Build your international expertise with a secondment at WANO
People Story
Vol 33 No 1 2023
16 November 2023
Majid AlMannaee, Chief Engineer at WANO Tokyo Centre is currently on a WANO secondment from ENEC, the owner of the Barakah nuclear power plant in the United Arab Emirates
In my experience, secondments provide professional growth in an individual’s nuclear career and add value to existing skill sets. They also enable you to form new networks and learn from other experiences, perspectives, and cultures. I have no doubt that when I return to ENEC after my secondment, the knowledge and experience I gain will contribute to maximising performance in my company.
"International cooperation goes beyond economics and politics, to include knowledge and management that represent real capital for all countries that seek to enhance their competitiveness and consolidate the sustainability of their development path.”
This saying is by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice -President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.
I consider him to be my role model as he has extensive years in leadership and has played a pivotal role in transforming the UAE into a leading nation in many fields.
He also has a well-known passion for horse racing. I would like to share a story that is related to this, as when I was finishing my interview with a panel at ENEC to be selected for my secondment, my CNO surprised me with an unexpected question, 'Why would I choose you?” At that moment I said the first thing that came in my mind: “If you choose me, you’re betting on the winning horse!”
And my question to you is if you have a top performer in your organisation, how do you know that your elite employees are winning horses? The best way to find out is to ask them to take part in the global race toward excellence, and this will be achieved by placing them on a secondment at WANO.
Now that I have completed more than a year and looking back, I believe that my secondment has created huge value to my skill set and competencies as a professional in the nuclear industry.
Secondments create value through exposure to global experience; working with distinct cultures and nations that own diverse nuclear technologies. It expands the individual’s skill set working in a multi-cultural environment.
It also forms international networks and creates opportunities for the secondee to contribute to the global nuclear community. The secondee will represent their parent company’s value towards excellence and be an ambassador embodying its leadership attributes.
And finally with all that value created the secondees when returning to their parent company will contribute to the safety operation and reliability of their plants.