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.
As of October 2018, WINS had over 5,000 members from such fields as private industry, nonprofit organisations, academia, law enforcement, government agencies and national laboratories.
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About WINS[edit]
WINS was launched on 29 September 2008 at the 52nd General Conference of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Vienna, Austria. The purpose of creating the organisation was to provide an international forum in which to share and promote the implementation of best security practices among those with responsibilities for managing the security of nuclear and other radioactive material.
WINS was legally formed as an Austrian Association in October 2008, and its offices opened in Vienna and 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 that provides strategic direction and corporate governance and is led by an Executive Director, who is supported by a small international staff chosen for their experience.
Vision: All nuclear and other radiological materials and facilities are effectively secured by demonstrably competent professionals applying best practice to achieve operational excellence.
Mission: To be the leader in knowledge exchange, professional development and certification for nuclear security management.
Membership: WINS accepts applications for membership from organisations and individuals that have accountabilities for nuclear security and that share WINS' commitment to identifying and implementing best security practices. 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. WINS currently receives funding support from governments, foundations and corporations involved in nuclear security.
Quality Management: WINS's Quality Management System has been certified compliant with ISO 9001:2015 and with ISO 29990:2010.
Services[edit]
Workshops, Training Courses, Round-Tables & Webinars[edit]
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[edit]
Launched in 2014, the WINS Academy is the world’s first international certification programme for nuclear security management. The programme is based on a core philosophy that views security as a fundamental aspect of risk management and corporate reputation.
The programme is offered as a self-study course that takes place completely online. 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 that is practitioner-focused, hands-on, cross-functional and immediately useful.
Once participants complete a module, they sit for 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. As the world’s largest testing and assessment provider, Pearson provides over 5,100 accrediting test centres in 180 countries around the world.
Knowledge Centre[edit]
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[edit]
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[edit]
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.
Consequently, the organisation recently launched a Gender Champions Programme that includes such initiatives as:
- · Increasing scholarships for women to participate in WINS events and the WINS Academy professional development certification programme.
- · Ensuring gender balance among expert presenters at WINS events and training courses.
- · Implementing an extensive research project on gender equality in nuclear security.
- · Becoming an active member of International Gender Champions.
More information about this programme can be found at: WINS Gender Champions in Nuclear Security Programme
International Support and Collaboration[edit]
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.
