Mind the Gap: East Asia - PacificHuman Resources Capacity in the Water and Sanitation sectors: Is there enough to meet future demands?
Dr Regina Souter
Dr Brian McIntosh
Presentation Heading
Sri Lanka
Philippines
Papua New Guinea
PDR Lao
Project teams = IWC + local water and sanitation sector experts + IWA
Approach:• Engage stakeholders (esp. Nat gov, private sector and E&T institutions)• Gather contextual information: institutional environment, E&T environment• Collect data & information about shortages and gaps in HR• Stakeholder review & recommendations
Four East Asia & Pacific assessments
Some findings common to all 4 countries
Rural HR needs- Reliance upon communities to
participate in delivering WASH ( e.g. construction, O&M)
need for community mobilisers need for technical back-stopping;
- For many cultures, sanitation & hygiene promotion needed to improve practices and increase demand for WASH
…more common findings…
Urban HR needs- Greatest requirement is for
high(er)-tech HR for construction, O&M of infrastructure (“hardware-focussed”).
- In informal areas especially, also need for community mobilisation, due to high reliance on on-site waste management
HR strategic planning• Typically not obvious, but needed to align
capacity development with government and investment plans
E&T contributions to WASH- limited focus on producing HR for WASH
sector, quantity or quality ( limited liaison between WASH sector organisations and E&T providers)
Recruitment - Rarely competency-based, or quantum
matched to sectoral needs
…more common findings…
….But also many unique findings & recommendations
Philippines: • very complex governance and large
population very complex to assess HR needs
• Heavy reliance upon communities and volunteers (for construction, O&M, even for enforcement of regulation) in rural areas, no shortage of engineers /technicians (enough to provide oversight and technical backstop)
• High participation rates in education, but poor graduation rates and very low job-readiness
• Very significant overseas deployment of skilled workers failure to attract to WASH
….But also many unique findings & recommendations
Lao: • WASH governance capacity not strong (but
building)• O&M in rural areas: done by committees,
lacking financial and technical capacity, and without technical backstopping
• Shortage of HR in rural areas ( difficulty in attracting professionals to rural areas)
• Existing HR capacity: government comprises only ~25% of the total HR (gov–owned water utilities=~half; NGOs ~quarter)
• Limited E&T relevant to WASH (e.g. 1 water supply and wastewater course, new in 2012)
Some of the critical (common) recommendations to improve WASH HR
Improve HR management:• Adoption of strategic, competency-based HR management (Recruitment of sufficient
numbers of sufficiently skilled personnel to specific job roles and locations)
• Incentives to attract/retain personnel to locations needed
• Develop career pathways to attract HR to WASH (from other sectors)
Strengthen WASH E&T:• Collaboration between WASH organisations and E&T organisations (E&T aware of,
and responsive to WASH needs)
• Improve WASH curriculums at E&T institutions to increase match between supply and demand of skills
Improve short-term capacity (for WASH and E&T) through expatriates
Acknowledge community as a critical source of HR:• Need for more community mobilisers
• Need for training suited to community individuals
Most important next step: a capacity development plan (devpmt led by country governments with support) to “action-ise” recommendations
…but need more a comprehensive view of WASH HR requirements
Not addressed here:
WASH governance and sustainable WASH service delivery
need also to assess HR needs for – Policy & planning (including water resource
planning)– Regulatory development and enforcement– Finance and expenditure– Infrastructure planning– Operation and maintenance beyond MDG
definition of water and sanitation service: e.g. collection, treatment and disposal of waste; water quality monitoring
– Sanitation and hygiene promotion and behaviour change
– Monitoring and evaluation