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Assessment Data

Applied Technology Skills

To work in the field of nuclear energy technology, individuals need to understand the basic principles of four areas of applied technology: mechanics, thermodynamics, electricity, and fluid dynamics. However, the skills needed to apply these basic principles focus on reasoning rather than math. Typically, individuals do not need to make mathematical calculations or use formulas to solve applied technology problems.

When individuals master the necessary skills required to apply the basic principles of technology in their jobs, they can:

• Analyze a problem by identifying the problem and its parts.
• Decide which parts of a problem are important.
• Decide on the order to follow when dealing with the parts of the problem.
• Apply existing tools, materials, or methods to new situations.

Entry level applied technolgy skills required for jobs in the nuclear technology field must accommodate the following:

• Systems that are moderately complex or advanced, which may involve two or more simple tools or systems that affect each other, or a complex system that includes several components;
• Systems that perform somewhat complex operations and generally have more than ten components;
• Systems that involve two or three variables and may require use of technical knowledge;
• Extraneous information that is often included;
• Technical terms that may be explicitly defined or their meaning can be implicit in context and illustrations;
• The operation of moderately complex tools and diagnostic equipment, choosing the best tool for the task;
• The operation of complex machines and systems;
• The application of two or more principles of technology as they interact in moderately complex systems;
• Moderate and advanced problem solving;
• The ability to recognize and disregard extraneous information in order to eliminate physical symptoms that do not lead to the source of a problem, and to use clues that do lead to the source of a problem;
• The ability to identify the best solution after eliminating other unsuitable possibilities.

Performance level applied technology skills required for jobs in the nuclear technology field must accommodate the following:

• Advanced or complex tools or systems with more than ten components;
• Large amounts of information and a variety of possible problem sources that are subtle and difficult to diagnose;
• The use of technical knowledge;
• Considerable extraneous information;
• Technical terms that may be explicitly defined or their meaning may be implicit in complex context and illustrations;
• The understanding of the operation of complex tools and diagnostic equipment, choosing the best tool for the task;
• The understanding of the operation of complex machines and their components;
• The application of two or more principles of technology as they interact in complex systems;
• Advanced problem solving where a variety of mechanical, electrical, thermal, or fluid faults could be the reason for the problem;
• The ability to recognize and disregard extraneous information in order to eliminate physical symptoms that do not lead to the source of a problem, and to use clues that do lead to the source of a problem;
• The ability to test possible hypotheses to ensure the problem is diagnosed correctly and the best solution is found.