As a result, short term courses from six weeks to two months should be planned very carefully to achieve effectiveness, he added.

Since 2011, the Prime Minister has permitted six universities and a center to train experts for nuclear power engineering.

Dr. Vo Hong Hai, head of the nuclear power faculty from the Ho Chi Minh City University of Natural Science said that before the nuclear power plant was projected students had not liked to study the nuclear energy field because it had been very difficult for them to find a good job.

The Natural Science University began enrolling students in the filed since 2012 and has 15 students now. Most of them have expressed concern over employment after graduating because bachelors usually need 7-10 year experience to be able to operate unclear power plants, Dr. Hai added.

In addition, over 100 students following a nuclear power engineering course in Russia will return home by early 2016. They are the first people to be well schooled to work in the nuclear power plant. At that time, authorized agencies should help them seek jobs as the Ninh Thuan plant has not been built yet.