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Strategies and Solutions for Addressing Today’s Workforce Issues

August 14th, 2012

Water Workforce Issues & The Impact on Training

Needs

Melanie Fahrenbruch, M.Ed.MJF Consulting, LLCmel@mjfconsult.com

OUTLINE• The National Need

– Research

– Top Six Issues

• Get Into Water! Project Highlights– The

RMSAWWA/RMWEA Supervisory Certificate Program

– Career Mapping

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THE NATIONAL NEED

What are waters’ Top 10 Inadequately addressed issues?

• Regulatory

• Business Issues

• Source Water

• Infrastructure

• Security

Source: AWWA 2011 State of the Industry Report

• Water Treatment

• Workforce

• Macro Factors

• Leadership

• Consumer

THE NATIONAL NEED

Waters’ Top 10 most inadequately addressed issues:

1. Business Factors

2. Infrastructure

3. Source Water

4. Workforce

5. Regulatory

6. Leadership

7. Security

8. Water Treatment

9. Macro Factors

10. Consumer

Source: AWWA 2011 State of the Industry Report

THE NATIONAL NEED…25% of operators eligible to retire

between 2009-2014

Source: AWWA 2009 State of the Industry Report

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THE NATIONAL NEED

• Workforce Reduction– Over $1 million in research

– Overall concern tempered by slow economy

– Guess what? They are leaving now!

THE NATIONAL NEED

• Work for Water Campaign (AWWA, WEF)

THE NATIONAL NEED

• The Boomer Market– 76.4 million baby boomers

– Leading-edge boomers turned 65 in 2011

– Another baby boomer turns 60 every eight seconds

– By 2030, 70 million Americans will be 65+, and will comprise 20-25% of the US population

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics

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Source: Arapahoe/Douglas Works

THE NATIONAL NEED

• Gaps in Competency-Based Training– How can there be a gap? There is so much

training available.

– How do we know there is a gap?• In Colorado….the most frequent cause of

failure was related to a distribution system deficiency and constituted 43 (%) of all Acute Team responses*

• 28Certification Exam Performance– Colorado Water Distribution Level 4 pass rate: 17%

THE NATIONAL NEED

– How is Colorado addressing the gap?

• Move to an outcomes-based, learner-centered approach

• Colorado Department of Health and Environment with RMSAWWA: 2015 Training Strategy and Administrative Framework

• ABC NTKC Prioritization and Usage Guidelines

• Core Curriculum Program Plan w/Colorado Competency Model

• Colorado Water Careers Roadmap

• Train the Trainer Program

• Training Assessment Program

• Web Portal

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THE NATIONAL NEED

• Lack of Supervisory Skills– The number one reason

people leave their job is—”uncaring and unprofessional managers; overworking staff; no respect, not listening, putting people in wrong jobs; speed over quality; poor manager selection processes.”*

• Competition with other industries

*Source: IAAP

GET INTO WATER!

• Mission: The water and wastewater industry will sufficiently recruit, train and retain personnel to ensure mission-critical positions are filled with qualified, trained & technically skilled employees

– Drinking Water Treatment Operators

– Wastewater Treatment Plant operators

– Wastewater Collection Operators

– Water Distribution Operators

– SCADA/Instrumentation Control Operators

GET INTO WATER!

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GET INTO WATER!

• The Industry Advisory Council (IAC), comprised of Front Range water and wastewater utilities, desires to focus exclusively on these operations-level positions. We intend to focus on sustainable programs and activities that will add value to employers and potential employees at times of high and low unemployment.

GET INTO WATER!

• Funding by Colorado Department of Labor and Employment

• “Sector Grant”

• Total funding $575,000, plus in-kind and cash provided by utilities, associations

GET INTO WATER!

• Sector grants are designed to: – Help the state and its businesses stay strong

and diverse

– Build a Gold Collar and STEM-ready workforce that is essential to sustaining the state economy

– Help fill the gap left by the 1.2 million 65+ workers estimated to retire in the next two decades

– Offer a “Grow Our Own” solution

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GET INTO WATER!

Research-Primary Data– Colorado Workforce Survey

(Although a four-county project, survey sent to all Colorado utilities) AWWA State of the Industry Report

– Water Research Foundation Reports

– Utility-Specific Data from Industry Advisory Council

– Occupation Data and Related Available Workforce

GET INTO WATER!

• GOAL #1: Training

– Conduct and promote training programs to ensure mission critical positions are filled with qualified, trained and technically skilled personnel.

• GOAL #2: Outreach and Recruitment

– Conduct adequate outreach and recruitmentefforts to ensure interest in, and attraction to, mission-critical positions.

GET INTO WATER!

• GOAL # 3: HR/Operations Collaboration– Enhance collaboration, education and

communication between operations staff and human resource professionals to create a positive culture for workforce development.

• GOAL #4: Knowledge Management– Conduct knowledge management and

employee retention efforts to ensure mission critical personnel have the knowledge and skills to operate effectively.

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GET INTO WATER!

• RMSAWWA/RMWEA Supervisory Certificate Program– There are increasing opportunities for

qualified candidates to fill supervisor positions that are being vacated

• Soft Skills Only-Classroom, Web, Conference

Source: Get Into Water Project

GET INTO WATER!

• Eight-month cohort program

• 20 participants for the first year

• Curriculum developed using grant funding

– Complete with facilitator’s guide

• 60 contact hours

• Focused on soft-skill

development

• Executive Coaching

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GET INTO WATER!

• Supervisory Certificate Program Content– Self-Awareness: Insight to Action

– The RMSAWWA/WEA Annual Conference: A Learning Laboratory

– Communications and the Role of the Supervisor – Part 1

– The Role of the Supervisor – Part 2

– The Role of the Supervisor – Part 3: When Things Go South

– Organizational Culture & Leadership Styles: Your Secret to Success

– A Virtual Forum: Meet the Executives

– Putting It All Together

GET INTO WATER!

Thank You!

Melanie Fahrenbruch, M.Ed.

President, MJF Consulting LLC

mel@mjfconsult.com

303-912-3358

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Today’s Presenters

• Jim Ginley, Senior Consultant, Red Oak Consulting, an ARCADIS Group

• Melanie Fahrenbruch, M.Ed., MJF Consulting, LLC

• James Mcpherson, Training Coordinator, Union Sanitary District

• Jeff Oxenford, Managing Analyst, Stratus Consulting

• Tyler Richards, Deputy Director of Operations, Gwinnett County, Georgia Water Resources

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N

UNION CITY

680

880

84

NEWARKFREMONT

UNION CITYUSD

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TASKSTASKSWhat do I have to

do?

KNOWLEDGEWhat do I

have to know?

JOB COMPETENCY REQUIRMENTS

(JCR)

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Using Knowledge Management to Address

Workforce Issues

Prepared by:

Jeff OxenfordStratus Consulting

Boulder, CO

Acknowledgements

• AWWA Knowledge Management Subcommittee of the Workforce Strategies Committee

• Knowledge Management Committee of the Rocky Mountain Section of AWWA

• Get Into Water

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What Are the Workforce Challenges that Are Driving Knowledge

Management?

1. Preventing Knowledge Loss

• Is there danger in losing key operating and other organizational knowledge (e.g. history)?– Baby Boomer retirements

– Competition with other industries for skilled employees

2. Keeping Up

• Do we have people who have the knowledge, skills, abilities, and behaviors needed to do the job now and to meet future requirements?– Tightening health and safety,

environmental, and water quality regulations

– Changing facilities, technologies, and equipment

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3. Continual Improvement

• Are we providing existing staff with opportunities for continual professional development and a culture that encourages innovation and continuous improvement? – Increasing customer expectations

– Developing culture to support improvement

4. Supporting the Workforce

• Are we adequately supporting existing staff to ensure they have the information they need, when they need it? – Finding information when it’s needed

– Provide information to workers in the field

– Developing systems to capture, store, and manage content

Workforce Knowledge Challenges(ranked very important)

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

Retiring employees New technology Finding info Hiring new History

ALL

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Keeping up with new technology 

Keeping up with new 

requirements 

Supporting existing workforce 

Continual improvement

Preventing knowledge loss

Importance of Knowledge Management

Stage of Knowledge Management Implementation

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How to Get Started?

1. Define Knowledge Management for Your Organization

• Ensure that “the right people have the right skills and information at the right time to perform work needed”

• Formalized program for collecting information and capturing knowledge and experience in a tangible, easily assessable, and user friendly formatthat can be managed and used over time

• KM is a combination of people, processes, and technology

2. Treat Knowledge Management Like Any Other Project

• Needs assessment

• Implementation

• Sticking with it

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Needs Assessment

• Identify mission-critical functions and job categories

• Assess the culture of your organization

• Assess effectiveness of knowledge processes (access, transfer, sharing)

Rating of the Current Effectiveness (% rated very effective)

Implementation

• Develop a phased approach that fits with your organization and how employees access information

• Create learning opportunities

• Encourage a culture of sharing information

• Identify champions

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Sticking to It

• Recognize that this process is– Long term

– Will have ups/downs or ebbs/flows

– Requires maintenance

3. Select Appropriate Tool or Suite of Tools

1. Mentorships/apprenticeships

2. Staff development training programs

3. Competency based training

4. Communities of practice

5. Knowledge sharing systems

6. Video capture

Knowledge Management Activities

• Very interested in obtaining assistance

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Type of Knowledge Management Activities

• Standard operating procedures (SOPs)

• Training (cross training, attend regional seminars, leadership, topical lunch seminars)

• Meetings (to share information)

• Apprentice, mentoring, and internship programs

• Content management (scanning documents)

• Work order system, O+M software, GIS, mapping, SCADA

• Succession planning

The Future

• Addressing knowledge needs with changing demographics

• Understanding and addressing barriers to the use of future knowledge management technologies

• Continuing the discussion on Knowledge Management best practices

Final Thoughts

• Knowledge is an asset and should be managed as a asset (develop a formal program)

• Provide operators with the information they need, when they need it, in a format they need

• Design knowledge management processes and systems around people

• Loss of knowledge is a significant threat to efficient and effective operations

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For More Information

Jeff Oxenfordjoxenford@stratusconsulting.com

303-381-8286

http://www.workforwater.org/

http://www.getintowaterco.org/knowledge-management-resources/

Case Study of Knowledge Retention

Gwinnett County, GA

Tyler Richards

BackgroundGwinnett County’s Department of Water Resources (GCDWR) serves approximately 800,000 customers.

GCDWR provides three core services: producing and distributing drinking water; collecting and treating wastewater; and managing storm water.

• 2 large water treatment facilities

• 3 large wastewater treatment facilities

• 226 wastewater pump stations

• 2,931 miles sewer pipe

• 3,665 miles of distribution pipe

• 1,320 miles of stormwater pipe

.

F. W. Hill WRC

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System Growth

Now: 60% of Operations Management Team can Retirewithin 3 years (20% of all Operations Employees).

• Loss of Asset Knowledge

• Loss of System or Technical Knowledge

Problem:

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• Loss of Asset Knowledge

Problem:

Digital Format

• Loss of Asset Knowledge

Problem:

Digital FormatGIS/CMMS (Lucity) for LinearAssets

Steve

Distribution System Expert – 23 years

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Steve

How do we get information out of his head and into GIS?

Distribution System Manager

Collection System Manager

Steve over 51 distribution employees – 24 hour job

Field PMManager

Field CrewManager

Combined distribution and collection field crewsSteve put over preventive maintenance and asset GPS

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Field PMManager

• GPS assets• Leak Detection• Valve Exercising• CCTV• Special Projects

Field PM Groups Role

Benefits – 2 years• Able to reduce ‘unknown’ attributes for distribution

assets from 18% to <1% of assets, increased # assets in GIS

• Special Projects Completed– Tested for possible interconnections with other systems

– Cathode Protection Test Sites (were homeless assets)

– Resolving billing meters in GIS versus actually billed

• Have a preventive maintenance programs in place and expanding– Leak detection

– Valve exercising

– Pipe and manhole inspection

• Loss of Asset Knowledge

• Loss of System or Technical Knowledge

Problem:

KNOWLEDGE TEAMSSOGs

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Knowledge Teams26 year Engineer for Water Production was going to

retire in a year

• Formed a “Pressure Management Team” Retiring Engineer Operations Tech Support Engineer (new) Water System Modeler Distribution System Technician

• Team reviewed system operation and initiated improvements Decreased overall pressure Implemented new pressure zones Calibrated water facility meters Worked with facility staff to optimize operations Reviewed energy usage

Results:

• Information about water system operationswas transferred to the “Team”

• Improvements to the system were made andare ongoing including Reducing pressure transients Decreasing power usage Increasing communications between

water production facility and distribution

Conclusion

• There is no one ‘best’ way to ensure knowledgeis transferred

• Knowledge can be captured in many ways Digitally – GIS, CMMS, SCADA Written - SOGs or SOPs Team knowledge transfer or individual to individual

• Gwinnett grew very rapidly in 1980’s and 90’s, we needed to rapidly move from a mom and pop business model to a more sophisticated model.

Deliberative knowledge capture is part of that effort

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Questions?