NASSCO’s International Relations Committee has set aggressive goals for this fiscal year and is right on track to meet them.

Headed up by committee chair Carlos Munera, regional sales manager for Central and South America for Envirosight, and co-chair Luis León, PE, associate vice president of AECOM, the committee is working hard to deliver:

• NASSCO’s website in Spanish

• The NASSCO Training Source (the online portal for all NASSCO certification and training programs) in Spanish

• Translation of technical resources into Spanish, including NASSCO’s Manual of Practice, videos and specification guidelines, with those pertaining to cured-in-place pipe safety being at the top of the list

• Exploration of NASSCO’s Pipeline Assessment Certification Program (PACP) training and other resources in Brazil

• Industry-wide trenchless technology webinars in Spanish

Last October, the International Relations Committee introduced the first of these webinars. Titled “Evaluación de la Condición de Tuberías por Gravedad,” the free webinar covered information on trenchless technology assessment. The online event, presented in partnership with NASSCO member partner The Latin American Society for Trenchless Technology, attracted attendees from Argentina, Belgium, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, France, Korea, Peru, the United States and Uruguay. It truly was an international event.

Moderated by León, other presenters included Munera and Veronica Alvarez, general manager, U.S. West at RedZone Robotics. The second webinar in the series, on the topic of trenchless technology rehabilitation methods, is scheduled for early 2023. To watch the webinar on assessment, visit www.nassco.org/webinars.

The committee is also working closely with NASSCO staff to develop a self-paced, online PACP recertification course for Spanish-speaking professionals and is exploring potential ways to provide training and technical resources in Portuguese to meet growing demand for PACP training in Brazil.

NASSCO is extremely grateful for its partnership with LAMSTT, the exclusive provider of PACP, NASSCO’s Lateral Assessment Certification Program and Manhole Assessment Certification Program in South and Central America. It is through this partnership that NASSCO has been able to expand in these important regions. NASSCO also partners with the Centre for the Expertise and Research on Infrastructure in Urban Areas. This partner organization provides PACP, LACP and MACP training to French-Canadian speaking industry professionals in Canada.

One positive outcome from the recent pandemic is the bringing together of industry professionals through technology. NASSCO’s virtual training sessions allow greater reach and exposure to accomplish NASSCO’s mission: To set standards for the assessment, maintenance, and rehabilitation of underground infrastructure and to ensure the continued acceptance and growth of trenchless technology.

To learn more, visit www.nassco.org.

About the Author

Sheila Joy is executive director of NASSCO. She can be reached at director@nassco.org.