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2.4 Topic i: Training

Only recently have there been any training programs that aim to develop professionals and technicians in the solid waste management field. In the last 10 years there has been a growing number of professionals in this field; however, they were trained in other engineering specialties and have done most of their learning through their work.

Training and human resource development is done by a number of different entities in the region, including universities and technical schools, international technical cooperation agencies, solid waste management authorities, and NGOs. Universities in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, and Mexico have strong environmental engineering programs that have solid wastes com-ponents. These programs include undergraduate and post-graduate degrees as well as research. The Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico (UNAM) and the Universidade Estadual de Rio de Janeiro (UERJ) offer annual courses on solid waste management. Professionals from these academic institutions tend to publish their work locally or through the Interamerican Association for Sanitary Engineering (AIDIS). AIDIS has contributed significantly to the intra-regional transfer of information.

Of the international organizations in the region, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) and its Pan American Center for Sanitary Engineering and Environmental Sciences (CEPIS) have contributed significantly to training of human resources in the region. Though professionals from industrialized countries are frequently invited to their courses, the central aim is to promote horizontal training and transfer of information, whenever possible. As a result of this, the Lima-based Pan American Network for Waste Management (REPAMAR) has been established, with the support of the German government. REPAMAR promotes research and development projects, the results of which are then expected to be transferred to other countries in the region through on-site training, study tours, and seminars.

Solid waste management authorities offer training mainly to their own personnel, though sometimes courses are open to outside pro-fessionals. These programs are limited to issues pertaining to daily operation of a landfill or to other aspects of the waste manage-ment chain under the institution's purview.

The efforts of NGOs

NGOs usually direct their programs toward lower-income populations, training personnel for future operation of cooperatives or small-scale enterprises. The original training methodology prescribed a three-month period of assistance followed by total independence of a small-scale enterprise. In many cases, this has turned out to be too short, and current practice is to provide ongoing technical assistance, either through an NGO (in Peru, OACA - Oficina de Asesoria y Consultoria Ambiental - is doing this) or through a promoting agency (e.g., ASEAM - Asociación de Entidades de Aseo Municipal - in Bolivia).

NGOs have found that, because the members of new small-scale enterprises typically have little, if any, experience working with other people where individuals have defined responsibilities, they must deal with the socialization required to allow people to work together effectively. NGOs have also found that they need to offer considerable assistance in management, accounting, and legal issues.

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