Experiences and Lessons Learned during the First Seven Years of India's First Masters in Industrial Hygiene Program

摘要

With the tremendous increase in manufacturing employment in countries of the A-sia-Pacific region, the need for trained occupational health and safety professionals increases. Educational programs in the Asia-Pacific region to meet these needs are very few in number and their output do not come close to meeting predicted needs. In 1997 it was estimated that there was a need for 5,000 industrial hygienists in India alone. In the same year, the first program in India to prepare Masters in Industrial Hygiene students was established in the State of Gujarat. Because of the multi-disciplinary nature of the occupational hygiene profession, the cooperation of professionals from a number of disciplines is necessary, along with the willingness of potential employers to be willing to provide the necessary support for the all-important field experiences needed for the students, along with willingness to provide internships and ultimately permanent positions for graduates. This program was located at the Sardar Patel University where an important core of such cooperating organizations and individuals were identified who were wiling to put forth the effort needed to develop and sustain such a program. Certain elements of this program may be of use to others who are contemplating establishing similar programs in other locations. Key features of this program are described along with a summary of its enrollment and placement of its interns and graduates during its first seven years.