Restructuring internship - Bureau of Waterworks Tokyo Metropolitan ...

Restructuring internship ~ Implementation of fostering and training 

programs for instructors 

Bureau of Waterworks, Tokyo Metropolitan Government 

1. Background of restructuring 

(1) Retirement of a huge number of experienced personnel 

The so-called “2007 Problem” is 

年 Age 齢 ((years) 

歳 ) 

getting a lot of publicity in the 

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media recently. For the Governor 

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Bureau of Tokyo Metropolitan 

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Government and the other local 

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authorities, the term “2007 Problem” 

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seems to indicate the problem of 

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temporary increase in the payment 

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of retirement allowances. The term 

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for the Bureau of Tokyo Waterworks, 

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however, points out another 

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problem: difficulty in the succession 

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of clerical and technical know-how. 

Fig. 1 shows the age-wise personnel 

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0 50 100 150 200 250 

structure of the Bureau of Tokyo 

Number of employees 職員 (persons) 数 ( 人 ) 

Waterworks, indicating clearly the 

Fig. 1 

imminent massive retirement of 

experienced personnel. The would-be retirees en mass belong to the so-called 

“baby-boom generation,” and are the employees recruited in the later half of the 1960’s, 

which was an expansion phase for the Bureau of Tokyo Waterworks. That was a period 

of “expansion after expansion” in order to meet with the rapidly increasing water 

demand. The employees in those days were engaged directly in water supply work, and 

had a strong technical background because they had to deal with the frequently 

occurring accidents, etc. Most of the employees in those days were “the people dedicated 

only to waterworks.” This generation was succeeded by the people in their 30’s, 

so-called “the junior baby boomers.” People of this generation were employed during the 

“management age,” and because of the increase of the commissioned work, these people 

had fewer chances to get directly involved in waterworks job. Further, because of the 

remarkable progress made in the maintenance of facilities, they had fewer chances of 

encountering and experiencing accidents, etc. In addition, the interofficial exchanges 

such as senior system, etc. and the frequent transfer of personnel within the Bureau 

deprived them of the chances to remain in the same post over a long time, thus 

reducing the number of employees “dedicated only to waterworks.” 

In other words, the veteran employees who have so far worked as instructors of 

Copyright 2007 Bureau of Waterworks, Tokyo Metropolitan Government. All Rights Reserved 

8-1 Nishi-Shinjuku 2-chome, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, Japan

on-job-training (OJT) at each workplace and who were advisors at the time of accident 

or trouble, are soon going to quit the job and leave the workplace all at a time. 

(2) Promotion of consignment and deprivation of practical experience 

The water supply business is not an exception to the big trend of the times, i.e. “from 

the government to the private sector,” i.e. “what can be done by the private sectors 

should be left to them.” In addition to the construction works, etc. that have long been 

carried out on contract basis, commissioned works performed by expert minority are 

increasing in various fields of the water supply business for effective business 

operation. Nevertheless, in spite of the increasing number of commissioned works, 

there are some jobs left; for instance the job of commission supervision; and, after all, 

the Bureau of Tokyo Waterworks bears the ultimate responsibility of round-the-clock 

distribution of “safe and high-quality water” to the customers. The capacity to lead, on 

the part of the staff doing management and supervision of the commissioned enterprise, 

will become all the more important in the future. 

In the supervision of a commissioned enterprise the “practical experience” is not an 

essential requirement. However, the opinions from the worksite or the reports of 

training courses suggest that the “practical experience” does make a difference. In 

other words, the capability of an employee to lead the enterprise depends on whether 

he/she has practical experience or not. But, with the commissioned works increasing in 

number, there are fewer chances for the employees (staff) to perform the job directly in 

the workplace, which may lead to the “degradation in the capability of leading and 

supervising the enterprise on the spot. Hence, the “pseudo experience” in the training 

site becomes increasingly important. 

2. Measures for restructuring internship 

(1) Drawing up the “Training Plan 2005” 

On the basic concept of long-term 

effective cultivation of human 

resources, we drew up and 

announced the “Training Plan 

2005” in December 2003 after 

making a thorough review of the 

training system, etc. Based on 

this plan, we restructured 

internship (practical training 

program) for training so as to 

provide required ability 

depending on the “years of 

experience” in the task the person 

is engaged in. 

Image of internship (Engineer) with distinct levels 

Goal of training 

Advanced training course 

Ability to lead and cultivate personnel and private enterprise 

Intermediate training course 

Ability to perform the task by self decision 

Lecture 

Ability to perform the task as instructed by the supervisor 

Intermediate training course 

Training for the newly-appointed Lecture Real experience 

Lecture Real experience 

Basic knowledge about waterworks 

1 month 

6 months 


8-1 Nishi-Shinjuku 2-chome, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, Japan 

Fig.2 

Lecture 座学 

Simulated 擬似体験 

experience 

Simulated experience 

3 years 

Concept 

Overall control 

and response 

to trouble 

Correspondence 

to 

Case of failure 

Case of trouble 

Clear vision of 

training objective 

Target number of years 

5 years

In restructuring the internship, we set the objective as “acquisition of the basic ability 

required for performing the clerical business of the Bureau without fault” instead of the 

conventional objective as “sequential training,” and the programs conventionally 

planned and operated by each concerned business department were included in the 

Bureau-sponsored training program. 

Working groups both in clerical and technical fields were organized and after the study 

period of about a year, a review of the training system was made. For technical field, 

efforts were made to create an image of the role of internship by distinguishing the 

levels respectively for newly-appointed staff and other personnel from beginner class to 

advanced class as shown in Fig.2. 

During the process of study on the restructuring of the internship, a thorough and 

drastic review was made from the standpoints of “the clerical and technical abilities 

required for steady succession of the Bureau’s business” and “the methods required for 

the steady and effective succession.” As for the “required abilities,” we sorted out all of 

the clerical and technical jobs performed daily by our staff, and ranked the required 

minimum level of ability to perform the job as “Beginner Course.” Next, in order to 

“standardize” the contents and methods of training, we made study on them by 

cultivating instructors for the training. 

(2) Planned implementation of training for instructors 

In considering the elaborate contents and methods of training, we have started planned 

implementation of a program called “training for instructors” ahead of schedule since 

FY2004 to train the instructors for internship. A total of 400 instructors— 

234 persons in FY2004 and 166 persons in FY2005—were trained and, on finishing 

their training courses, they received the “Certificates” from the Bureau Manager. These 

people are actively engaged as instructors in the internship program that started in 

FY2005 after the restructuring. Fig. 3 shows the curriculum for the instructor training 

course, composed mainly of two major factors, namely “creation and review of 

curriculum and textbooks” and “training on presentation.” 



Schedules Execution time Days Subjects Contents 

General training 1 Around the 

0.5 day 

・In opening the course 

・Importance and significance of an instructor 

middle 

August 

of 

・Method of proceeding the “Training Course 

for Instructors” 

・ Instructor’s skill 

・Instructor’s role in training 

(Introduction) 

・ Instructor’s skill (technique) [classroom 

lecture] 

*Technique introduction is subject to omission. 

(Voluntary work) 

September ~ 

Collective 

Review of textbook 

Creation and review of the concerned 

・ Creation and 

November 

training: 

textbook 

improvement 

of 

Once 

or 

2Creation and improvement of lecture 

textbook 

twice 

a 

plan (lesson plan) 

・ Preparation of 

month 

lecture plan 

* Each instructor shall make a review on the subject he/she is in charge of before making adjustment after 

getting together in groups. 

Power point training October ~ 1 day Power point ・Preparation of sheet 

(Applicants only) December 

・Slide-show playing 

・Animation setting 

Instructor technique October ~ 2 days Teaching method Effective presentation and method of 

(Compulsory) 

December 

giving lecture 

General training 2 February 0.5 day Cultivating human ・General lecture (Enhanced motivation of 

resources 

would-be instructors) 

・Awarding the “Certificate for Instructor” 

Fig. 3 

1 Selection of candidates for instructor training course 

Officials of the levels of Assistant Section Chief and Chief Clerk have so far been 

appointed as “pinch hitters” for training the instructors instead of the full-time staff of 

a Training Department, with the instructors for training involving skill confined only to 

specific staff. 

After making a thorough study of the aforesaid background as well as of elaborate 

contents and methods of training during the training course for instructors, we decided 

to choose experienced staff “working in the front line in the site” and “well versed in 

the business” as the instructors. In selecting the instructors, the opinion of the 

“Training Promotion Committee” made up of the people of the level of Section Chief in 

the Bureau of Tokyo Waterworks was used for reference. 

Fig. 4 shows the result of the selection of instructors, with the selection of instructors 

for technical course being close to the image. In the case of clerical course, however, the 

selected instructors are mainly the young staffs of the Bureau of Tokyo Waterworks. 

This is probably because the contents to be taught in clerical course were virtually 

decided to be the clerical procedure (manual). 



Fig. 4 State of acknowledgement of instructors (As of April 1, 2006) 

Job-wise personnel (person) 

Clerical field Assistant Section Chief and Chief 28 

Clerk class 

Chief (Senior) staff class 31 

Average age 

(years) 

37 

Technical field 

General 21 

Assistant Section Chief and Chief 266 

Clerk class 

Chief staff class 28 

General 5 

48 

2 Making curriculum and textbooks 

During the course of training, curriculum and textbooks are made as per concerned 

subject mainly through group-wise voluntary training. A thorough and comprehensive 

study is conducted on the elaborate “clerical and technical” items for succession, and 

compilation of the contents and methods of training for “Beginner Course” into a 

manual is promoted as viewed through the eyes of a real instructor. In other words, we 

are asking the expert staffs to put the “contents in their minds” into documents and 

videos to leave them as “something substantial.” 

In the first year 2004, some subjects had to be started from the blank, and the 

instructors seem to have had a hard time having to do voluntary training 5 or 6 times. 

Even in the case of the subject that had been available since long and the items that 

had so far been taught, a review was made 

to check and see if they are really required 3 Operation procedures 

at this time for effective succession, before (For replacing a φ25mm saddle snap tap 

with a φ25mm saddle tap) 

sorting out the minimum required items. 

1) Fix the saddle snap tap exchanger base plate to the saddle snap tap 

with U-shaped bolts. 

As for the contents of textbooks, pictures 

and illustrations were effectively used in 

the textbooks for skill practice in order to 

meet with our request of a textbook “easy 

2) Install the saddle snap tap exchanger top plate onto the saddle snap tap 

to understand simply by seeing (reading).” 

exchanger base plate. 

The examples are shown in Fig. 5. 

For the training method also, the debating 

style based on case examples was 

3) Install the drill adapter (improved type) for saddle snap tap. 

preferably adopted than the didactic style. 

In the case of technical course, the 

contents and objectives of the training 

facility were thoroughly familiarized so as 

to make the most effective use of the 

Fig.5 

newly built training facility for skill practice. 



In the new training course, the trainee is allowed to experience valve operation and 

make visual check of valve operation using the cut model of valve in addition to doing 

the drill on emergency water supply at the time of disaster. 

3 Presentation method 

The second major point of the training for instructors is “to acquire the teaching 

technique.” 

Most of the expert employees tend “to abound in knowledge and experience, but are 

poor at transmitting them to others and at speaking in public.” 

From the viewpoint of age, transmitting knowledge and experience from baby boomers 

to baby-boomer juniors, wide apart in age, is a hard nut to crack. Under such 

background, a variety of techniques are needed for effective teaching. 

It is for this reason that the visiting instructors are invited as shown in Fig. 6 to give 

lecture on the usage of power point and on the presentation skill to allow the trainees 

to “acquire the teaching technique.” 

In the presentation training, steady learning process is adopted. For example, a trainee 

gives a mock lecture, which is videotaped for the trainee to check and confirm the 

contents of his/her own lecture later. This type of training is mainly carried out 

particularly in the clerical course, where there is hardly any need of making curriculum 

or textbook. 

Day and time Subject Instructor (Lecturer) 

1st 9:00 Orientation (Lecture): Three basic rules of learning Instructor invited from 

day 

Role of instructor and development of ability outside 

(Lecture): Technique of instruction 

(Communication Academy) 

Visual method (Lecture): Effect of vision, visual 

software, etc. 

12:30 

13:30 Preparation for guidance and training 

(Lecture/Training): Lesson plan making 

Basic training (Training/Individual guidance): Lecture 

training, study, improvement draft making, etc. 

Each individual making and reviewing the documents 

for announcement such as power point, resume, etc. 

17:00 

2nd 

9:00 

Applied training 1 Training/Individual guidance): 

Same as above 

day 

Correction (Creation) of lesson plan, lecture training, 

12:30 

etc. 

13:30 

Applied training 2 (Training/Individual guidance): 

16:45 

Lecture training 

Summarization (Lecture) 

Fig. 6 



(4) Implementation of the restructured internship program 

After the restructuring, the number of internship courses in both clerical and technical 

fields counted 57 courses, all performed by the trained 379 instructors (400 instructors 

were acknowledged, but some were transferred to the other bureaus). The list of 

instructors is disclosed to the people in management level for effective utilization also 

in OJT. 

At the beginning of the training, the trainee is first of all explained about the “object” 

and the “target achievement level.” Especially in the case of the training for piping 

work and facility repair work, since staffs don’t have to get directly involved because of 

the consignment system, both the instructors and the trainees require awareness about 

the necessity and significance of the internship. This is because a question arises here 

about the need of acquiring training on a work which has nothing to do in the 

workplace. 

One of the significances of the training program is that the training can improve the 

ability of supervising the commissioned enterprise. In the job of construction 

supervision, we often come to realize for the first time the knack for leading (guiding) 

the enterprise only after we experience doing it ourselves. 

The second significance is to maintain the crisis management and accident response 

ability of the staff which is in danger of getting degraded because of the promotion of 

consignment. The staffs are forced to deal with the problems at the time of disaster 

irrespective of their job type, and therefore the course is explained as a “practical” 

training for acquiring the required ability. 

In the future we plan to replenish and furnish the textbooks, and build up a sure and 

effective system for technical succession by distinguishing the items to be succeeded in 

the workplace and those through collective training. We are actually thinking of 

registering the contents of training (images) and the contents of textbooks in the 

Knowledge Library to allow easy access and search even at the workplace. 

(5) Review of contents and methods after the 2nd year 

We have been implementing the internship program restructured in 2005, and 

providing cultivation and training courses for instructors. For sure and effective 

succession of clerical and technical know-how, however, it is necessary to make a 

constant review of the contents and methods based on the results of the training. 

In other words, it is necessary to make the so-called PDCA (Plan-Do-Check-Act) cycle 

function. Among these, the C part addresses a problem: “at what stage” to check the 

training results. 

So far, the “results” of the training has been judged on the basis of the “lecture report” 

submitted by the trainee immediately after completion of the training. However, a 

problem arises here: can only the training “evaluated good” by the trainee immediately 

after the training course be actually called a “good” training Based on these facts, we 



are sending questionnaires again as an experimental case, to the trainees some 2 ~ 3 

months after completion of the training. 

3. Effect of restructuring and future problems 

(1) Effect of restructuring 

As described above, the internship program has entered its second year after 

restructuring, and the training course for instructors has entered its third year, with 

the programs just getting on the right track. Of course the effect of the training after 

restructuring does not appear in a day or two. However, as the restructuring was 

carried out mainly through “cultivation and training of instructors,” our staffs could at 

least argue the issues such as “what clerical and technical items to succeed for steady 

succession of the Bureau’s business” and “how to succeed such items surely and 

effectively” from the viewpoint of “training,” and we take pride in that the issues have 

become clearer in terms closer to the on-site needs. 

(2) Future problems 

On the other hand, several future problems have also come to the surface. 

1) Ranking and contents, etc. of intermediate and advanced courses 

We have just started with the intermediate training course for technical field, so as to 

implement the program within FY2006. Once we started our study, we ran head-on into 

a difficult problem: we do have the image as shown in Fig. 2, but actually what kind of 

“technology” can be called intermediate-class technology 

2) Ranking of “instructors” 

Currently, the staff who completes the training course for instructors is awarded a 

“certificate,” and is assigned to play an active role of an instructor. On the other hand, 

the expert staffs assigned as instructors, are still engaged in their work in the front 

line as the nucleus of the workplace. On top of it, such staffs have no advantage by 

doing the instructor’s job and are not well understood in the workplace. They have no 

“allowances” or the like as the instructors, and are apparently doing the job on 

“honorary basis.” 

To this regard, we are determined to raise awareness of all employees and to make 

them realize, through the initiative of the Training and Development Center, that the 

training instructors are in no way doing off-the-job activity, but that they are playing 

one of the key roles in the Bureau: the role of “sure and effective succession of clerical 

and technical know-how.”

Restructuring internship - Bureau of Waterworks Tokyo Metropolitan ...

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