Training The Agency's Safeguards Staff During A Global Pandemic

Every year, the Section for Safeguards Training develops, coordinates, and implements safeguards related training for staff at the Agency. The safeguards training programme focuses on basic and specialized safeguards related concepts, methods, practices, and techniques for an already highly qualified echelon of individuals from diverse professional backgrounds. Careful consideration and meticulous forethought go into planning and implementing effective training and learning opportunities aligned with the core and functional competencies of safeguards staff. The COVID-19 global pandemic challenged the training section’s ability to deliver safeguards staff training as initially planned, but with new opportunities provided by remote learning technology combined with a blended learning approach, the Section for Safeguards Training was able to continue to implement staff training and meet the Agency’s mission objectives. This paper elucidates the current programme provided to safeguards staff. Safeguards training prepares staff members for their job responsibilities and implementation of IAEA safeguards to verify that States are honouring their international legal obligations to use nuclear material and technology for peaceful purposes only. Staff members follow a learning path starting from basic introductory knowledge to more enhanced training that focuses on, for example, specific safeguards measures, new technologies or safeguards approaches. This paper also describes the new tools and resources introduced to implement staff training during a global pandemic. The inability to meet in-person or travel to nuclear facilities for training caused the Section to innovate and develop a new strategy for safeguards training.