Ten UAE National students have returned to the UAE from South Korea after successfully graduating from an eight-week nuclear energy internship program, organized by the Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation (ENEC), in partnership with the International Nuclear Graduate School (KINGS), a subsidiary of the Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO).
The 10 undergraduate students from Khalifa University (KU) gained valuable hands-on experience, completed intensive training on nuclear energy systems and received an introduction to Korean culture.
The second edition of the internship program, which commenced in 2016 with the successful graduation of the first batch of 10 Emirati students, sought to nurture students’ academic knowledge while simultaneously providing them with experience in the form of on-the-job training. The program is the result of ENEC and its subsidiary Nawah Energy Company’s commitment to developing UAE National capabilities in nuclear energy and STEM subjects through education, training and scholarships programs, in line with the Abu Dhabi Plan and UAE Centennial 2071.
The UAE National students visited and have been trained at some of Korea’s leading science research centers and industrial parks, as well as the country’s most advanced nuclear energy plants. The students also enjoyed learning about Korean culture during several weekend tours of Busan and Daejeon.
The internship program was organized by ENEC and Nawah together with KEPCO, Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP), Korea Plant Service & Engineering (KPS), KEPCO Nuclear Fuel (KNF), KEPCO Engineering & Construction (KEPCO E&C), KHNP Global Training Center (GTC), KINGS and the South Korean Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MoTIE), Korea Nuclear Association (KNA), Shin Hanul 1&2 Nuclear Power Plant Construction Site, KHNP Central Research Institute (CRI), KEPCO Research Institute (KEPRI).
The students began their journey on the KINGS campus in Ulsan, Korea where they took part in a series of nuclear energy familiarization courses, before commencing with on-the-job training at a variety of research facilities, nuclear energy plants and institutions around South Korea. The program was designed to not only give the students onsite experience but also introduce them to key organizations in the nuclear industry.
ENEC and Nawah offer a wide range of scholarships, training and education programs for UAE Nationals, which include undergraduate, postgraduate and vocational courses spanning every aspect of the nuclear energy industry.