OREANDA-NEWS. September 15, 2014. Hitachi-GE Nuclear Energy, Ltd. (Hitachi-GE) announced an agreement to continue until 2015 a series of nuclear engineering courses in Malaysia, aimed at developing international human resources for the nuclear power industry, which has been running jointly with the Tokyo Institute of Technology (TIT) in Southeast Asia since 2013. The agreement was concluded with each Malaysian university, The National University of Malaysia (located in Bangi, Selangor) and Universiti Tenaga Nasional (located in Kajang, Selangor).

Hitachi-GE intends to continue working toward the training of high-quality personnel through its active involvement in international human resource development programs.

A number of nations in Southeast Asia, including the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (Vietnam) and Malaysia, are planning the installation of new nuclear power plants. However, to ensure safety and improve the reliability of nuclear power generation, human resource development involving highly specialized education and training by universities and other centers of higher education, finding effective ways of transferring the technology and know-how built up by nations with experience in constructing and operating nuclear power plants to those nations that are planning to develop a nuclear power industry have become both an urgent and an important issue.

Hitachi-GE has been running international human resource development programs for the nuclear power industry in Southeast Asia since 2011, starting initially in Vietnam, and continuing in January 2013 in Malaysia, a nation that plans to introduce nuclear power generation in the 2020s. Three of these courses, which were held in Malaysia and taught by instructors from Hitachi-GE and TIT in Japan, have already been completed.

To build upon this ongoing collaboration in human resource development for the nuclear power industry, Hitachi-GE and TIT have reached agreements with two leading Malaysian universities, The National University of Malaysia and Universiti Tenaga Nasional, to continue running the courses until 2015. In conjunction with a signing ceremony, the fourth course will commence at Universiti Tenaga Nasional on September 22 with approximately 80 students, primarily those specializing in nuclear power at local universities and scientists from institutions involved in the field.

Hitachi-GE has a track record of its contribution in international human resource development for the nuclear power industry that includes establishing the “Global Nuclear Human Resource Development (Hitachi-GE Nuclear Energy)” course at the Department of Nuclear Engineering, Graduate School of Science and Engineering, TIT and internships for students of nuclear engineering at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

In collaboration with TIT, Hitachi-GE intends to continue working toward the training of high-quality personnel through its active involvement in international human resource development programs, with the aims of assisting with the adoption of nuclear power generation in Southeast Asia and ensuring the security of the energy supply.