Although the physical assets of water and wastewater utilities vary radically, all utilities rely on an asset that is sometimes overlooked: the ability of staff to operate and maintain equipment and facilities in a way that protects public health and the environment. One aspect of workforce reliability is the need to replace the skills of retiring workers, another is the necessity to upgrade the capacity of current staff to manage new equipment and processes. The international reality is that candidate development, documentation, technical training, knowledge management and staff development have historically been secondary (and largely underfunded) priorities of the water / wastewater industry. As a result, even affluent agencies that have constructed advanced infrastructure often fail to implement the processes needed to ensure that staff know how to operate and maintain it. Regulations and technology have advanced more quickly than our industry's progress in staff training and knowledge management. As a result, even experienced workers are sometimes unprepared to handle the responsibilities assigned to them.
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