Mind the Gap: East Asia - PacificHuman Resources Capacity in the Water and Sanitation sectors: Is there enough to meet future demands?

Dr Regina Souter

Dr Brian McIntosh

Presentation Heading

Sri Lanka

Philippines

Papua New Guinea

PDR Lao

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

Four East Asia & Pacific assessments

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

…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

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

…more common findings…

….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

….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)

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

…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