Contents
Digitalization is changing the construction complex and the functional content of the profession of a builder, including in the nuclear industry. Specialists master record volumes of new tasks, and university education is not enough for this
About the expert: Gennady Sakharov, Director for Capital Investments, State Construction Supervision and State Expertise of Rosatom. Curator of the “Industrial Center for Capital Construction” of the state corporation, president of the National Association of Consulting Engineers in Construction (NAICS).
Rosatom State Corporation ranks first in the world in terms of foreign orders for the construction of nuclear power units. As of the end of 2020, the portfolio includes 35 power units in 12 countries. Three more power units are being built in our country. In total, the construction program of Rosatom for 2020 includes more than 500 projects.
How the industry is transforming
The construction complex of the nuclear industry is one of the largest in our country. Rosatom’s annual capital construction program today exceeds 600 billion rubles, and by 2022 it will more than double. Such growth requires constant development – not only quantitative, but also qualitative.
Moreover, many of our hundreds of projects are innovative. For example, the Multipurpose Fast Research Reactor (MBIR) on fast neutrons, which we are building in the Ulyanovsk Region. Today it is the most modern nuclear reactor in the world.
Over the past five years, we have implemented a whole range of new IT solutions. In particular, we launched an industry-specific capital construction program management system based on a digital platform. It helps to more clearly build business processes and distribute roles and functions among all their participants.
Thanks to it, you can determine the cost of construction megaprojects at any stage of the life cycle and manage the price and timing during implementation.
Most of Rosatom’s projects have already switched to digital building modeling and the use of BIM models (Building Information Modeling). This makes it possible to timely identify all the inconsistencies made at the design stage, quickly plan and control the construction progress. By the way, the project documentation for MBIR was also prepared in the form of an information model.
How the requirements for specialists are changing
Digitalization has affected many technologies and processes in the construction industry. The functional content of the profession of a builder has changed a lot, including in the nuclear industry.
Employees need new competencies, primarily in those areas that have already been completely changed by digitalization. So, to create BIM models today, multidisciplinary specialists who can work with different software are needed.
Another example is project management. In this area, specialists with cross-functional knowledge are needed. They must understand contract models, understand engineering, and manage cost.
As our order book is constantly growing, construction project managers are under enormous pressure. For some areas, the volume and novelty of tasks become record-breaking.
Thus, the already mentioned TCM NC has transformed business processes in the field of construction management. Accordingly, employees must have the appropriate competencies and terminology, be able to use the system. There are few such specialists in the world, and even more so in our country.
We plan to develop not only construction projects, but also the export of services, which is associated with complex intellectual products. And this also changes the requirements for personnel. On the one hand, the competencies of a materials scientist, engineer, and designer now fit in one specialist. On the other hand, there is a subset of new specialties that need to be mastered.
How we develop competencies
Changes in the industry are happening faster than universities have time to update programs. Moreover, specialized university education is often not enough.
Therefore, in 2014, the National Association of Consulting Engineers in Construction (NAICS) began to be created in our country. Two years later, she received the status of a full member of the relevant international association FIDIC. Then, on the basis of NAICS, the Russian branch of the international professional organization buildingSMART was created.
Through training and certification programs based on these associations, we comprehensively develop the competencies of builders. In fact, NAICS is becoming the main platform in our country for the training of engineering personnel in accordance with international standards in the field of information modeling (buildingSMART) and engineering consulting (FIDIC).
Training centers for buildingSMART programs were created on the basis of Moscow State University and Peter the Great University in St. Petersburg. About a hundred employees of the Rosatom construction complex have already been trained and become the first certified specialists in our country. And recently, colleagues from the transport industry and the countries of the Eurasian Economic Union joined the work.
Such programs are needed primarily by those who work abroad or with foreign companies in our country.
After training, specialists become more in demand both in the domestic and international markets. In turn, companies increase efficiency and build reputation by having certified experts.
In parallel, we are launching our own training programs for managers and specialists. And recently, on the basis of MGSU, the Institute for Engineering and Construction of Nuclear Facilities (IIS OIAE) was opened. It will train builders who are ready to apply innovative solutions at all stages of the creation of nuclear facilities – from design and engineering to decommissioning. The institute has already begun accepting applications for training in 2021.
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