Nuclear sector set to power job market; hire 19,000 pros
Date: 29-Oct-2009
Even as engineering, as a career choice, is making a comeback after almost a
decade of being passed over for software, there is now anadded choice for
students, in nuclear technology.
With the government planning a
five-fold ramp-up in the existing nuclear power capacity by 2020 and a strong
interest by global majors to shift manufacturing operations to India, it is
estimated that the country would require about 2,000 trained nuclear engineers
every year to staff the increased capacity.
Currently, the number of
specialist nuclear post-graduates and PhDs from IITs and other universities is
only about 50 people every year. The supply is limited as only a few IITs
— Kanpur and Mumbai — the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore and
few other universities offer specialised courses. In addition, Nuclear Power
Corporation of India (NPCIL), the sole nuclear power generator in the country,
has a capacity to train 250 people annually, while the department of atomic
energy schools around 500-700 people every year.
“The existing
situation (for trained nuclear technologists) is stretched,” says L&T
board member MV Kotwal. “If BARC (Bhabha Atomic Research Centre) opens its
training facilities for non-BARC students also, it could help the
industry,” he added. L&T is spearheading the private sector’s
thrust into nuclear power generation. The government plans to add 20,000 mw of
nuclear power generation capacity by 2020, after India and the US jointly agreed
in May to cooperate on civil nuclear energy programme. India also signed a
similar agreement with France.
Additional trained manpower requirement for supporting proposed
nuclear power generation projects is in the range of 10,000 to 19,000 people
(based on the norm of 1 to 1.4 person per mw), says a recent
PricewaterhouseCoopers India report.
“The industry usually
hires and trains such professionals in-house,” says Kameswara Rao,
executive director, PricewaterhouseCoopers India. The attrition in this sector
is the lowest at about 3-5%, while it is as high as 10-12% in other streams of
engineering.
Adding to the demand for trained nuclear technologists
is the spate of joint ventures that were recently signed by L&T, Bhel, NPCIL
and others.
Posted By : Yogita Sharma
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