From May 28th to May 30th, 2018, in Quy Nhon, the Vietnam Water Supply Associate (VWSA) organised the short-term advanced course “Operation of wastewater treatment plants and troubleshooting process”. Participants were more than 30 technicians, plant operators of Quy Nhon Urban Environment Joint Stock Company and new teaching staff of the College of Technology II (HVCT) in Ho Chi Minh City.

The advanced course focused on wastewater discharge regulations, Nitrogen and Phosphorous elimination, handling of malfunctions and errors in the process operation as well as operation of the equipment. During the training course, the participants spent one day on a fact-finding tour in Nhon Binh wastewater treatment plant and discussed current examples of operation and troubleshooting process. The study trip was a good chance for them to exchange knowledge and gain practical experiences.

This course is one of short-term training courses that the Vietnam Water Supply and Sewerage Association (VWSA) develops from basic to advance level. The objective is to provide operational technicians of wastewater treatment companies with practical knowledge of operational plant, operating drainage systems, maintenance and troubleshooting process plant control. These short-term training courses have received an increasing number of training orders from wastewater companies nationwide. This reflects the necessity and practicality of such courses in improving occupational skills, knowledge and competence of wastewater engineering technicians in a concise and effective way, thereby tackle the skilled labour shortage in the field. 

The training is held within the field of activity “TVET for Skilled Workforce in Wastewater Sector” as part of the Vietnamese-German Programme Reform of TVET in Viet Nam. The programme is implemented by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH together with the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs (MOLISA) on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development.