Water & Wastewater Treatment Magazine
Issue link: https://fhpublishing.uberflip.com/i/730827
Skills training to the fore We are increasingly growing our own talent, through skills training. This ensures our teams can do their jobs. It also helps attract talented and ambitious recruits. Having a strong internal training team allows us to widen our recruitment pool. The priority now is o en not technical competence, but attitude to customer service. For example, one of our operational leads had been a chef. We're also looking to recruit more women into what were once seen as male roles. A growing number of our drainage engineers are women, bringing new skills and insights. Internal career • exibility and development is also vital for retention and succession planning. We're trying to spot talent early, and fast-track promotion where it is appropriate, and wanted by the employee. It's a reason why one of our female work administrators is now a eld manager. We've also just introduced a scheme to sponsor 60 colleagues to gain their HGV licences – an investment of £2,000 per person – to address the recruitment pressures already described. Our training and operational manuals are designed to be understood by employees for whom English is not their rst language, and we support colleagues as they get their language skills up to speed. Current priorities for our new HR advisor Jill Bowers include enhancing our approach to staŽ retention. We're putting in place better monitoring, so we understand why colleagues leave, and can address those issues. Pay will continue to be a central issue. But we are looking at other incentives, possibly a mix-and- match programme of bene ts, including extra holiday, greater work • exibility, retail vouchers and career development opportunities. We're also looking at creative ways to get ourselves in front of potential recruits, and to actively promote our work in the communities we serve. A staŽ refer-a-friend programme is one new recruitment route. We have to take a long-term approach. There are no quick xes. We need to persuade potential employees from a young age, at schools and colleges, that the water industry is an exciting and rewarding careers choice, in its fullest sense. www.wwtonline.co.uk | WWT | OCTOBER 2016 | 33 Valley depot in Kidlington, Oxfordshire. She says: "Everyone is very supportive and welcoming. I get everything I need to work alongside men, and I'm treated as one of the team. "Drainage is a bit like solving an underground puzzle. You have to work out what's wrong and the best way to fi x it. "The customer o en really appreciates what more than 100 major sewer walks to carry out survey and maintenance work, including tackling some of the capital's largest fatbergs. He now acts as a strong advocate and champion for others who want to build a career in water utilities: "This is a job where attitude counts for a lot. If you're willing to learn, have good judgement and care about the customer you can go far." you've achieved for them, which is a great buzz." Annie has family members who already work for Lanes. At her suggestion, a female friend has now started working for Lanes in the same role. Lanes has built a 'refer a friend' recruitment pathway by rewarding staff who recommend people to join the company. Casey May is the youngest ever regional manager appointed by Lanes Group as he proved himself ready for fast- track promotion. He joined Lanes' Thames Water operation as a driver's assistant in August 2012, aged 22, and has been promoted fi ve times since. Casey is now in charge of a team of more than 120 full time equivalent colleagues in the Central North operational region, covering North London, Hertfordshire, Bucking- hamshire and Essex. Along the way, he led Lanes' main sewer main- tenance team, completing Drainage engineer Annie Traff ord says she likes solving hidden puzzles and making customers happy. The former painter and decorator has worked for Lanes Group's Thames Water team for six months, and is now keen to build a career at the company. Annie, 23, from Wolvercote, Oxford, is based at the Thames No mystery about job satisfaction for Annie Age no barrier for Casey's career success