Technical rules substantiate legal requirements and thus relieve the legislature. Because good laws alone are not enough to quickly introduce new technical developments in the sector. Technical rules close the gap between legal requirements and practical applications. They also provide the basis for the education and training of professionals. In Germany, the technical scientific associations such as the DWA, with their active experts, develop and continuously update the technical rules and regulations for their corresponding sector. It is important to know that technical rules are not necessarily legally binding, but they are an important factor to guarantee the security, quality and economical success of any given project.

To support the transfer of this know-how to other countries, a modularized training concept is being developed within the present EXPOTRAIN project. The following modules are previously structured and will be adapted according to the demands of the chosen target country and staff in training:

• Module 1: Planning principles for the sustainable design of wastewater treatment plants
  -> Input variables and cleaning requirements; cross-cutting aspects
• Module 2: Processes for the treatment of wastewater and sewage sludge
  ->Selected topics of wastewater treatment systems from EXPOVAL with design examples and best-practice references

Apart from the preparation of the content, the project focuses on an adapted didactic concept and a pilot implementation of the training for technical specialists and executives in the field of municipal wastewater treatment. The trainings will be based on an online learning platform of DWA and consist of online and face-to-face units.

The training offer is to be implemented on a pilot basis in one of the target countries.