World Institute for Nuclear Security

The World Institute for Nuclear Security (WINS) is an international non-governmental membership organisation located in Vienna, Austria. Its mission is to be the leader in knowledge exchange, professional development and certification for nuclear security management. In this capacity, WINS focuses on the operational level of licensees, regulators and other similar stakeholders rather than on the State level (which is the remit of the International Atomic Energy Agency).

To carry out its mission, WINS provides a wide variety of services that focus on four major areas: 1) workshops and training, 2) the WINS Academy, 3) a Knowledge Centre and 4) Evaluation. In this capacity, WINS has published over 36 International Best Practice Guides and numerous special reports. It also conducts workshops, training courses and round-tables around the world and offers evaluation services that help licensees of nuclear and other radioactive material assess the maturity of their security programme and measure the results. The WINS Academy provides professional training and certification for people with nuclear security responsibilities.

In October 2018, WINS had over 5,000 members from such fields as private industry, nonprofit organisations, academia, law enforcement, government agencies and national laboratories.

About WINS

WINS was launched in 2008[1] at the 52nd General Conference of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Vienna. The organisation was to provide an international forum to promote best security practices among those who manage the security of radioactive material.

WINS was legally formed as an Austrian Association in October 2008, and it started operation in January 2009. In September 2010, the organisation was granted International Non-Governmental Organisation (INGO) status by the Austrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Structure: WINS has a Board of Directors and it is led by an Executive Director, who is supported by a small staff.

Vision: All nuclear and other radiological materials and facilities are effectively secured by demonstrably competent professionals applying best practice.

Mission: To be the leader in knowledge exchange, professional development and certification for nuclear security management.

Membership: Organisations and individuals that have accountabilities for nuclear security. Membership is free of charge.

Funding: WINS was established by foundation grants from the Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI), the US Department of Energy, the Norwegian Government and the Canadian Government. Subsequently, the United Kingdom Foreign and Commonwealth Office (UK FCO) and the US State Department (Partnership for Nuclear Security or “PNS”) also pledged their support.

Quality Management: WINS's Quality Management System has been certified compliant with ISO 9001:2015 and with ISO 29990:2010.

Services

Workshops, Training Courses, Round-Tables & Webinars

WINS hosts a variety of workshops, training courses, round-tables and webinars annually in locations around the world. (Over 80 workshops have taken place since 2009.)

All of these professionally moderated events use innovative, hands-on methods–from brief presentations by subject matter experts to small group exercises and interactive polls–that actively engage participants in their own learning. Such approaches not only increase participants’ knowledge and skills, but they also provide the opportunity for participants to network with each other while sharing best practices and lessons learned.

In addition, WINS pioneered the use of theatre in nuclear security training.

WINS Academy
Rhonda Evans leads the academy

Launched in 2014, the WINS Academy is the world's first international certification programme for nuclear security management. The programme views security as a fundamental aspect of risk management and corporate reputation. It is lead by Rhonda Evans.[2]

It is offered as an on-line self-study course. It consists of a Foundation Module plus nine electives. All participants must first enrol in the Foundation Module; they can then select the elective of their choice. Modules use a problem-based approach to learning.

Once participants complete a module, they sit a proctored exam. Those who successfully pass the examinations for both the Foundation Module and the elective module become WINS Certified Nuclear Security Professionals (CNSPs). They also receive access to the WINS Academy Alumni Network, which enables them to benefit from continued professional development.

All certification exams are delivered in partnership with Pearson Vue.

Knowledge Centre

WINS publishes numerous documents on the management of nuclear and other radioactive material. These include 36 international best practice guides, numerous special reports and peer review guidelines, as well as presentations and summaries from all workshops. All of this information is available to members for free in the Knowledge Centre.

Evaluation

WINS offers a variety of evaluation services and tools. For example, all International Best Practice Guides include practical self-assessment questionnaires directed at such stakeholders as the board, executive management, security directors and regulators. They also include a Security Management Maturity Scale consisting of five different levels of organisational achievement for security. When stakeholders benchmark where they fall on this scale, they are able to identify possible gaps in their security infrastructure and provide a starting point for improvement.

Upon request, WINS carries out employee surveys and conducts peer reviews on security culture. The organisation is currently collaborating with the World Association of Nuclear Operators (WANO) to learn more about their approach to peer review in nuclear safety and operations. The goal is to identify best practices that could be applied to corporate review of security management, assess security culture, and help organisations identify areas where management attention is needed.

Gender Champions Programme

WINS is committed to gender parity in relation to the hiring, promotion and recognition of women in the field of nuclear security. It seeks to ensure gender mainstreaming, whose goal is to increase the representation of women as subject matter experts, trainers and leaders in nuclear security at the programme level. Unfortunately, women are under-represented in the nuclear security field. In fact, WINS currently assesses the level of women's participation in nuclear security at around 20%. This figure is consistent with the level of female participation in the WINS Academy as well as with the number of certified nuclear security professionals who have graduated from WINS programmes.

The organisation launched a Gender Champions Programme that includes:

  • ·        Scholarships for women to participate in WINS events and the WINS Academy professional development certification programme.
  • ·        Ensuring gender balance among presenters at WINS events and training courses.
  • ·        Implementing a research project on gender equality in nuclear security.
  • ·        Becoming an active member of International Gender Champions.

International Support and Collaboration

WINS works closely with the IAEA to promote the Agency's work on nuclear security. It also seeks to ensure that all Academy modules and International Best Practice Guides are aligned with the IAEA's international guidance and recommendations.

At the March 2016 Nuclear Security Summit in Washington, D.C., 12 countries signed a Gift Basket on Certified Training in which they committed to support the WINS Academy in its efforts to expand its international certification programme. They also agreed to promote cooperative efforts between the WINS Academy and the IAEA. By signing this Gift Basket, Canada, Finland, Hungary, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Thailand, the United Kingdom, and the United States expressed their support for the commitments in INFCIRC/869 and acknowledged the international recognition of the need for nuclear security training, education, certification and/or qualification activities. Since then, additional countries have committed support, including Jordan, Malaysia and Romania.

See also

References
  1. "World Institute of Nuclear Security (WINS) | Preventing Nuclear Terrorism through Collaboration & Education | NTI". www.nti.org. Retrieved 2020-06-14.
  2. "Rhonda Evans | The Brussels Binder". brusselsbinder.org. Retrieved 2020-06-14.
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