Water & Wastewater Treatment Magazine
Issue link: https://fhpublishing.uberflip.com/i/717366
www.wwtonline.co.uk | WWT | SEPTEMBER 2016 | 15 Water sites – Gorthleck in the Highlands for water treatment and Bo'Ness near Falkirk for wastewater – funded by a £1.6M Scottish Government grant. "When you look around the world at the nations that have been successful in this kind of territory, they all have proper testing facilities," says Rathjen. "It was an investment that we had to make speculatively, in a sense, but if you are going to be serious about maximising the value from your water sector then you've got to invest, and we have started doing that." The innovation service does not itself provide funding for SMEs, but plays a vital role in letting them know about the sources of funds that are available and in helping them access these. In this sense the service goes beyond "signposting" and provides a good degree of "hand-holding and making connections," says Rathjen. "Reaching this market has traditionally been a hard journey and a long journey, because of the special requirements of the water industry," he admits. "We're looking to shorten that journey to support people through testing, through to accreditation and out into market." Scottish Water's procurement has also been redesigned in recent years to incorporate a huge network of regional supply chains; the vast majority of work goes to Scottish firms, with rural frameworks ensuring that remote areas are not excluded. The reforms earned the utility Platinum accreditation status from the Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply, the first public sector organisation to achieve this honour. Of course, the root of innovation and supply chain expertise is qualified and talented people, so is he confident that Scotland's universities can produce enough engineers, scientists and researchers to fulfil these ambitions, and to retain them in the water sector? "Absolutely we are confident we can do that," says Rathjen. "In fact, we are not only retaining but attracting talented people here to Scotland. We've got a fantastic university base here with very high access levels, and the funding of our universities make them a very attractive place to work and study. Another aspect of the Hydro Nation Programme is that we've established a school of the brightest and best pHD scholars - Hydro Nation scholars - who are there to effectively be ambassadors for the Hydro Nation, by displaying excellence in their own fields and to go out and work internationally to shine a light on what Scotland's doing and our approach. It's been a very successful intervention that we've made." Another associated academic initiative is CREW – the Centre of Expertise for Waters - which is a hub where calls for research are co-ordinated across academic institutions, government and the water sector in Scotland. The industry can use it to find academic research and researchers, while government can also use academic work to shape policy. It's another way in which the water sector in Scotland is bound together in a tighter community than is found elsewhere. This sense of a community and shared purpose also extends to the sector's regulators, according to Rathjen. The economic, environmental and drinking water regulators for Scotland "all sit round the same table" with government and the utility when it comes to seeking top performance and the sector's interests, he says. Regulators have themselves carried out international consultancy work sharing best practice on water regulation - notably economic regulator WICS sharing its experience of Scotland's open market for business retail. Ultimately, the key aspect to remember about the Hydro Nation strategy is that it all must benefit the water consumer and the people of Scotland, says Rathjen. He points out that Scottish water bills are the lowest in the UK and have been continually falling in real terms against inflation; the next price review is also set to give customers a greater say in setting some of Scottish Water's investment priorities. "Number one in my in-tray will always be making sure that we continue to excel in the domestic provision of water and wastewater services," concludes Rathjen. "Everything else we do would be undermined if that wasn't the case. But the Hydro Nation agenda is a way of leveraging that excellence as a way of improving the environment, improving social outcomes for people, doing work around the world, improving our academic base and driving up what we term the water economy. Water really cuts right across the economy and supports jobs in all sectors," he concludes. Jon Rathjen will be among the speakers at WWT's Water Scotland conference in Glasgow on 5th October 2016. For details and to register to attend visit wwt-scotland.net • CV: Jon Rathjen ● Jon Rathjen has been a public servant for over 25 years, having worked for Customs and Excise early in his career and latterly the Scottish Government. His civil service responsibilities over the years have included IT security, e-government and sustainable development. ● He was responsible for Scottish Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) policy and for introducing and overseeing the operation of the Regulations and led the Bill team for the successful introduction of the Environmental Assessment (Scotland) Act 2005. ● Between 2008 and 2012 he had a role leading on community engagement to support of sustainable development and climate change policy, under which he had responsibility for the multi-million pound Climate Challenge Fund, supporting communities to reduce their carbon emissions. ● Since 2012 he has led the Water Industry Team in the Scottish Government, with policy responsibility for the Scottish Water Industry including sponsorship of the public corporation Scottish Water and the Hydro Nation agenda. ● Jon Rathjen will be among the speakers at WWT's Water Scotland conference in Glasgow on 5th October 2016. For agenda details and how to attend visit wwt- scotland.net