The EUTERP Platform – a project running from 2006 until 2009
A review of the status of radiation protection experts, carried out by the European Commission in 2002, revealed a considerable variation in the approaches of European countries to education and vocational training arrangements for radiation protection [1]. The review also indicated widely differing interpretations of the role and qualifications of the Qualified Expert. These findings were a cause of concern, indicating as they did differing views on the functions and training needs of radiation protection professionals - a situation that prevented a harmonised approach to training and inhibited the free movement of these professionals across the EU Member States. The review prompted the European Commission DG Transport and Energy in 2006 to initiate the formation of the Platform on European Training and Education in Radiation Protection (EUTERP).
- To remove obstacles for the mobility of Qualified Experts within the European Union through harmonisation of criteria and qualifications for, and mutual recognition of, such experts;
- To facilitate the transnational access to vocational education and training;
- To better integrate education and training into occupational radiation protection infrastructures in the member, candidate and associated States of the European Union.
The EUTERP project was led and managed by the Dutch nuclear research & consultancy group NRG, and overseen by a small steering committee containing several radiation protection experts and representatives from IAEA, IRPA, IFOMP and the EC. The Platform provided a forum for the discussion and resolution of issues linked to the objectives through annual workshops for interested participants.
The work carried out in the period 2006-2010 is described in detail in several Newsletters, which are archived under "newsletters" on this website.
[1] The Status of the Radiation Protection Expert in the EU Member States and Applicant Countries: Study on Education and Training in Radiation Protection. Radiation Protection Series of the European Commission, Issue No 133, 2003.
The EUTERP Foundation – a sustainable entity founded in June 2010
The EUTERP project formally ended in April 2009, having successfully developed and promoted a common understanding of the various expert functions in radiation protection. It also provided the forum for stakeholder discussion and the initial development work on the criteria for the recognition of RPEs and methodologies for mutual recognition. However, the need for a focal point for discussion and development of European training activities remains and with this in mind the EUTERP function is continuing under the banner of the EUTERP Foundation. The launch meeting of the EUTERP Foundation was held in Helsinki in June 2010.
The objectives of the Foundation are:
- to encourage and support harmonization of education and training requirements for RPEs, RPOs and radiation workers, facilitating the mobility of these professionals;
- to promote the integration of radiation protection education and training systems into general vocational training and education infrastructures; and
- to act as a central focus for the sharing of information on training events, standards, developments, and all other related information.