Agreement with Korea Hydro and NPC Regarding Higher Diploma Program for UAE Peaceful Nuclear Energy

13.03.11

The Institute of Applied Technology (IAT) and Korea Hydro and Nuclear Power Company (KHNP) today signed an agreement under which KHNP will provide comprehensive technical education and training services as part of the Abu Dhabi Polytechnic nuclear program to develop young Emiratis for careers in the UAE peaceful civil nuclear energy program.

The agreement was signed by Dr. Abdullatif Al Shamsi, the Institute of Applied Technology’s Managing Director, and Kim Jong-Shin, President and Chief Executive Officer of Korea Hydro and Nuclear Power Company.

The Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation and Korea Electric Power Corporation are also parties to the agreement in the presence of His Excellency Khaldoon Khalifa Al Mubarak, Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of Mubadala, Mohamed Al Hammadi, Chief Executive Officer of Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation and Choi Joong-kyung, Korean minister for knowledge economy.

“Human resource development is an essential part of the UAE’s nuclear energy program, and we are fortunate to have Korea Hydro and Nuclear Power as our partner in building a world-class program for the young people of the nation,” Dr. Al Shamsi said. “This program’s mix of classroom education and on-the-job training, taught by recognized experts in the field, will provide benefits for years and decades to come.”

The Higher Diploma Program in Nuclear Technology is a three-year, quarter-based program that will be administered by Abu Dhabi Polytechnic, in conjunction with IAT. Students will spend nine quarters in Abu Dhabi for instruction in math and science, humanities, and general and nuclear engineering. The students will spend approximately three quarters during the program at a Korea nuclear energy installation, where they will undergo plant-specific academic instruction and on-the-job training and work experience directed by KHNP.

In addition to the Higher Diploma, successful students will leave the program with technical qualifications for performing duties at the UAE nuclear energy plants. The curriculum for the Higher Diploma includes technical focus areas in nuclear reactor operation, chemistry, instrumentation and control, mechanical and electrical systems, and radiation protection. Graduates from the program will also be equipped to pursue higher education opportunities, as the program will be accredited by the UAE Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research.

The vision of Abu Dhabi Polytechnic is to create skilled professional technologists and engineers capable of performing at the highest international standards to build a knowledge-based economy in the UAE.

The Institute of Applied Technology (IAT) was founded in 2005 through Royal decree as a corporate body with full financial and administrative independence. Abu Dhabi Polytechnic was established by IAT and licensed in December 2010 by the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research to offer a dual educational-professional training system with multiple high-tech disciplines to produce technologists and engineers to serve the UAE industrial manpower required for Abu Dhabi Economic Vision 2030.