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Part 2: This article below follows on from the article by Bert Gray, Training in the water industry – a short history.
Where are we going? - Aligning training with changes to water businesses
By Rob Blakemore, Business Manager, Opus Environmental Training Centre
NZWETA ( New Zealand Water and Environment Training Academy ) was established five years ago. Its objectives are appropriately encapsulated by the phrase that appears on its letterhead and reads: “Training Today for Tomorrow’s Needs”. The obvious ongoing question is “Are We?”
The early years for NZWETA have coincided with a period of employment history for the water industry that has been difficult.
Changing legislation, tighter financial constraints, skill shortages and impacts from other industry sectors are but a few of the issues that have imposed changes on utilities and service industries for the water sector.
In a previous NZWWA Journal article about industry training (April 2006) I suggested that employers within the water industry must compete with other industry sectors for a limited pool of people – and were therefore increasingly turning to importing skills. As well, we have seen employers develop a resignation to making a commitment to significant work based training initiatives.
Employment options for skilled professionals and technicians have become greater in the last five years and there is no indication that this will alter in the foreseeable future.
A view to solving the issues
However, continual discussion about our problems will not solve them.
NZWETA has a role to provide solutions that will address skill shortages and provide skill extension for the water industry. The training programme that has been developed and offered by NZWETA to date has effectively been based on an understanding of needs - and some communication with employers and other industry training bodies.
However the strategic direction of NZWETA must change to match the operational requirements of employers. It must have confidence in its knowledge of “tomorrow’s needs”.
Training programmes have certainly required adaptation and modification because of economic, technological, and legislative changes that have directly affected the water industry. However, for a training provider, there is the nagging doubt that the employer market is using its services because there is no other choice.
Questions to be answered
In my experience industry training programmes for any specific audience must address two questions:
- What should be in the training programme (technical content and level)?
- What are the most appropriate methods? (delivery)
The answers to these questions today will be different to the response five years ago, and very different to the response we would have got over 50 years ago when NZWETA’s main provider, the Environmental Training Centre was formed.
In general terms, if an employer requires skills to grow or improve a business it will:
- Employ someone with existing skills
- Contract someone or another company that has the skills
- Employ someone who can be retrained
- Retain existing staff
The first option rarely provides the perfect solution for an employer and all other options suggest that some form of work based training is an inevitable component for the success of the business.
2007 is a year that will be used to gather information from employers to decide the future direction for NZWETA. Improvements to training options will be determined by our understanding of the future direction of the water industry.
Assumptions about the importance of new technology, different work patterns, the impact of legislation, or the influence of other economic growth (such as farming and tourism) on the water industry should not form the basis for setting NZWETA’s future programme. We need to understand how the employment market and the training supermarket will be directed over the next 5-10 years. So don’t be surprised if we ask to talk to you to discuss the future direction of your business – particularly where you see diversification or new services, and also where you will be focussing on key activities.
More and better for employers
Effective workplace training should contribute to more efficiency, and better levels of service for the employers of the trainees.
There are some answers that come to mind that we may want to ask employers:
- Where will your people come from to allow change and improvement to your business?
- What technical skills will be more important?
- What technical skills are no longer important?
- What is the impact of technology on the people you employ or contract?
- Is communication amongst your workforce and service providers a growing problem – and if so why and how?
- Do you foresee a need to delegate more responsibilities to people at different levels in your organisation?
- How are practical skills best taught?
- Do you expect to provide training that is adapted for your specific needs or are your needs likely to be similar to others?
- What are the changes imposed on the business by legislative compliance, data collection and documentation?
Of course if you would like to be proactive and to share this information before we approach you, please feel free to contact me or Jonathan Mackey. Our contact details are below.
Rob Blakemore is the Manager of ETC who provides specialist training services in areas of water treatment, reticulation, and asset management. He has 29 years of experience - principally from a water supply background in design, operations and asset management. He is a former President of NZWWA and a current member of the MoH Expert Committee for Drinking Water Quality, he has been active in the development of new qualifications for water and wastewater.
ETC Contacts
Rob Blakemore or Jonathan Mackey
Environmental Training Center,
Opus International Consultants Ltd,
PO Box 30845
Lower Hutt,
Phone: 04 5870600
Email: Rob.Blakemore@opus.co.nz or Jonathan.Mackey@opus.co.nz
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