Training launched for water utilities in Sonora
Hermosillo, Sonora – Today the first of five modules of the diploma-level course on the basics of water utility management was initiated in Hermosillo, Sonora. The program is offered to water utility professionals by the North American Development Bank (NADB) through its Utility Management Institute (UMI).
NADB Acting Deputy Managing Director Calixto Mateos and Sergio Ávila Ceceña, the Executive Director of the Sonora State Water Commission, inaugurated the course, which will be presented on the North Sonora campus of the Monterrey Technological Institute (ITESM) to around 30 senior managers from 16 utilities in Sonora.
“I’m pleased to be in Hermosillo to kick off this program, which is designed to strengthen the administrative and financial capacities and leadership skills of water utilities located along the northern border of Mexico,” stated Dr. Mateos. “NADB has promoted this type of training since its inception, and two years ago achieved a significant milestone with the accreditation of this program in Mexico.”
The course is taught by the Latin American and Caribbean water center, Centro del Agua para América Latina y el Caribe (CDA), of the School of Engineering and Science of ITESM. Each of the five modules runs 2½ days, providing participants with a total 100 hours of training. The final module is scheduled to take place in October.
In 2015, NADB and ITESM signed an agreement to turn the UMI training program into a diploma-level course, with emphasis on such topics as planning, designing and implementing a successful water utility; financial planning and administration; leadership in the utility; and public policies for water.