[National training systems].

Abstract

Implementation of the Plan of Action for the International Drinking Water Supply and Sanitation Decade in Latin American and the Caribbean will depend on the decision and will to act of the governments of the countries in the Region. It will involve the institutional development of the sector and the organizational development of the agencies responsible for providing those services, and require infusions of technical, financial and human resources. A supply of human resources from which to provide a work force of the required size and skills for the sector can only be achieved by knitting together the institutions involved in the training, development and utilization of those resources in a comprehensive nationwide system. The establishment of such a system requires the presence of national or regional plans or programs for the sector and an overall coordinating agency. The system's essential mechanisms are the communication, integration, participation, and coordination of all institutions involved in the process. The cooperation and technical assistance of the international and bilateral institutions and exchanges among countries in the Region are essential if the knowledge and experience acquired in some countries is to be used for the benefit of the others, as a way to reduce costs and step up the training and development of the manpower needed to carry out the Plan of Action of the Decade and attain its goals.