AgITO

Up skilling staff through industry training adds value to organisations in the water industry as well as to trainees’ career prospects, says United Water general manager NZ, Ian Cathcart.                        

“Training keeps staff challenged, rewarded and evolving on their career pathway,” he says. “We have contractual obligations with our district council clients to train our staff – you’ve got to make sure everyone is up to speed on compliance under health and safety legislation.”

United Water currently has 38 staff members completing qualifications through Water Industry Training. The organisation provides water and wastewater services in seven regions in New Zealand, from Papakura in the North Island, through to Queenstown in the south. Finding skills gaps and eliminating them through training is all part of their strategy for new staff members.

“We do a training assessment when staff first come in and assess them to find out what they need to do the job,” Ian says.

United Water’s advocacy of industry training resonates with their employees. Jeremy Harris, leak detection technician for United Water in Queenstown, says seizing the opportunity to up skill himself was easy.

“I started in the water industry in the UK,” he explains. “My work experience in the UK wasn’t recognised over here, so it was great when United Water said they were happy to help me get qualifications that are recognised.

“It’s really good training, too” he says of the National Certificate in Water Reticulation (Service Person) (Level 3) he completed. “It’s a great course to complement what we do out in the field. You get an understanding of a network, what can go wrong with it and how to fix it.”

Jeremy adds that United Water has encouraged him to train. “They’re more than happy to have you do the training you request if it’s beneficial to them – and it is beneficial because they’re building up a great foundation of trained employees.”

He is also aware of how qualifications can help him meet his career goals. “I’d like to go into water treatment and do a qualification in that area,” he says. “I’m aspiring to move up – I’d like to be up in the management area of the contracts we have here.”

Wastewater plant operator for United Water in Taumarunui, Deon Graham, also perceives the benefits training adds to his career. He is currently in the final stages of completely his National Qualification in Wastewater Treatment, Level 4, through Water Industry Training.

“I learned the processes around treating waste and the processes of pump stations – things that I need to know to do my job,” Deon says. “United Water has been really good at sending us away on courses to learn things we wanted to know for our field – it benefits us and it encourages you to stick around if you’re getting training.”

For Deon, it’s not just the daily running of the plant that qualifications assist with. “There are opportunities for advancement if you want to move up – you’ve got to have qualifications these days, it’s a must. The council looks at the qualifications you have when you’re running the plant so it’s really important to get them. I’d definitely recommend training to others in my situation – there are plenty of opportunities within United Water.”

Ian Cathcart also believes up skilling his employees increases their confidence and self esteem.

“From a risk perspective it reduces both our risk and the client’s risk by having trained individuals who are able to carry out their tasks competently and meet their obligations to public health,” he says.

“Even in the recession, we haven’t dropped our focus on training – I have great people working for me and I want to make sure they enjoy where they work and that they’re fully empowered every day they come to work,” Ian says.