Whats Reactor Operator traing like?

[Higgs]

im in NLO training and im about to fail out only 2 months into it!!  its very hard!!

Sorry to hear that. What is your background, if I may ask?

Justin

[LaFeet]

All work and no play makes Paulie a dull boy.....

[Fermi2]

How the HECK does one fail out of NLO training in two months??

[jams723]

Wow, 2 months? Seriously?

[MacGyver]

I bet'cha it was an unofficial GFES program.  Some of the utilities are using their GFES training for fund'ies.  They (students) don't take the actual GFES exam but a put together (by their company training center) GFES test from past exams.  I can think of two utilities that do this in their NLO/SO/AUO programs.  And, of course its the first two to three months of non-licensed training.  YMWV ... I am just spit-ball-in here.

[Higgs]

Oh yeah good call. I remember talking to someone in NLO training that had to study the same GFES bank that license candidates study.

[Starkist]

How the HECK does one fail out of NLO training in two months??

we had 3 fail out at RBS within 2 months. Purely academic, and they were there for hours a day studying, came in on weekends. They just didnt "have it" upstairs.

[HydroDave63]

I blame the parents...that is, the utility. Start raising the minimum POSS score for interview and quit worrying about quotas, fail rate should come down. 
[/1MC]

[Starkist]

I blame the parents...that is, the utility. Start raising the minimum POSS score for interview and quit worrying about quotas, fail rate should come down. 
[/1MC]

but then hiring rate would come down :p



6 of one, half dozen of the other if you ask me... except one way is much cheaper....

[Fermi2]

Ok that was taken somewhat incorrectly. While I do find it hard to believe someone can fail out in 2 months it bothers me that from what I can see no one has done a analysis as to why. Face it, a lot of time and money was invested in the person up to this point. What can be done to recover them as that is the only way to recover your investment.

A story. When I was at Fermi a bunch of licensed operators, including myself, campaigned to get responsible nuclear experience to be defined to allow our Fire Ops guys and Deconners to be allowed to bid the job of NLO. Our reasons were simple, while that might not have the huge technical resume of a Navy guy they all knew how to read RWPS, understood our standards for procedure use, they could use commercial procedures, they knew how to get things done and from a practical aspect they'd be light years ahead of the Navy guys. Plus we all knew they were damn hard workers. I couldn't see why we were cutting out people who in many cases were ou go to guys. It seemed insane to me and others  that many of the deconners, who helped me move nearly 1.5 million gallons of lake water out of the plant WITHOUT a radwaste system could not be qualified to be NLOs. One of the best SMs I ever worked with, a guy named Kevin bit the bullet and made or definition match our needs. At the time Fermi was not giving the POSS due to a lawsuit. And face it, if a guy worked hard for you at 11 dollars an hour just think at what he'll do for 35 dollars an hour.

I believe we hired something like 12 deconners and fire ops guys along with a few Navy nukes. Navy nukes make excellent teachers.
So within 8 weeks we thought we made a mistake. The non traditional candidates were miring in a quagmire of failed scores and the Navy guys were passing but barely. There was some thought of just sending . The non traditional guys back to their old jobs. I was working over at training on a temporary assignment at the time so I asked if I and an industrial technologist could interview everyone and see if we could figure it out. We talked to the Navy nukes
and being Navy Nukes they were spending an inordinate amount of time helping their new buds. We asked with what? The answers were algebra and basic chemistry. Now we had a starting point.

Then we started reviewing the records of the non traditional candidates. Many hadn't had a math or science course in 18 to 20 years and we all know those are topics that are difficult to dust off in your 30s and 40s. After interviewing them and convincing them we were trying to save their jobs we found out that was exactly the problem. The solution was to let the Navy guys go to the plant for about 6 to 8 weeks while we did a slower theory basics course tailor made to the guys that stayed in class. Grades improved, we then integrated the Navy guys back int the class for the more advanced topics and everyone passed.

The Fire Ops and deconners were among the best operators we had at that facility when I left. I had 4 on my shift and they were literally studs and I had an uncommonly good group of NLOs (something I have been blessed with on every shift that I have had the privilege of running)

See my point though? I hate seeing what seems to be giving up on a person when in fact with some analysis most can be saved.

[Laundry Man]

Mike,
An RP Tech or two swapped also. 
LM

[hungryg]

sorry about the delayed response, been busy studying.  after 2 months i failed two tests in a row, each by one question.  So instead of actually studying for one test, i end up studying for 2(my remidiation exam plus the next exam).  It isnt that I dont know the info, I just dont test well.  My backround is as an electrician for the past ten years.  I have worked in a few different power houses as a contractor.  My last test I passed.  I just need to get my avg above 80%.  im in the high 70's right now.  The tests are on power plant fundamentals.  The exams are based on GFE's and are worded like them.  Needless to say, they are tricky.  The good news is that I, along with the other 9 NLO's, are getting the gist of things.  We have two ex navy guys so we ask them questions that the instructors weren't exactly able to make clear.  Im going to get through this training and i will be an RO one day.

[Fermi2]

Uh GFES isn't exactly worded in a tricky fashion. I have taken every GFES given since 2005 or so.

[jams723]

Uh GFES isn't exactly worded in a tricky fashion. I have taken every GFES given since 2005 or so.

I agree with Mike. It is worded to try and ensure you actually understand the material.

[Higgs]

I agree with Mike. It is worded to try and ensure you actually understand the material.

Not to mention the fact that they make the bank available. If nothing else, read it a few times and pick up the patterns.

[azezzo]

   We had an analogy for how difficult it was in systems, how much info,and how fast its presented.  Imagine you're driving through a town.  You go on the main street past 15 side streets, and then, once on the other side of town, I ask you... 3rd street, 5th house from the corner, left side.. What was the house number?  It's difficult, somefolks who have never failed at anything they've tried don't make it through.

   Hope that gives you a flavor of a year of class.

   

I am in quals as a Aux. systems operator at Knolls labs, was a carpenter for 21 years, had about 4 years off and on in nuclear plants, during refuel outages as a carpenter, They would like me to qualify in 6 months although the avg. here is about 8 months, I am 3 months into it, they do not really teach here, rather its about 90% self study and the rest is "run time" and check outs. I am told thats how the Navy does it. Most frustrating thing is that the 35 year old system manuals frequently are incorrect, either the system never worked as designed or was revised, and i am expected to learn the book as well as the system, both right and wrong info. I hear things will get better in a month or so when i start to take watches and get hands on exp. I wonder if its easier for a young kid to learn new matereal than an older guy with a wife , kids, mortgage, etc goin on. This is a great opportunity I have been given, some days i do not feel as smart as I thought I was.