How do we disseminate courses within the OKP project: Bridging the water in South Africa?
The OKP project “Bridging the Water” develops and delivers wastewater treatment and drinking water courses. Most of these courses are developed for operators working on treatment plants. The project intends to disseminate sustainable continuous local deliveries of these courses by capacitating local trainers with the needed skills to facilitate more trainings.
The process of delivering courses is that the first delivery of each new course is conducted by Dutch trainers. Thereafter, local champions are selected to become the next trainers. The South African experts are trained within the project to continue the delivery of the developed courses. How does this process look like in practice?
The figure describes the different steps we take in the dissemination of the courses.
In 2019 we trained champions from eThekwini Municipality and The City of Cape Town to become trainers. This “training of trainers” course focuses on the skills required to becoming a well-rounded trainer and the use of interactive teaching methods that engages all the participants. These skills are often a challenge for new trainers because their focus is primarily on transferring their knowledge to the participants. In the training of trainers’ course, the participants experience and practise with a lot of different interactive teaching methods. The new trainers become more familiar with the interactive teaching methods and become enthusiastic about the effect of using them in a training. The training ends with a theoretical and practical exam.
The new trainers of eThekwini delivered the Basics of Wastewater Treatment on their own in November 2019 and March 2021. We supported the new trainers as much as possible, for example by making videos available with the theoretical explanation of the content. The new trainers were therefore, able to dedicate more time to focusing on their interaction with the participants. The deliveries went very well and the trainers enjoyed delivering the training to their own colleagues, which resulted in the participants learning a lot.
In February 2021 we delivered a Digital “Trainers of Trainers” to ten South African water professionals from five different cities. These professionals were selected by SALGA (South African Local Government Association). In the coming months, the aim is for new trainers to deliver the Basics of Wastewater treatment course within their own municipalities.
Increased participants are delivering and participating in the Basics of wastewater Treatment course and this training is spreading throughout South Africa!
In October 2021 we have started the dissemination process of the Basics of Wastewater Treatment courses with Ekurhuleni Water Care Company (ERWAT) in Gauteng. Two groups of both 17 participants were trained in the Basics of Wastewater Treatment by our local champions. The course ended with a practical exam on the wastewater treatment plant. The participants thoroughly enjoyed the course and the trainers implemented all they have learned during the online ToT. The BWWT courses are accredited which adds increased value to the South African participants. ERWAT will host another online BWWT delivery this week for the third group.
In the following weeks, the BWWT will also be enrolled across Johannesburg Water and The City of Tshwane. I It is expected that another 50 participants will be trained.
Do you want more information about the dissemination of courses, the OKP project or World Water Academy?
Please connect to Claudia Peters at claudia.peters@wateropleidingen.nl
Bridging the Water is part of the Orange Knowledge Programme.
