Sixth International Data Centre training course completed

Five trainees have returned to their home countries following their completion of an intensive six months training course with the International Data Centre (IDC). The training course was designed to increase the understanding of the functioning of the IDC and to enlarge the pool of possible candidates for posts in seismic, hydroacoustic and infrasound analysis. Previous training courses have also covered radionuclide analysis and processing engineering. Four of the trainees will soon be back in Vienna as IDC seismic analysts. The trainees were introduced to the IDC and its products and services over the course of the six months, and became very familiar with the tools used at the IDC for seismic analysis. The course was based around lectures in seismology, hydroacoustics and infrasound and on-the-job training with experienced analysts. As fully qualified analysts, the trainees now constitute a valuable human resource for the Provisional Technical Secretariat and the States Parties in verifying Treaty compliance. The successful operation of the IDC relies to a large extent on the training programme, as the majority of analysts now working at the IDC have begun their career as IDC trainees. 18 of IDC's 29 analysts and processing engineers have benefited from the training programme, and a further four trainees are now working for the PTS in other positions. The training programme has also provided people from developing countries with the opportunity to work for an international organization as technical experts, or to help establish a National Data Centre in their own country. In total, 39 trainees from 33 States Signatories have successfully completed IDC training in recent years. The seventh IDC training course is scheduled for February 2002 and we hope that it will be as successful as its predecessors.