By Kim Tae-gyu

After securing a mega-sized nuclear contract with the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Korea is pushing to form a closer partnership with the Middle Eastern country including providing education to foster a highly skilled workforce.

A total of 48 UAE students from the Institute of Applied Technology (IAT) as well as Khalifa University of Science, Technology and Research have recently finished a month-long training session on nuclear facilities.

Korea Electric Power Corp. (KEPCO)
expects that such programs will accelerate the collaboration between the two countries in nuclear power generation in connection to the $20 billion contract.

During the waning days of 2009, KEPCO clinched the mammoth deal with the UAE under which the state-run agency will build four nuclear reactors by 2020 along with other Korean construction corporations.

''Many of the students will become the main operators of the UAE nuclear reactors in the future. We plan to hold a training session like this every year,'' KEPCO spokesperson Kim Hye-lim said.

''Most of them were happy with the education about our nuclear power station or the on-site training, which will take charge of the UAE facilities.''

Kim said that the month-long session is not only about technological education but also cultural exchange ― the UAE students had a good chance to learn and experience Korean traditions and customs.

''The UAE delegates loved the home-stay programs so that they could personally experience the daily lives of Korean people,'' Kim said.

''For example, they sat crossed-legged on the floor for a meal and tried the country's representative food of kimchi even though they were instantly taken aback due to its spicy taste.''

Korean pupils at Sudo Electric Technical High School were also helping hands as they looked after the UAE students under a buddy program.

Starting in September in 2011, KEPCO and IAT is also poised to open a specialized three-year course on nurturing skilled staff, who will play a crucial role in operating the UAE nuclear reactors once they are finished being built.

Korea does not produce a drop of oil, and meets up to 40 percent of its power demand via nuclear energy. Asia's fourth-largest economy is dramatically wading into the expanding global nuclear market in the post-fossil fuel era.