The MTOT field practicum on prevention and control of E. coli was held in Wulong County, Chongqing from February 19-20, 2009. This was the first activity held in Wulong County to provide an opportunity for the MTOT team to practice the participatory methods in a real training delivery situation with the feedback and support of the Project Training Team (Lynda Nicholls, Wu Jie and Jane Pritchard).

The Practicum follows a step-by-step team-oriented process to make sure the final training target and the pre-set objectives reflect the real training needs. The whole process was carried out over a 2 month duration. It is most important to build the project-supported training system into existing Chinese institutionalized daily work, to make sure that sustainability is incorporated from the very beginning. Capacity development work starts from Consensus Building, Implementation, Follow-up and Support building towards Institutionalization.

30 township level veterinarians (33.33% F) attended 1.5 days of training. Two participants were of non-Han ethnicity.

An opening ceremony was presided over by Deputy Director Mr. Wang. Dr. Jane Pritchard, Lynda Nicholls and Wu Jie gave brief remarks.

Four MTOT Team members from Rongchang County were invited to provide feedback to the Wulong MTOT Team through the use of blank observation sheets. The observation sheet requires each MTOT individual to record what they think the ‘Good Actions’ & ‘Need Improvement Actions’ were during their observation of the other trainers.

Mr. Zheng started the training with a very creative grouping session (participants gathered in groups, formed a small circle and introduced themselves to each other, and then cheered enthusiastically for their team).

Mdm. Fu then began her presentation. Mr. Ren and Ms. Wang presented in the afternoon. The facilitators used different ways to ask questions, have group discussions and presentations.

Ms. Dong Chunxia began presentations using the whiteboard to explain the how the flow of discussion group to reporting and summary worked. She moved very easily between the whiteboard, the slides and the discussions. Mr. Zheng Guangquan used the video that was prepared to demonstrate how to give fluids to pigs intra-peritoneally. He then conducted a demonstration of how to mix a salt and sugar solution for fluid therapy.

The team did a very good job of stating the objectives and achieving those objectives. This indicates that the team did well in focusing the training.

One of participants summed up the training very well by commenting on what they enjoyed most about the training as the 'interactive discussion, questions, inviting experienced trainees to share their experience and trainers providing their comments and good summarization'.