During October – November 2016, 115 employees of service operators in the field of water supply and sanitation (WSS) will take part in three training modules on the operation of WSS systems, organised within the ‘Capacity Building of WSS operators National Programme’. Employees of utility companies’ customer service departments, selected by ‘Moldova Apa-Canal’ (AMAC) Association, beneficiaries of regional development projects financed from the National Fund for Regional Development (NFRD) and ‘Modernization of Local Public Services in the Republica Moldova’ Project, representatives of Ministries and Governmental Agencies, as well as of Regional Development Agencies (RDA) will take part in the trainings.
The modules were selected by AMAC and institutionalized through the Institute of Continuous Education in the field of Water Supply and Sanitation within the Technical University of Moldova (TUM). The first module was launched today, 25 October 2016 in Chisinau and focuses on national and international legislation in the field of WSS operators’ customer services. The second module (on 26 October) will address the technical aspects in relations with customers, and the third one (on 27 October) will refer to the contracting procedure for WSS public service delivery.
At the kick-off event, Alexandru Muravschi, GIZ National Senior Advisor in Policy Coordination on Regional Development noted that: ‘GIZ support is in providing methodological expertise for the development of study programmes and manuals, training new methods of continuous education, developing the quality of teaching, training of trainers and training of water supply and sanitation operators’ representatives based on best practices used in EU countries. Also, in 2017-2018, GIZ will provide support for the development and implementation of other 6 training modules’.
Iurie Nistor, executive director of AMAC, thanked GIZ for the support and assistance provided and underlined that: ‘WSS sector faces a number of major issues. Some of them will be discussed and debated during these trainings and namely: knowledge of legislation in the field and its application, or technical aspects in relations with the customers… For, we will not be able to have a modern water supply and sanitation system without knowing the legal and technical details of the given sector’.
Sergiu Calos, director of the Institute of Continuous Education in the field of Water and Sanitation services greeted the participants and mentioned that these training modules ‘will contribute to the skill enhancement of the employees of water service providers (Apa-canal) from all over the republic. On completion of these trainings every participant will be awarded a diploma’.
Based on the Cooperation Agreement signed by GIZ and AMAC in February 2015, the project ‘Modernization of Local Public Services in the Republic of Moldova’ provides support to the Institute of Continuous Education in the field of Water Supply and Sanitation for AMAC members, through trainings for the representatives from WSS sector within the ‘Capacity Building of WSS operators National Programme’. In 2015, 6 training modules were developed and implemented, as a result of which 308 employees and 43 operators in WSS from the Republic of Moldova benefitted from training, and have been certified by the Institute of Continuous Education in the field of Water Supply and Sanitation.
The project ‘Modernization of local public services in the Republic of Moldova’ (MLPS) is implemented by the German Development Cooperation through GIZ and is financially supported by the German Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), the Swedish Government, the Romanian Government, the European Union and the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC).
