GAOBEIDIAN TRAINING CENTER – EN ORGANISATION FÖR UTBILDNING AV DRIFTSPERSONAL VID RENINGSVERK I KINA / Gaobeidian Training Center – an organisation for training of personnel at wastewater treatment plants in China

Only about 6% of the urban population in China is connected to wastewater treatment plants. However, an ambitious plan for increasing this figure exists. A large portion of the existing treatment plants operates at a non-satisfactory efficiency and the reason is inadequate management and lack of operation knowledge and experiences. With a fast increasing number of wastewater treatment plants and lack of previous experience, there is an obvious need for training programs. No programs or facilities for such activities existed.

In 1996, Beijing Drainage Co. presented a detailed proposal to establish a training centre at the Gaobeidian wastewater treatment plant in Beijing. The goals were to provide high quality training for personnel at all levels at municipal and industrial wastewater treatment plants, inform about development, initiate and control that all treatment plants have plans for teaching/training at the plants and give assistance to develop appropriate plans for establishing local training centres by transfer of experiences from Gaobeidian Training Center (GTC). GTC should serve the whole of China, at least during the first years. In 1997, the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida) decided to support this establishment.

The organisation of the Gaobeidian Training Center and the goals for the activities were established. Plans tor the training of-starts from treatment plants as well as for training of teachers at the Training Center were developed and executed. Training of teachers at the centre was executed in China as well as in Sweden.

During the first tour years of operation of GTC, more than 800 persons from treatment plants all over China have been trained in management, design and operation and many more in maintenance. All short-term goals formulated for the project establishing the Training Center have been met. Some long-term goals, such as establishing local training centres, takes longer time to achieve.