SHUKALB Opens the Registrations for Capacity Development Programs During 2023!

SHUKALB Opens the Registrations for Capacity Development Programs During 2023!

SHUKALB is ready to start its Capacity Development Programs for 2023. These topics have been indicated by the water utilities, during a Training Needs Assessment conducted by SHUKALB in the beginning of the year.

Find more specific information about each program and details about registrations in the below Calendar.

TRAININGS IN MARCH

FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND THEIR ROLE IN DECISION MAKING
23-24 March 2023, Tirana

Financial reporting is essential to the decision-making process. Financial reporting is also an important element of the credibility of investors and other stakeholders during the decision-making process regarding the entity.

The training course addresses issues related to the full set of financial statements and the information that each of them carries rules for the implementation of accounting policies, accounts receivable, bad debt, deferred tax, provisions, contingent assets, and the cost of capital. Participants are provided with the knowledge and skills necessary to competently exercise their functions in the process of drafting and interpreting financial reports, in order to improve the performance of the company by facilitating the decision-making process for senior management.

This training course is especially useful for financiers and heads of finance.

For more information on this training read HERE.

TRAININGS IN APRIL

FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT FOR NON FINANCIAL MANAGERS
13-14 April 2023, Tirana (The date is subject to change)

Financial management is vital for the general management of water supply and sewerage utilities. The decisions made without understanding the financial   consequences may affect the performance of the utility. This training course aims to raise awareness of the participants regarding the role of financial management. This training course addresses issues related with financial management cycles, roles and tools, accounting, cost of service, tariff setting and capital planning. Participants will gain the necessary knowledge and skills to use financial information to make better short-term and long-term decisions.

This training course is especially useful for managers, directors and every employee interested in gaining basic financial knowledge.

For more information on this training read HERE.

CUSTOMER SERVICE AND PUBLIC RELATIONS
26-27 April 2023, Tirana (The date is subject to change)

Customer Service is one of the key functions of any water supply and sewerage utility. This training course emphasizes the role of customer service and public relations for the success of water utilities. This training course addresses issues related to customer service principles, impact of customer service organization and personnel on the commercial performance of the utilities, customer database management, customer feedback and complaints management, meter reading management, billing and collection management.

The participants will gain the necessary knowledge and skills to cope with daily challenges and improve customer services and public relations of their utilities.

This training course is especially useful for customer service supervisors, specialists, operators and updaters, press and public relations specialists, supervisors and meter readers.

For more information on this training read HERE.

TRAININGS IN MAY

MANAGEMENT
25-26 May 2023, Tirana (The date is subject to change) 

This training course has been developed with the aim of stressing the role of management in providing quality service to consumers. The course addresses issues related to daily responsibilities of managers, such as communication, team building and management, problem-solving and decision making.

Participants will gain the necessary knowledge and skills to cope with everyday challenges and improve the performance of the utility they manage.

This training course is especially useful for general directors, technical directors and managers.

For more information on this training read HERE.

TRAININGS IN JUNE

WATER QUALITY IN THE WATER DISTRIBUTION
15-16 June 2023, Tirana (The date is subject to change)

The mission and main responsibility of the Water Supply and Sewerage Utilities is to supply safe and secure drinking water, in accordance with the standards and existing regulations. A drinking water supply system is considered to be of a good quality when it does not contain pathogenic organisms, which may cause diseases. In addition, the system is in a good quality when it does not contain toxic chemicals, when it is attractive in taste and appearance, and it is ready to be used by households. This training course will benefit to the individuals who work at the Water Supply and Sewerage Utilities, to better understand the chemical, physical and biological water transformations, when it enters and circulates in the distribution network. Moreover, will explain and identify programs for network monitoring and surveillance. Disinfection process and points of chlorine applications will also be explained in details.

This training course is especially useful for directors of the technical and distribution department, operation and maintenance engineers, metering engineers, billing specialist, and billing and collection managers. This course is of interest to consulting engineers, design engineers, public health officials, or other similar regulatory institutions.

For more information on this training read HERE.

TRAININGS IN JULY

WATER LOSS MANAGEMENT

5-6-7 July 2023, Tirana (The date is subject to change)

The annual volume of water losses (non- revenue water) is an important indicator, for the distribution of water in an effective manner, as well as for the administrative procedures of water supply and sewerage utilities. Water losses are one of the main factors of low pressure and interrupted water supply. The lacks of a continuous interrupted water supply, combined with network amortization, contributes in the pollution of drinking water. Water losses control, either technical or administrative, are the main challenges for the water supply and sewerage utilities. Water loss management improves drinking water quality and has a positive impact on the financial sustainability of the company. This training course will provide to the participants the basic knowledge on monitoring and water loss management. Some of the main topics that will be addressed during this two-day training course are: Water Audit, Management of District Metering Areas (DMA) and Pressure Management.

This training course is particularly helpful for the directors of the distribution and technical department, operation and maintenance engineers, metering engineers, billing specialist and billing and collection manages. This course is of interest to consulting engineers, design engineers, public health officials, or other similar regulatory institutions.

For more information on this training follow the below links:

https://shukalb.al/en/water-loss-management-i/
https://shukalb.al/en/water-loss-management-ii/

REPAIR AND REHABILITATION OF WASTEWATER COLLECTION SYSTEM
19-20 July 2023, Tirana (The date is subject to change)

Drinking water pollution, collection network blockage and sewers overflow are some of the challenges that water supply and sewerage utilities face daily, as a result of the old and damaged wastewater collection system. In order to address these issues, this training course covers the procedures of collection system rehabilitation, starting with the analysis of the network current condition, assessment of the need for rehabilitation, selection of the most suitable and economic method, up to the implementation of the rehabilitation work.

In addition to the classical repair and rehabilitation methods, in this training course are also addressed the latest rehabilitation techniques for sewer pipes and manholes.

This training course is especially useful for technicians and engineers of the wastewater collection system operation and maintenance.

For more information on this training read HERE.

TRAININGS IN SEPTEMBER

SLUDGE TREATMENT AND BIOSOLIDS MANAGEMENT

7-8 September 2023, Tirana (The date is subject to change)

Treatment of the sludge generated by the treatment plants is as crucial as the wastewater treatment itself, as it contains the same pathogenic microorganisms and pollutants present in wastewater. Sludge treatment process goes through the thickening, stabilization and dewatering phases by using a variety of technologies and methods.

This training course covers the diverse methods and technologies used for the sludge treatment, by addressing the issues related to the operation, maintenance and control of each of them. In addition, this course will also cover the disposal and reuse methods of the treated sludge.

This training course is especially useful for engineers, technicians and specialists working in a wastewater treatment plant.

For more information on this training read HERE.

ENERGY EFFICIENCY IN WATER AND WASTEWATER UTILITIES
21-22 September 2023, Tirana (The date is subject to change)

Many water and wastewater utilities have energy costs that account for 30-40% of the direct operating costs. This training course provides a general methodology to help utilities self-assess the energy efficiency for each component of their water and wastewater systems and plants.

This training course addresses the implementation of the energy audit program through some stages to determine where and how much energy is used in the system, the level of the efficiency, specific measures to implement to reduce the consumption and cost, the cost benefit or cost-effectiveness of such actions, and methods to evaluate and monitor results. Participants will gain the necessary skills and knowledge to perform the energy audit of system components.

This training course is especially useful for managers and technical staff responsible for the operations and maintenance of drinking water and wastewater treatment plant and pumps stations.

For more information on this training read HERE.

TRAININGS IN OCTOBER

GENERAL SAFETY FOR WATER AND WASTE WATER PROFESSIONALS
5-6 October 2023, Tirana (The date is subject to change)

Workplace safety is a shared responsibility for any water supply and sewerage utility, starting from the decision makers to the field workers. Daily duties and responsibilities of employees may lead to risky situations. Therefore, the employees should possess basic knowledge on personal safety and be able to develop and implement the health and safety program.

This training course aims at identifying potential workplace hazards and taking preventive measures to avoid accidents. In addition, the course will highlight the importance of developing self-safety programs.

This training course is especially useful for workers of technical department, including engineers, technicians and laboratory technicians.

For more information on this training read HERE.

SCADA SYSTEM OVERVIEW FOR WATER AND WASTEWATER PROFESSIONALS
19-20 October 2023, Tirana (The date is subject to change)

Effective instrumentation and control systems are critical for the efficient operation of any water or wastewater treatment facility. They allow more flexibility and greater control over the treatment plant and provide complete and timely data available to management, aiding in decision making and trouble shooting.

This training course aims to introduce the basis of instruments, sensors and computer programs used for proper operation and control of drinking water and wastewater treatment plants.

This training course is especially useful for engineers, technicians and specialists that work in a Drinking or Wastewater Treatment Plant and are in charge to operate SCADA systems.

For more information on this training read HERE.

TRAININGS IN DECEMBER

CAPITAL INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTMENT PROJECTS IN THE WATER SECTOR

5-6-7 December 2023, Tirana (The date is subject to change)

Main training topics:

• Access to Funding for Capital Infrastructure Investment Projects in the Water and Sanitation Sector and Successful Project Preparation from the Decision Makers’ Perspective
• Fundamental Concepts in Project Cycle Management (PCM) for Mayors and PUC Managers
• Legal and Institutional Arrangements for Implementation of Complex Infrastructure Investment

Target group: Municipal and PUC decision makers: (1) Municipal counsellors, and (2) Mayors; (3) General Managers; (4) Members of the PUC’s supervisory boards; (5) Technical managers and (6) Finance managers.

For more information on this training read HERE.

D-LEAP CAPACITY DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS

UTILITY BENCHMARKING PROGRAM FOR WATER SUPPLY AND SANITATION UTILITIES
Starting March 2023

The Utility Benchmarking Program is one of the Foundation Programs within the Danube Learning Partnership. This Program helps participating utilities and staff to establish their own diagnostic of high-impact issues affecting the performance of their utility companies by benchmarking the utility performance against other similar companies and international benchmarks and facilitating dialogue among practitioners on good practices.

For more information on this program read HERE.

ASSET MANAGEMENT ADVISORY SERVICES TO WATER UTILITIES IN SOUTH-EASTERN EUROPE
Starting May 2023

Water utility companies are more than ever under pressure to improve their overall performance and cost efficiency, while facing the need to preserve or modernize their assets without access to funding at the same time. The aging system makes it increasingly difficult for the water utility companies to provide the services desired by the local government units and required by the local citizens and businesses. As operational and servicing costs increase with the age of fixed assets, the weaker service capacity goes hand in hand with disproportionately high operating costs.

For more information on this program read HERE.

Water Safety and Crisis Management: Business Continuity Essentials for Disaster Risk Management
Starting June 2023

Lack of response mechanisms to pollution outbreaks and increasingly frequent natural disasters such as floods and droughts hinder the ability of water supply utilities to sustainably provide their services, hence posing a risk to national public health. Through this program, supported utilities learn how to identify operational hazards and how to plan, prepare and respond to these incidents for fast response and recovery in the event of a crisis or disaster. In addition, practitioners receive practical scenario-based training for decision-making under uncertainty.

For more information on this program read HERE.

If you have questions regarding our training and capacity development programs, you may reach out the Jonida Ahmeti, Manager of Training and Professional Development, at the following contacts:

Tel: +355 42 24 5101
Mob: +355 69 70 66 222
E-mail: training@shukalb.al ; jonida.ahmeti@shukalb.al