The water and utility industry’s training certification and accreditation body, CABWI, has appointed Water UK’s Director of Finance and Company Secretary Graham Saul as its next chairman. He succeeds the former Northern Ireland Water Chief Operating Officer John Kelly who has stepped down after 19 years in the role.
CABWI oversees a wide range of street works and regulated vocational qualifications and provides endorsement for training courses and their providers. It has also recently been selected to provide end point assessment for the Trailblazer Apprenticeship for Water Process Technician.
Graham Saul has worked with Water UK since 1999 and is also a director, non-executive director, or trustee for several other companies and charities across a broad spectrum of activities. He joined the CABWI board as a trustee in 2011. In his spare time he enjoys motor racing both as a successful competitor and as an instructor.
Commenting on his appointment Graham Saul said: “These are exciting times for CABWI as we strengthen our important position as a leading provider of quality and assurance for the qualifications taken by over 13,000 people each year. We ensure that the water and wider utility industries can have confidence that the people they employ who take our qualifications meet the highest standards of practice and delivery in their chosen fields.
“I should like to thank John Kelly for his tremendous enthusiasm and contribution to the work of CABWI under his leadership. He leaves a significant legacy and I am under no illusions as to how hard an act he will be to follow. I am fortunate that he has built a strong board of trustees and staff team to help me take things forward.”
For further information contact Paul Byrne at CABWI on:
Phone: 020 7469 2641
Email: paul.byrne@cabwi.co.uk
- New policy briefing guides water companies on meeting workforce resilience expectations
- Workforce resilience is now a requirement for PR19 business plan submissions
- The briefing focusses on Ofwat’s key themes of customer engagement – affordability, resilience, innovation and how these will be assessed
Energy & Utility Skills has released a comprehensive new guide to Ofwat’s PR19 methodologies. The guide aims to help regulated companies in the water industry to understand what is expected of them in delivering long-term workforce resilience planning within the 2019 Price Review, the areas to consider and how their business plans are likely to be assessed.
Workforce resilience was initially flagged as important in Ofwat’s ‘Resilience in the Round’ approach for a sustainable water sector, before featuring heavily in the price setting Draft Methodology. It is now a requirement for PR19 business plan submissions under the Final Methodology.
At a time when UK labour markets are at their tightest levels since records began, there is high competition between infrastructure and business sectors for available talent. The utility sector has known skills gaps and diversity challenges, the cost of UK-wide recruitment and retention is increasing and with the implications of a European exit yet to materialise, Ofwat’s strategic approach to ensuring sustainable development and sector resilience, is both visionary and prudent.
The need for a resilient, skilled and sustainable workforce has increasingly been recognised by central and devolved governments, as a key challenge for all of the main UK business sectors in a post European-exit economy. The subject is a central plank of the UK Industrial Strategy and is core to the productivity and efficiency needs of the National Infrastructure Plan. The utility sector is the largest single contributor to the £0.5 trillion infrastructure investment strategy.
Under the PR19 methodology, companies will be assessed on how well they have considered and planned for resilience, foreseen and mitigated risks and considered the holistic picture of resilience throughout their business.
The policy briefing focusses on Ofwat’s key themes of customer engagement – affordability, resilience, innovation and how these will be assessed. It breaks down the PR19 methodology into a guide that will help and direct water companies as the 2019 Price Review approaches. The current price control period is due to end on 31 March 2020 and the 2019 Price Review will set price controls for the period between 2020 and 2025.
The briefing covers four key areas:
- the context behind the 2019 Price Review
- resilience aspects of the price control process
- Ofwat’s expectations of company business plans
- a timeline of action companies need to take
Nick Ellins, Chief Executive of Energy & Utility Skills,* said: “Ofwat has made an important statement in its Final Methodology, clearly demonstrating its commitment to its sustainable development and resilience duties, whilst standing clear of prescriptive approaches and leaving companies to set out their internal and extraneous workforce challenges.
“It is not just about the directly-employed labour within water companies or the recruitment issues of today, Ofwat is looking for clear demonstrations of company understanding of their whole workforce, including the vital supply chain, for the five- year period but also long-term projections for ten years beyond in a fast changing labour market and in meeting new and evolving consumer demands.
“Without such robust action, core corporate and operational resilience is at risk. We can all talk about achieving resilient infrastructure, but unless you have the people and capabilities to make it resilient, it’s a bit of an arbitrary point. A workforce with the right skills is vital for a resilient water sector. The challenges we now face mean that the sector must pay even more attention to the long-term skills it will need and the ways in which they will differ from the needs of the past.”
The Policy Briefing is available for download here.
For further information, contact:
Veron Graham, PR Manager – Energy & Utility Skills
E: veron.graham@euskills.co.uk T: 0121 713 8204 M: 07834 651 311
The Institute of Water is proud to announce the launch of its new ‘Committee Members of the Year’ Award.
The award, which launches today, will recognise outstanding Area committee members on a national scale. The Institute wants to thank, recognise and acknowledge the hard work and time that individual committee members invest in driving forward the Institute of Water as we work to support the careers of people working in all professions and at all levels across the UK water sector.
By sharing the achievements from across the eight Area Committees, the award will demonstrate the key role they play within the Institute of Water and also highlight the opportunities available on Area Committees to both members and non-members who may be looking for opportunities for their own professional development.
Simon Cyhanko, Institute of Water Chair and Sewerage Operations Manager at Northumbrian Water said;
“The Committee Members of the Year Award is a great way for us to further recognise the fantastic work completed by our volunteers up and down the country. Our volunteers put a lot of time and energy into promoting the Institute’s message, organising fantastic events and providing points of contact and support for members in their local area. I’m really looking forward to hearing about and celebrating the great work individual Committee Members do.”
The nomination process will result in eight regional winners of the award which will then be narrowed down to the top three National Committee Members of the Year.
Nominations are open NOW and will close at midnight on 31st May. All winners (national and regional) will be presented with their Award at an Area Event with a special prize for the top three national winners.
To find out more about the Committee Member of the Year Award please contact Lucy Archer via lucy@instituteofwater.org.uk.
Throughout May we’re going to be spending some time focussing on all things environment within the Institute of Water as we look at how we support the work of environmental professionals across the water sector.
We’ll be sending our members regular emails to highlight the different levels of professional registrations across the discipline of environment. You’ll also hear from members who have gone through the professional registration process and how they found it – they may even have some tips to help you if you are thinking about doing the same.
You’ll also be hearing from some of our Professional Registration Assessors who will give us a little insight into the process from their point of view, such as what they are looking for from an application. They may even offer some advice if you are currently thinking about pursuing professional registration.
We’ll also have an announcement on our upcoming Environment Conference. So keep your eyes peeled for this one.
Remember to keep a check on our social media channels, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.
Here’s Ian Barker, the Institute of Water’s Vice President Environment, to formally introduce Environment Month:
“When you work in the water sector every month is Environment Month: protecting and improving the environment is central to what we do. But sometimes it helps to have an extra focus on that work, to remind ourselves that having an awareness of how the water industry impacts on – and benefits from – the environment can generate new ideas and better ways of working.
“As our demand for water increases, and as expectations and standards rise for a clean and healthy water environment, the role of environmental professionals becomes more challenging and more interesting. Throughout this month I look forward to sharing with you some of what it means for colleagues fulfilling those roles, and how we can all rise to the challenge of leaving the environment in a better state than we found it.”
Have you gone above and beyond to keep your CPD up to date? Think you have an excellent CPD record? Perhaps you know someone who sets an outstanding example of how CPD should be done?
Consider nominating either yourself or a colleague for the Science Council’s CPD Awards 2018 which are now open for nominations. The awards are designed to celebrate the efforts and achievements of registrants across Registered Science Technician (RSciTech), Registered Scientist (RSci), Chartered Scientist (CSci) and Chartered Science Teacher (CSciTeach) status.
Members of Institute of Water are encouraged to make a nomination to ensure that scientists working in the Water Industry are represented in the awards.
To nominate an individual or yourself you will need to fill in the online nomination form.
Guidance notes are available for anyone making a nomination and permission must be sought from your nominees before submitting their nominations to the Science Council. This permission needs to be confirmed by a signed declaration form (available to download from the Science Council Website).
The closing date for nominations is Friday 20th July at 12pm. Winners will be notified in early September and presented with their awards at a ceremony in October.
N.B. Any email address you provide will only be used by the Science Council to contact you and the nominee about the CPD Awards.
As the business retail water market reaches the end of its first year, water sector experts, industry bodies and a small number of business customers met to reflect on the market twelve months in.
Ofwat’s Chief Executive, Rachel Fletcher, opened the ‘Open Water – One Year On’ event reflecting on the successes of the year and the challenges ahead.
Throughout the course of the morning, delegates heard from Steve Smith, Managing Director of Customer Development and Innovation at Lloyds Bank as well as from a customer panel – giving their first-hand experience of the water market.
Ofwat Senior Director, Emma Kelso, said:
“In the first year of the business retail water market we’ve seen some green shoots – with about 10% of businesses engaging with the market in some form and self-supply taking off more than we’d anticipated. We are seeing evidence that business customers who have engaged with the market have seen real benefits.
“However, it is clear that there is a lot more work to do and we will continue to work with the sector to make improvements and strive to ensure that the market works for customers.”
Today, the Society for the Environment has opened the nominations for the prestigious Environmental Professional of the Year 2018 award.
The annual Environmental Professional of the Year award celebrates an individual’s exceptional commitment or major achievement where their professional practice has made a real difference to protecting, preserving or enhancing the environment and advancing the principles of sustainability.
The award can be won by a Chartered Environmentalist (CEnv) or Registered Environmental Technician (REnvTech) from any sector or discipline. Nominations are welcome for your colleagues, peers, inspirations or even yourself, as a self-nomination.
Dr Phillippa Pearson MIWater CEnv, Catchment Manager at Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water, was announced as the winners of the 2017 award. In previous years, the Chartered Environmentalist of the Year award has been presented to David Stubbs (CIEEM, 2013), Professor Martin Bigg (IEMA, 2014) and Dr Lucinda Gilfoyle (IWater, 2015).
2014 winner, Professor Martin Bigg, is keen to recognise the work of environmental professionals, and says; “Environmental professionals are facing bigger challenges and opportunities than ever before. We owe it to all in the profession to encourage and recognise the leadership being shown in working to achieve a sustainable future”.
Martin continues with a personal reflection; “What was especially gratifying about receiving the award of Chartered Environmentalist of the Year 2014 was the appreciation of my peers across the environmental profession in making a difference. In some ways, it has meant more to me than academic or business success. It was an achievement to be proud of”.
CEO of the Society for the Environment, Dr Emma Wilcox, said; “This is a fantastic opportunity to showcase outstanding examples of work by registered environmental professionals. We are looking for inspiring individuals who have gone above and beyond in their field to protect and enhance the environment”.
Nominations are now being accepted via the Society’s website: socenv.org.uk/SocEnvAwards18. The deadline for nomination submissions is midnight on Friday 4th May 2018.
As the Society recently announced, the Society for the Environment Awards and Lectures on World Environment Day (Tuesday 5th June 2018) will include the announcement of the finalists and eventual winner, concluding an evening of networking, expert lectures and presentations.
Registration is now available for this event, which is free for CEnvs and REnvTechs. An early bird discount is available for aspiring environmental professionals and interested parties until midnight on the 5th May 2018. To register your attendance, please visit socenv.org.uk/event/WED2018.
Professor Martin Bigg also offered encouragement to submit nominations; “There are many amongst our very diverse profession who deserve to be recognised and encouraged. If you know of anyone who should be rewarded, please put their names forward.”
10 April 2018
Ofwat has today set out its agenda for rebuilding public trust in the water sector, as it continues to push water companies to act in the interests of their customers.
Ofwat has been leading a concerted drive to bring change to the water sector and to tackle some of the practices that have been a cause for concern with customers.
As the next step in those efforts, Ofwat’s chair, Jonson Cox, has written to the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, setting out the regulator’s agenda to improve corporate behaviours, including:
• Reforming company licences to make it even clearer that companies must put customers at the heart of everything they do;
• Looking to companies to share with customers any financial benefits they make from taking on additional gearing;
• Setting tighter standards to make sure companies are financially resilient in the long term;
• Stepping up demands on transparency around dividends and profits, including a clear expectation that companies meet their obligations to customers before making dividend payments; and,
• Addressing concerns around executive pay, including an expectation that water company boards explain executive bonuses by reference to exceptional delivery for customers.
Describing the need for change in the water sector, Jonson Cox, said:
“Some water companies appear to be focused too much on financial engineering at the expense of public service. Alongside this, we’ve seen significant service failures, most recently following last month’s cold snap and quick thaw, which led to tens of thousands of customers being left without water. All of these things have damaged trust in water. Ofwat has been pushing water companies to up their game for some time; but we need to go further, faster.
“That is why today we have set out an agenda of reform to bring the water sector back in balance, including getting back to a proper sense of public service provided under private ownership. We expect the water sector to own the challenge by taking the lead in engaging with customers and the wider public about how it can redefine its role and rebuild trust. Companies who wish to be leaders in the sector will step up, voluntarily accept the need for change and put customers’ interests at the heart of everything they do, as an essential step in rebuilding trust.”
Over the next six months, Ofwat will take forward a number of formal consultations to get to the position where it can implement the initiatives outlined today. Water companies will need to bring in these changes in parallel with planning to deliver further efficiency and performance improvements over the 2020 to 2025 period, as part of the PR19 price control.
Consumer Council for Water have published their Forward Work Programme for 2018-21, which sets out their work priorities for the next three years. CC Water have also published their one-year Operational Business Plan.
“As the Water Watchdog, our aim is to secure the best outcomes for all water consumers – present and future. We will do this by focussing on the priorities that consumers tell us matter most to them. We will:
• Advocate for affordable charges that all current and future consumers see as fair and value for money.
• Challenge companies to provide their service right first time, protect household and business consumers when things go wrong and provide an easy-to-access service for all.
• Press companies for safe, reliable water and wastewater services that all consumers can trust now, and in the long term.
• Shape the water sector by informing and engaging all consumers so that consumers’ voices are acted upon by decision makers and the industry.
For those who gave their comments on the draft Forward Work Programme for England and Wales, we have included a document that outlines how we responded to your suggestions.
We look forward to working with you over the next three years to help develop services and policies that promote the best interests of water and sewerage consumers.
As the retail water market develops for non-household customers in England, we will continue to keep a close eye on the marketplace to ensure emerging problems are quickly addressed. We’ll also seek to help increase small and medium-sized businesses’ awareness of the market and assess their experiences.
The last year of the 2019 Price Review will mean we need to stay focused on making sure consumers receive value for money services that are affordable and resilient now and in the long term.
We will also keep up the pressure on poor performing water companies to improve their performance; reduce customer complaints and provide services that are ‘right first time’.
Additionally, we are currently contributing to Ofwat’s review of the water industry’s handling of supply issues which affected consumers across England and Wales during freezing weather conditions in early March.”
CLICK HERE to view the Forward Work Programme for England and Wales 2018 – 2021.
**Access free articles, top resources and special discount**
This year, the UN’s World Water Day (22 March) focuses on the concept of ‘Nature for Water’, exploring Nature-Based Solutions to the water challenges we face in the 21st century. To celebrate and contribute to the important conversations prompted by this global event, IWA Publishing are sharing relevant content from their extensive portfolio of books and journals.
- An article collection of 10 relevant recent papers from IWA Publishing journals has been made free to access from 15 March–1 April
- A dedicated webpage compiles essential reading, including: featured books, free article collections, and author interviews on the importance World Water Day and ‘Nature for Water’
- A special discount code – IWAPWWD2018 – allows 20% off print copies of 8 relevant books featured on the webpage, valid 15 March–1 April
“Nature-Based Solutions and similar approaches provide some of the most potent ways to manage the world’s water challenges in the face of climate change and finite water resources,” said Rod Cookson, Managing Director of IWA Publishing. “Through our books and journals, we are pleased to support efforts to build a more sustainable and healthier future for people around the world.”
To learn more about World Water Day, visit the UN web page.
IWA Publishing is a leading international publisher of water, wastewater and environmental publications, including a reputable portfolio of books, 13 renowned journals and an increasing collection of Open Access content.
If you have any queries, please contact Sarah Cooper and Margarita Lygizou at IWA Publishing.