Download - BC Water & Waste Association

CEO’S MESSAGE
DAISy FOSTER,
CHIEF ExECuTIVE OFFICER
I
n December 2011, BC Water & Waste
Association (BCWWA) carried out a
membership survey. More than 400
responses were received, and, on
behalf of the BCWWA Board and Leadership
Council, I would like to say a very special thank
you to those who responded and to those
who took the extra time to provide some very
thoughtful additional comments. BCWWA relies
on such feedback to set the strategic direction
for the water and waste community, to provide
guidance in policy development and to prioritize
educational and advocacy initiatives. A summary
of the full survey results is now available in the
BCWWA online resource library (go to www.
bcwwa.org/resources/resource-library and type
‘member survey’ in the search box).
You may have noticed that two questions
on the survey were repeated from a similar
membership survey taken exactly two years
before, in December 2009. One question was
to determine the priority of climate change
in your workplace or organization. The other
question was about future concerns and impacts
of workforce issues for the water and waste
community.
The first question asked whether climate
change is an urgent priority, short-term issue,
medium-term issue, long-term issue, or if there
are no plans at all to address climate change in
your workplace. In 2009, the largest number of
respondents (30.9%) said they have no plans.
In 2011, the result was exactly the same, with
30.9% saying they have no plans to deal with
climate change issues. At BCWWA, we are
concerned about the number of workplaces that
have not made climate change more of a priority
8
Watermark Spring 2012
survey responses
raise important concerns
and we will be doing further research to better
understand the reasons for this and the role that
BCWWA might play. BCWWA will also be issuing
a Position Statement on Climate Change in the
coming months and will be providing additional
educational resources and events.
The question on workforce issues is something
that is a more immediate concern to respondents.
Among the range of issues that could have an
impact on the workforce, in the 2009 survey,
the majority of respondents (65.5%) identified
‘loss of knowledge due to employee turnover
and retirement’ as being the greatest concern.
In the 2011 survey, an even larger percentage of
respondents (73.1%) identified this same issue as
their greatest concern.
In recent meetings with municipalities, BCWWA
has been asking its members and employers if
they feel there is a sustainable workforce in the
water and waste industry to replace retiring baby
boomers in the next five to 10 years. Here is some
of what we heard.
A large percentage of those expected to retire
in the next five to 10 years are in management
positions, and the level of succession planning
in many workplaces is not adequate to address
the shortage of qualified candidates to fill these
positions. Employers recognize the need for
deliberate plans for transferring the knowledge
held by these managers to others and for
replacing these managers upon retirement
through both on-the-job mentoring programs and
by providing access to appropriate management
and supervisory skills training.
Many employers indicate that a shortage of
qualified operators exists today and there is
a need to address this shortage immediately.
In particular, there is a shortage of qualified
operators at the higher levels (Levels 3 and 4).
There is concern that this who become even more
pronounced as senior operators retire or replace
supervisors and managers who will retire in the
next few years. While there is acceptance and
support for operator training and certification,
the length of experience required to move from
one level to the next is being questioned, which
may result in a need to review the operator
certification requirements in the future. Some
have pointed to Manitoba, where a new
regulation has been approved to put in place
apprenticeship programs to provide a training
and education pathway to water and wastewater
operator certification.
Ensuring a qualified, competent and
sustainable workforce for the water and waste
industry is an important part of BCWWA’s
mandate. We recognize that this matter requires
immediate attention and will be continuing
the dialogue with employers to better define
the problem and potential solutions. However,
we will not wait to have all the solutions in
order to start working on this important issue.
BCWWA is currently working on a number of
initiatives to help employers address workforce
issues, including a Management Skills Certificate
Program, and we are working with other sector
partners to develop a training program in water
and wastewater for individuals employed in
public works.
“A summary of the full survey results is now available
in the BCWWA online resource library.”
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