South Africa: AREVA signs key nuclear skills development agreements

2/29/2008
Press release

At a ceremony with French President, Nicolas Sarkozy and South African President, Thabo Mbeki, AREVA CEO, Anne Lauvergeon and NESCA CEO, Rom Adam, signed an agreement that will see AREVA's support for engineering and nuclear skills development extended and increased.

Training in nuclear competencies

 ARECSA Human Capital, a joint venture between AREVA and NECSA¹, will increase training in technology and energy of disadvantage South Africans, underlining the company's commitment to government's ASGISA and JIPSA initiatives.

Future cooperation between AREVA and NECSA also extends to the training of artisans through the NECSA Artisan Training Center and a Technical Training Center, which reopened this year to address the needs for artisans in the broader nuclear industry.

These agreements support AREVA's initiatives aiming at bridging the gap in nuclear skills necessary to build and maintain South Africa's Nuclear Program, such as:

Project Leaders program
The Project Leaders program that has already trained skilled South African engineers at the Sorbonne and AREVA University will be extended for a further five years, with more engineers benefiting from the training.

Partnership with North Western University (NWU)
This year, AREVA, in partnership with North Western University (NWU), will commence nuclear project management training at the university. The training targets at the SA nuclear industry executives and at NWU post-graduate students registered for nuclear engineering.

"Skills are critical if South Africa's nuclear industry is to succeed. Today we have extended our support to the Joint Initiative on Priority Skills Acquisition (JIPSA), and made another strong commitment to this vital area of the South African government's economic policy", Anne Lauvergeon said.

¹NECSA: Nuclear Energy Corporation of South Africa


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With manufacturing facilities in 41 countries and a sales network in more than 100 countries, AREVA offers customers reliable technological solutions for CO2-free power generation and electricity transmission and distribution. We are the world leader in nuclear power and the only company to cover all industrial activities in this field. Our 65,000 employees are committed to continuous improvement on a daily basis, making sustainable development the focal point of the group’s industrial strategy. AREVA’s businesses help meet the 21st century’s greatest challenges: making energy available to all, protecting the planet, and acting responsibly towards future generations.
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