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Mind the Gap: East Asia - Pacific

Mind the Gap: East Asia - Pacific. Human Resources Capacity in the Water and Sanitation sectors: Is there enough to meet future demands? Dr Regina Souter Dr Brian McIntosh. Four East Asia & Pacific assessments. PDR Lao. Philippines. Sri Lanka. Papua New Guinea.

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Mind the Gap: East Asia - Pacific

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  1. Mind the Gap: East Asia - Pacific Human Resources Capacity in the Water and Sanitation sectors: Is there enough to meet future demands? Dr Regina Souter Dr Brian McIntosh

  2. Four East Asia & Pacific assessments PDR Lao Philippines Sri Lanka Papua New Guinea Project teams = IWC + local water and sanitation sector experts + IWA • Approach: • Engage stakeholders (esp. Nat gov, private sector and E&T institutions) • Gather contextual information: institutional environment, E&T environment • Collect data & information about shortages and gaps in HR • Stakeholder review & recommendations Presentation Heading

  3. Some findings common to all 4 countries Rural HR needs • Reliance upon communities to participate in delivering WASH ( e.g. construction, O&M)  need for community mobilisers • need for technical back-stopping; • For many cultures, sanitation & hygiene promotion needed to improve practices and increase demand for WASH

  4. …more common findings… • Urban HR needs • Greatest requirement is for high(er)-tech HR for construction, O&M of infrastructure (“hardware-focussed”). • In informal areas especially, also need for community mobilisation, due to high reliance on on-site waste management

  5. …more common findings… • HR strategic planning • Typically not obvious, but needed to align capacity development with government and investment plans • E&T contributions to WASH • limited focus on producing HR for WASH sector, quantity or quality ( limited liaison between WASH sector organisations and E&T providers) Recruitment • Rarely competency-based, or quantum matched to sectoral needs

  6. ….But also many unique findings & recommendations Philippines: very complex governance and large population  very complex to assess HR needs Heavy reliance upon communities and volunteers (for construction, O&M, even for enforcement of regulation)  in rural areas, no shortage of engineers /technicians (enough to provide oversight and technical backstop) High participation rates in education, but poor graduation rates and very low job-readiness Very significant overseas deployment of skilled workers  failure to attract to WASH

  7. ….But also many unique findings & recommendations Lao: • WASH governance capacity not strong (but building) • O&M in rural areas: done by committees, lacking financial and technical capacity, and without technical backstopping • Shortage of HR in rural areas ( difficulty in attracting professionals to rural areas) • Existing HR capacity: government comprises only ~25% of the total HR (gov–owned water utilities=~half; NGOs ~quarter) • Limited E&T relevant to WASH (e.g. 1 water supply and wastewater course, new in 2012)

  8. Some of the critical (common) recommendations to improve WASH HR Improve HR management: • Adoption of strategic, competency-based HR management (Recruitment of sufficient numbers of sufficiently skilled personnel to specific job roles and locations) • Incentives to attract/retain personnel to locations needed • Develop career pathways to attract HR to WASH (from other sectors) Strengthen WASH E&T: • Collaboration between WASH organisations and E&T organisations (E&T aware of, and responsive to WASH needs) • Improve WASH curriculums at E&T institutions to increase match between supply and demand of skills Improve short-term capacity (for WASH and E&T) through expatriates Acknowledge community as a critical source of HR: • Need for more community mobilisers • Need for training suited to community individuals Most important next step: a capacity development plan (devpmt led by country governments with support) to “action-ise” recommendations

  9. …but need more a comprehensive view of WASH HR requirements Not addressed here: WASH governance and sustainable WASH service delivery  need also to assess HR needs for • Policy & planning (including water resource planning) • Regulatory development and enforcement • Finance and expenditure • Infrastructure planning • Operation and maintenance beyond MDG definition of water and sanitation service: e.g. collection, treatment and disposal of waste; water quality monitoring • Sanitation and hygiene promotion and behaviour change • Monitoring and evaluation

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