Skills - Case study

NVQ Level 2 – Operating Process Plant

During 2008/09 we became the first water and sewerage company in the UK to ensure all production operators in its treatment plants meet the requirements of the Competent Operator Framework.

UK water companies signed up to the Competent Operator Framework in 2006, to ensure that all operatives across the UK carry out water treatment work to the same national standards.

All 138 Northumbrian Water Limited employees who work at a treatment works are now recognised as ‘competent operators’ and have achieved a nationally recognised qualification, NVQ Level 2 in Operating Process Plant.

This qualification, which is designed around the skills and knowledge people use in their jobs, has been developed specifically to meet the national occupational standards set by the water, electricity, gas and waste management industries to achieve competent operator status.

Production team leader, Andrew Hindmarsh who works at a treatment works in Durham City, said: “I am very proud to have achieved a national qualification. To be the first company to ensure everyone is competent is testament to the fact that I work for a company that values and invests in its employees.”

David Hellier, head of sector engagement at Energy & Utility Skills, the sector skills council responsible for the improvement of skills and training in the electricity, gas, waste management and water industries, said: “The way in which UK water companies have bought into the Competent Operator Framework is a credit to the industry and we congratulate Northumbrian Water on being the first company to get everyone through the training. The Framework means that the UK has a high standard of operator competence, which makes the UK’s water industry one of the most consistent and high performing in the world and provides reassurance to customers, regulators and wider stakeholders.“

Diane Morton, human resources director at Northumbrian Water, said: “To be the first water and sewerage company in the UK to have trained all operators to meet this standard is a real achievement and means we’re setting the standard for best practice in our field.

“It’s also a key milestone towards achieving our challenging Skills Pledge target of 90% of our workforce qualified to a minimum Level 2 in the National Qualifications Framework by July 2010."

Union learning representatives

Since 2007 we have had several union learning representatives (ULRs) who focus on encouraging people to embrace the idea of lifelong learning, particularly in areas such as maths, English and computer skills. Lifelong learning is about encouraging everyone to develop their confidence, skills and knowledge and ULRs were appointed to help to create a culture where learning is valued and supported by managers and employees.

The ULRs encourage and support all staff, whether or not a trade union member, in ‘returning to learning’; making best use of our training and development programmes, as well as those of appropriate external providers. They work closely with the Company to discuss how learning and development needs can be supported within the business. Mark Elgey, ULR, said “The Company has a good record of developing its people and we want to ensure that everyone has an opportunity to take part in this and to have support where it is needed. Some people may find training or NVQ programmes daunting if they are returning to learning and we are there to help them. The Company’s skills awards evening was a great success last year and we are keen to see more people celebrating their learning successes. Other people may know they have a learning need, but want to address it outside of the Company and we can help them to identify the best way of doing that, i.e. finding a suitable course or home learning package, etc”.

Skills Awards

We have always recognised the importance of training and developing our employees, investing in our people to ensure they have the skills and qualifications to enable them to do their current jobs and help them progress within the company. The company's commitment to achieve the Skills Pledge was an opportunity to team up with the North East Chamber of Commerce and Newcastle Business School to benefit from the Learning and Skills Council's Train to Gain programme. This gave us an opportunity to recognise our employees' excellence at work and to give them an opportunity to gain a qualification.

We wanted to recognise the achievements of these individuals and others who have worked hard to gain a range of academic qualifications, and in 2007 we introduced our Skills Awards, which have since been held each year. Kriss Akabusi has been our guest speaker at these events, ensuring that each evening has been inspirational and memorable and that each achievement has been acknowledged and celebrated.