Developing tomorrow’s leaders at Tianwan

At Tianwan nuclear power plant, we understand that the need to attract and retain young talent and develop their knowledge. It is crucial for the nuclear industry. We continually develop our internal training programmes to engage the young generation - as they are the future leaders of the industry.
 

For this reason, we created an onboarding programme for new employees to ensure they have the knowledge and skills to be successful nuclear professionals. Our training provides highly skilled and knowledgeable personnel for safe and reliable operations and to improve performance. This training encompasses plant-level safety training, nuclear power basic theory training, and rotation practice in production departments. The rotational practice allows personnel to take on a role in operations, maintenance, and instrument control departments to develop a deep understanding of the activities of each department. This develops an understanding of the effectiveness of the organisation in achieving cross-functional results in operational focus, and it promotes cooperation among departments after new employees enter the assigned post.

Each new employee or apprentice is trained by an assigned mentor after entering their role. Mentors are employees that have excellent performance, positive working attitude, rich professional knowledge and strong operating skills. They develop training plans for the more junior employees according to the requirements of the specific role. This development ensures that there is knowledge transfer between experienced workers and young professionals. 

In addition to gaining the skills to inspire and influences people to accomplish organisational goals, this training method allows the mentor to develop the apprentice’s skills in leadership and accountability through providing quarterly feedback of mentor-apprentice status. Gaining skills in developing reports to summarise the training status and develop or revise plan if necessary. The programme concludes with the apprentices undertaking a qualification examination to ensure their competence.

Mentorship allows personnel to collaborate to identify and implement targeted training solutions to improve knowledge and skills. Instructors build worker knowledge and familiarity by providing expanded opportunities for hands-on practice with plant equipment. Training and rotation practice facilitates networking between young nuclear professionals and experienced workers. This contributes to an effective nuclear safety culture with core values and behaviours that emphasise safety.

China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC) creates future leaders for safe and reliable operation of nuclear power plants, through networking, professional development, and knowledge transfer. Our future leaders personally coach, mentor, and reinforce standards that promote effective and continual improvement in worker performance.


Gao Haiyang

WANO Moscow Centre Representative at Tianwan nuclear power plant