Eskom trains 100 students to ‘develop a robust nuclear operator pipeline’

The ability to operate a nuclear reactor is “scarce skill”‚ which Minister of Public Enterprises Lynne Brown said will be tackled by the 2016 Eskom Nuclear Operator Pipeline project.

Although only launched by Brown on Thursday‚ an Eskom statement said “about 100 young recruits started the flagship nuclear operator training programme at Koeberg Power Station” on May 1.

“Eskom’s Nuclear Project 100 will provide a platform for developing a robust nuclear operator pipeline for South Africa.” Said Brown.

“The programme‚ spanning five years‚ aims to build a path to ensure that there are sufficient local nuclear resources to service the country’s present and future nuclear needs. After the five-year period‚ trainees will qualify as nuclear plant operators or will enter related career equivalents.”

She assed that it was “inspiring…that approximately 95% of students are 35 years and younger‚ and about 40% are black females”.

Eskom Board chairperson Dr Baldwin Ngubane said the “training programme is geared towards ensuring that the South African youth who has aspirations to access a career path in nuclear has a chance at realising his or her dreams”.

The Eskom statement noted that “Koeberg is the only nuclear power station outside of the United States of America whose training programme is accredited with the National Academy of Nuclear Training‚ ensuring that our training programme is of a highest standard”.

The May intake “will provide a platform for developing a robust nuclear operator pipeline for Koeberg‚ Eskom and South Africa”. — TMG Digital