Institute of Water Technology

Transcription

1 In January 2007 the Institute was re-organised to comprise both Training and Development and Research and Development. Moreover, the IWT organised the setting up of the WSC s Child Care Centre. Training and Development Section The main aim of the Training and Development Section is to upgrade workers skills, capabilities and knowledge. It helps each individual unit determine the skills-training or retraining required reach their new corporate objectives. This is carried out with the full co-operation and direct involvement of the Chief Officers and Managers. Training Programmes Technical Operations This training programme consists of a series of short courses designed to improve basic operational skills. These courses are short, practical and directly applicable to the field in question. They take into account the educational level and needs of the individual and are based upon the experiences of the trainees. The emphasis is on providing a sound theoretical background to the participants experience. Courses held were the following: Operating Safely on the Distribution Network (Water Operations Units) Following Drawings (Water Operations Units) Waste Water Sampling Techniques (Waste Water Operations Units) Course on Soft Starters for Waste Water Pumping Stations (Waste Water Operations Units) Health & Safety The T&D Section in collaboration with the Health & Safety Unit provided the following training. Health & Safety Awareness (Waste Water Operations Unit) Course for Chlorine Handlers: Part 1 - Use of Masks & Breathing Apparatus (Waste Water Operations, Water Operations and Desalinations Services Units) Other courses organised were in ACad (Waste Water Operations Unit) and a course for Quality Representatives and Quality Auditors. Euro Changeover Committee The T&D Section developed the training requirements of the WSC Euro changeover strategy. A series of awareness sessions for personnel who handle cash and deal with customers were organised in November During the year under review, a group of employees were given the necessary training which was organised by the Training Taskforce for the Public Sector. Co-operation with other Institutions Co-operation with similar educational institutions was stepped up this year. The Institute offered its training and conference facilities to a number of organizations that requested facilities to conduct their own training or to hold short seminars and conferences. FHRD Award The Institute is participating in the FHRD Award for Excellence in Training & Development One of the requirements to is the organisation of a questionnaire for both managerial and non-managerial staff. A report was also compiled covering the criteria mentioned in both the questionnaires. The report and the questionnaires will be submitted at the end of September 2007, while the Award Ceremony will be held in December. Training on the Maintenance of Breathing Apparatus (Waste Water Operations Unit) Course on Confined Space PAGE 61

2 Continuous Professional Development (CPD) The Institute of Water Technology is working on a Continuing Professional Development Scheme. The purpose of which is: To promote the professional staff and supervisory staff as a whole within the Water Services Corporation, To support members in their efforts to respond to the challenges on implementing WSC objectives in the rapidly changing environment that now exists in the Corporation, To enable staff to continuous development of their own professional competencies. The scheme is intended to provide a way for staff to maintain and improve their professional skills, so making such activities visible to employers and colleagues. CPD is open to the professional and supervisory staff (i.e. from Administrators (administrative grade) and team Leaders (technical grades) up). MQC & Vocational Education & Training (VET) In November 2006 the Minister of Education announced the Malta Qualifications Council and the launch of the consultation process on a National Qualifications Framework for Lifelong Learning that will end in March The T&D section has been considering how, through the National Qualifications Framework, it can: develop standards and qualifications relevant to the water industry. re-structure qualifications, assessment and examination systems. draw up new course structures and frameworks. develop assessment methods. develop and administer examinations. This will help to devise standards for occupations linked to qualifications. From the WSC employees perspective, this will help them to build a career path as they would be aware of what standards and qualifications they need in order to perform jobs in the different operative, supervisory and managerial levels. PAGE 62

3 Childcare Centre The Committee for the Promotion of Equality started working on this family-friendly measure in April After a feasibility study to establish whether there was sufficient parental demand to support childcare facilities for staff, the IWT started setting up of the centre to cater for 12 children in January The premises were adapted to a desirable standard and rendered safe and stimulating for toddlers and children. The place was furnished according to the standards issued by the by the Ministry for the Family and Social Solidarity and the Ministry of Education, Youth and Employment. Two carers have been employed. The policies and procedures of the centre were set up and the curriculum with activities for early years was planned. New childcare facilities at WSC Head Office Luqa Research & Development The Research & Development Section deals mainly with research, investigations and consultations within the water industry with particular reference to the WSC s needs, projects which are partially EU-funded. PAGE 63

4 EU-funded Projects Introduction Over the last years, the Water Services Corporation (WSC) has participated as much as possible in both directly and indirectly funded EU projects. The Corporation s involvement goes back more than eight years i.e. to the pre-accession period. The WSC is still involved in a pre-accession project under the FP6 Programme and has completed one under FP5. Upon joining the EU, Malta benefited from funds under different EU initiatives namely the Cohesion Technical Assistance and Interreg-Italia. A summary of each awarded project under the above programmes is given below. FP5 WASAMED (WAter SAvings in the MEDiterranean) Wasamed was a thematic network project funded by the European Commission (EC), within the 5th framework program for the international cooperation with Mediterranean countries (INCO-MED), aiming at establishing a platform for effective Mediterranean communication and debate on water saving in agriculture. The overall objective of WASAMED was to improve the management of limited water resources and sustainable development in the Mediterranean Region. The IWT has been participating as one of three Maltese partners in the EU-funded WASAMED project since Workshops were held in Turkey, Tunisia, Egypt, Jordan and Malta. Other Maltese partners involved in this project are the Malta Resources Authority (MRA) and the Institute of Agriculture (IoA). Besides Malta, Italy, Spain, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Egypt, Palestine, Syria, Jordan, Turkey, Cyprus, Greece, Germany, Lebanon and Portugal participated in this project.. Apart from this programme, the R & D through the WSC has commitments in another project namely the MELIA (Mediterranean Dialogue on Integrated Water Management). FP6 MELIA (MEditerranean DiaLogue on Integrated Water ManAgement) MELIA is a coordinated action (CA) aimed at establishing a strategic dialogue between research centres, governments, regulators, users and providers, in the field of Integrated Water Resources Management. The particular strategic objective of MELIA is to contribute to the improvement of the regional water planning management under scarcity condition to enhance sustainable development in the Mediterranean region, according with the Key activity B.1.1. of the INCO Work Programme The participation of key stakeholders from EU and Mediterranean partner countries in this CA, allows the opening of the European Research Area to the Mediterranean space and the application of the principles and actions of the European Water Framework Directive (WFD) to this area. The main aims of MELIA are: Building a knowledge-base for integrated water resources management planning, based on integrating contributions from the wider spectra of perspectives, to be used by the large spectrum of stakeholders. Developing a Mediterranean-wide awareness of the social, economic and technological issues related to water management. Propose participatory mechanisms and prevention tools to avoid conflicts between regions, states and different waters users. To provide legislative and administrative bodies with criteria and arguments agreed by a wide representation of social, economic, scientific and political actors from different countries, to support sustainable water policies and economy. Provide the intellectual basis and the indicators to perform a benchmarking exercise of Integrated Water resources Management in the Mediterranean area Other Maltese partners are the MRA and the Institute of Agriculture. PAGE 64

5 Technical Assistance Cohesion Funds ( ) Storm Water Master Plan It is envisaged that during the next period for EU Structure and Cohesion Funds ( ), Malta will be engaged in a number of projects that relate to valley and stormwater management. Under the Cohesion Funds ( ), the WSC managed to obtain funds for technical assistance amounting to 311,969 for the Consultancy for the formulation of a Stormwater Master Plan for the Maltese Islands and 70,000 for the Environmental Impact Assessments and Cost Benefit Analyses. Technical specifications were written and eventually a tender for the stormwater masterplan was prepared and published. The Corporation is responsible for the formulation of this plan, primarily through a project team composed of the WSC and the Services Division (SD) of the Ministry for Resources and Infrastructure (MRI) TAHAL Consulting Limited was the successful bidder and to date an inception report and two interim reports have been presented. Four public presentations were also given including one to the Ministry of Resources and Infrastructure and to MEPA. The expected deadline for this consultancy is November Moreover, in relation to the Master Plan, a Strategic Environmental Assessment is currently being prepared and tender documents for an Environmental Impact Assessment and a Cost Benefit Analysis for the Birkirkara-Msida Catchment Priority Project are in the final stages of preparation for official publication. Overall objectives The SWMP is intended to address the two paramount and juxtaposed issues of flood relief and water conservation. Put simply, it aims to manage water away from where it is a hazard to where we are short of it or to transform existing threats into opportunities Specific objectives The objective of this contract is to: a) Manage the various effects of storm water including flooding, road infrastructure deterioration and traffic management, civil protection and valley management in general and also with reference to particular flood prone areas and localities; b) Use storm water to augment the water resources of the Maltese Islands through harvesting, storage, use, re-use, recycling and proper disposal of excess. Interreg-Italia IIIA (Italia-Malta ) INWATERMAN (INtegrated WATER MANagement) This is defined as the sustainable management of water resources in insular, arid and semi-arid conditions and use of urban recycled waters. Inwaterman is a project financed under the EU Programme Interreg III - Cooperation between Italy and Malta The overall objective is the sustainable management of conventional and nonconventional water resources in arid and semi-arid insular areas. This project is being conducted with the collaboration of the University of Catania, Consorzio di Bonifica di Ragusa and MRA. The WSC is co-operating with MRA on all studies assigned to it. The main objective is to formulate a management and monitoring programme of the water resources quality in Malta and Ragusa with particular reference to the optimal use of both the conventional and the unconventional water resources as well the creation of an information management system handling relative water quality data in the areas of study. The activities will address: 1. The exchange of experiences with regards to integrated water resource management. 2. Defining of the present state of affairs of the existing water structures and systems and analysis of the major anthropogenic impacts and pressures to which they are subjected. 3. Applying of the European Directives related to waters 4. The potential use of recycled water and analysis of the structural and non-structural modifications required to utilise these waters. As part of the activities related to this Inwaterman Project, during the year under review, four workshops/project meetings were organised in Ragusa and in Malta. During the March workshop, for the World Water Day, an exhibition stand showing Water Services Corporation operations and services was set up. PAGE 65

6 In March 2007, the R&D Section was invited by the Malta Council for Science and Technology and eventually participated in a mission visit to the Joint Research Centre (JRC) of the EU in Ispra, Italy. During this visit, discussions were held with the various experts working in the centre on the possible collaboration and help which can be provided by the JRC. Investigations During the year under review, the Water Services Corporation in collaboration with a local company undertook tests at Torri Cumbo, Qali on the treatment of storm-water to potable standards. The R&D section was also involved in various studies carried out internally in the Water Services Corporation. EU Affairs The IWT through its R&D Section reviewed around 50 documents and attended various meetings of the Monitoring Committee of the Cohesion Funds. Others The R&D Section is consulted on issues related to the use of WSC assets which include land and other structures such as reservoirs, old stations, borehole rooms etc. PAGE 66