Education and training needs in radiation protection

Education and training needs in radiation protection increase worldwide with expanding uses of ionizing radiation, more strict requirements and new fields of interest, such as environmental protection and natural radioactivity. Professional education and training is regulated and controlled by international recommendations and national standards, but there are still practices, such as dismantling remediation and disposal, which are not specifically covered; moreover harmonization has not yet been reached. Vocational education is practiced in high-level learning institutions, but the stagnation of nuclear power in many countries and the phobia of society for radiation are reducing the number of applicants. Social education and information is a basic human right difficult to achieve. The use of modern teaching tools and distance lea-ming will increase the efficiency of education and training Recent international conferences on education and training have analyzed in depth the needs and deeds of such endeavour. The IAEA has been making efforts to produce advanced teaching materials and has introduced the concept of teaching the. teachers to multiply efficiency it also has recognized the importance of native languages. The European Union is in the process of introducing harmonization among the member countries in the educational requirements for the qualified expert.