Umgeni Water operates in a challenging and often complex environment
with natural, social, legislative and economic aspects. It is imperative for the organization to be sustainable, that
the operating environment is understood and factors that could affect the way the organization operates are responded to.
Understanding and adequately responding to the fluid nature of the operating environment is paramount to the ability
of the organization to deliver on its strategic objectives. For this reason Umgeni Water has identified significant issues
in the macro and micro environment which are likely to affect its sustainability (further information on Umgeni Water’s
Corporate Business Plan may be found in www.umgeni.co.za).
Skills shortage
The shortage of skills is affecting every sector in the country and therefore
requires innovative ways to minimize its impact. What the organization experiences the most, is the problem of
skills gap, with many incumbents with the scarce skills fresh from institutions of higher learning coming into the mainstream
without the requisite experience, for example, operator or artisan experience. The combined skills of the more experienced
staff cannot be replicated overnight and hence there is a need to retain them whilst fast-track training of the
new incumbents.
The HR strategy priority 6. which talks
to staff development, key driver number
one emphasises the need to ensure that suitable training and development opportunities are available to all
members of staff to enable them to develop personally and contribute fully to the implementation of the organisation’s
strategies and business plan. The challenge that faces the organization is the shortage of skills in
the area of water purification operation. It is proper that Umgeni build the capacity to sustain this industry. This can be
achieved by scouting young people with relevant academic knowledge to develop them to gain required skills for this industry.
Training & development
Employee training and development provides the framework for helping
employees to develop their personal andorganizational skills, knowledge, and abilities. Human Resource Development
provides opportunities for employee training, employee career development, performance management and development,
coaching, succession planning, key employee identification, tuition assistance, and organization development.
Employee training and development is a key factor in meeting the organization’s
strategic, business and operational goals.
During the last year 653 employees attended 29 technical, legal and generic
courses. The following list the most important forms of training and development
programmes available at Umgeni Water:
Staff skills development
Staff skills development is essential to enable staff to excel in their
individual and organizational roles and functions and deliver on the organisation’s strategy. The organisation will update
its recruitment and retention interventions during the year to ensure the organisation has sufficient flexibility to obtain
the skills that it needs to implement its business plan.
The approach will include options for buying, making, converting and
creating the skills the organisation needs, whilst continuing to ensure diversity is increased in under-represented areas.
Umgeni Water human resource plan
A convert strategy will be used where critical skills in the organisation can be redirected through
training and development of existing employees using internal skills development strategies.
The convert strategy will focus on core, scarce and critical skills through retraining. This will be achieved
through learnerships, training interventions and recognition of prior learning.
A
create strategy
will be used to create a skills pool that would address future skills demands
in the organisation. This will be achieved through awarding bursaries to students for skills identified
and more rigorous implementation of graduate recruitment and development programmes as mechanisms for addressing the
core, critical and scarce skills needed by the organisation. The Assisted Education programme will also be used to create
a pool of skills of existing employees within the identified areas of critical and scarce skills, while assessment
and review of the mentorship programme for graduate engineers will be undertaken to assess its success as a skills development
and retention strategy.
The organisation has plans to provide a range of training for managers
to equip them to coach, empower and lead staff effectively and provide an environment which motivates staff.
A critical issue for Umgeni Water is to better align training and development
programmes in support of the corporate strategies and plans and will achieve this by developing a database/register
of scarce skills that would inform decision-making and commence with a formal competency assessment process aligned
with the organisation’s core business systems and job functions, to be completed over a two-year period.
The current interim workforce plan will address areas of vulnerability
regarding skills development at Umgeni. It will also address short-term critical, core and scarce skills gaps in the organisation
and strategies to close the current gaps, whilst also planning for the future.
In - service training and graduate training
Umgeni Water offers in-service training to students from local Universities
of Technology and graduate training to students from local Universities. University graduates are given training
to afford them work experience especially in the fields of Scientific Studies. In-service training that Umgeni Water offers
runs for a one year period whilst graduate training runs for a two year period. Students are interviewed and placed
at a plant where they will be exposed to the plant operations as per their logbook. The in-service training is a requirement
for graduation by the University of Technology hence the use of logbook. Umgeni Water employs in total a number of 13
in-service trainees and 5 graduate trainees per annum, and once their one or two year term expire; the learners are then
contractually free to look for permanent employment elsewhere.
Students are offered In-Service and Graduate training in the fields of
Analytical Chemistry, Microbiology, Biotechnology (Laboratories), Water Quality and Environment, Chemical Engineering
(Waterworks), Electrical, Instrumentation & Mechanical Engineering (Workshops). The Talent and OD Unit prepare a
budget for the intake of in-service and graduate trainees per any given financial year.
In the quest for Umgeni water to achieve its strategic and operational
objectives, the right skills sets and the right quality of skills need to exist. With global competition and limited supply of
scarce skills resources like engineers, artisans and technicians, there is a high value placed on these resources. This necessitates
accurate planning and Development of workforce so as to have sufficient resources at the appropriate level
and to be available at the right time. Umgeni Water is a technical organisation and for attainment of these critical and scarce
water skills therefore it is important that Umgeni Water build capacity of these skills and retain them. The proposed extended
programme of in-service training will assist Umgeni in achieving that.
Learnerships
Learnerships are a central mechanism for achieving transformation in
the national skills profile. A learnership is an effective way for learners to get an NQF qualification while working
full-time and gaining experience in their chosen field of study. A learnership is not a qualification, but rather a structured
off-the-job and on-the-job learning experience that leads to a qualification. Learnerships have replaced apprenticeships.
Sector Education and Training Authorities (SETA’s) register learnerships with the Department of labour (DoL) once a demand
has been identified in the sector. In the water sector, this has been done by ESETA and Umgeni Water will soon embark
on learnership implementation for the very first time in its history. The first learnerships prepared in the water sector
are:
Water purification process operations NQF Level 2
Wastewater process operations NQF Level 2
Water reticulation services NQF Level 2
Supervision of water reticulation operations NQF Level 4
Community Water and Sanitation Technician
Corporate induction and orientation programme
What is the purpose of Induction and Orientation Programme?
The purpose of induction and orientation is to ensure effective integration
of staff into or across the organisation for the benefit of both employee and Umgeni Water.
1.
Objectives of Induction
The induction process has important several important objectives:
Communicating Umgeni Water’s culture, values and policies
Clarifying Umgeni Water’s objectives, structure and working arrangements
Acquainting new employees with the new environment and job procedures.
Establishing relations
Ensuring that staff become effective as quickly as possible
Encouraging commitment and motivation through a sense of belonging.
Explaining to the new employee the changes that are taking place in the
organisation.
2.
Scope of induction and orientation at Umgeni Water
a.
Corporate Induction and Orientation: this induction is available to and should be attended by all employees.
b.
Specific Departmental Induction and Orientation: this induction is tailored to the new employee’s specific department and job.
3.
Who should be given induction training?
All new staff, both permanent and non-permanent, graduate trainees, in-service
trainees, senior and junior appointments should attend Umgeni Water’s Corporate Induction and
orientation Programme.
4
When is Corporate Induction and Orientation
Programme held?
Umgeni Water’s Corporate Induction and Orientation Programme is
held two times a year, with the first programme being held in April and the second in September of each year (dates subject
to availability of senior management)
The Induction and Orientation Programme is held over a five day process: First Day : Formal group presentations and Corporate DVD – Umgeni Water Learning
Centre of Excellence Durban Heights.
Second to Fourth Day: Umgeni Water Site Visits
Fifth Day : Social gathering and refreshments.
Umgeni Water held its Corporate Induction and Orientation on 23 –
27 February 2009
23 February 2009 Presentations were done by respective divisional General Managers. Approximately
55 new employees attended this corporate event. What marked this important day was CE’s address
where he stressed the need for Umgeni Water to continue growing and supplying water to all. He also highlighted the
mandate that the government has given to Umgeni in terms of water and sanitation delivery to rural communities, hence
the role of every new employee towards achievement of these goals.
24 February 2009 All new employees from Ulwandle region gathered at Dbn Heights to depart
for site visits. The bus proceeded to fetch employees from Head Office to Darvill to Midmar to Albert Falls, where
staff from these sites assisted a lot in showing around the inductees.
25 February 2008 On this day the bus departed Head Office to fetch employees from Dbn
Heights Hazelmere to Amanzimtoti and lastly to Wiggins for site visits.
27 February 2008 This day was reserved for team building and social gathering. Various
team building exercises were introduced for the first time and all inductees had fun and on big happy Umgeni family was formed.
The Talent Management Induction Task Team wishes to thank all divisions
for participating in this important event in the calendar of the organisation.
The Talent Management & OD department initiated a skills programme
for Operations Division. Services of an ESETA accredited service provider PRO MEETSE training consultants were sought
and learners were elated by the conduct and skills of the facilitator.
This skills programme aims at creating career paths and also giving development
opportunities for employees who were previously disadvantaged and did not obtain any formal qualification
while boasting lot of experience in their respective fields of work.
This skills programme was piloted at Izintaba Region and training held
at Darvill WWW and will soon be rolled out to the entire OPS division. Training took place from 26 May 2008 to 30 May 2008.
Employees who attended came from various plants and were trained on various unit standards of the qualification.
The format of the programme was both Theoretical and Practical.
The programme was very successful as all learners submitted Portfolio
of Evidence (PoE) and were all found to be competent. Now Umgeni Water can boast skilled employees from this skills
programme.
For any queries and In-Service and Graduate Training Applications:
The Skills Development Facilitator
P O Box 9
Pietermaritzburg
3200
(033) 341 1346 Office hours
(033) 341 10896 Facsimile mxolisi.ngcobo@umgeni.co.za
Please note that Umgeni Water does not all the time advertise trainee
positions, so please send your applications to the above address and in your application please include motivation letter,
cv and updated academic record.
