23/04/2010 11:00:00 a.m.
In this issue
CEO Column
Genesis generation operators first to get new diploma
Coordination pilot project making good progress
Contact Centre qualification now available
Literacy update on trainee progress
M-tech trial moves to next stage
About the new New Zealand Diploma in Engineering
Productivity pilot shows applicability to our industry
Qualifications Update
2009 Upskill Scholarships awarded
Annual Report 2009
CEO Column
Apprentice numbers in the industry have dropped from around 440 to 340 as a result of the downturn in industry activities. Though the outcome of this will not be felt fully for a couple of years, skill shortage is inevitable as is likely pressure on remuneration.
There are currently trainees on our new entrant directory that have completed a pre- trade or taster course and are available for employment. It would be great if companies could provide opportunities for these keen young people before they move to other industries. (See our New Entrant Directory on the ESITO website). By beginning apprenticeships now, you will access talented young people.
Genesis generation operators first to get new diploma
Changes in the generation operating environment are throwing up new challenges, say Genesis Energy thermal operators Blair Croall and Todd Ashford. They are the first generation sector operational staff in the country to gain the new National Diploma in Engineering (Electrotechnology).
Blair says gaining the diploma has given him the technical know-how to carry out his day-to-day job better and is an important step in his career development.
“In recent years, there’s been a big change in the thermal operating environment. We have moved away from the older style analogue controls to a modern, computerised, distributed control system (DCS) to run the power station. This means there’s now a much bigger requirement for technical expertise every day,” he says.
Blair was awarded the National Diploma in Engineering (Electrotechnology) based on his mix of papers for the now discontinued New Zealand Certificate of Engineering, together with earlier additional extramural study in electrical topics and industrial measurement and control (IMC), and in-house training provided by Genesis. He had previously completed his Electricity Supply Qualifications including thermal and gas turbine strands, which allows him to operate both the thermal and combined cycle generation plants at Huntly Power Station.
“It was a pleasant surprise to be awarded the diploma,” he says. “I thought there would have been a lot more involved so it was good to find out that all the things I’d done were sufficient and to get formal recognition of my training.”
After overcoming his initial reluctance to apply for the new diploma, Todd was “pretty stoked” to find out he had no more study to complete. Like Blair, he had completed all the papers for the New Zealand Certificate in Engineering but still had some field work to do when the qualification was discontinued in 2008. After years of study, he had only a Wintec Diploma to show for it, which was not recognised nationally.
“Initially, I didn’t want to apply because I thought I would have to do more study and I had a lot on. I planned to do it next year when I thought my workload would have dropped off a bit. But our training people offered it, so I accepted, sent in my qualifications to them and was awarded the diploma three weeks later,” Todd said.
Supervisor John Dunn, Genesis Watch Manager Operations Huntly, says being awarded the National Diploma in Engineering (Electrotechnology) demonstrates that both Blair and Todd are very highly motivated with an excellent future in the industry.
“Blair recently completed the operations co-ordinator role for the scheduled maintenance of Huntly’s Unit 5 and he just lapped it up. He did really well and will be starting some leadership courses this year,” he said.
Todd is currently operations co-ordinator for the scheduled four-year outage of Huntly’s Unit 3. This is a 250 megawatt co-generator undergoing regular major maintenance. John says Todd is doing a great job.
“It can be quite stressful and he has to use a lot of people skills, which he’s learning on the fly, to get things done.”
Day-to-day, the job of generation operators is becoming less hands-on because of increased automation.
“The National Diploma demonstrates that operators have the technical and problem-solving skills to investigate faults sitting at the computer screen rather than having to go physically into the plant to find them,” says John. “That’s the big change.”
Genesis Energy Training Manager Dean Smith agrees. He says the new qualification is about “upskilling and cross-skilling” so that people can operate plant as well as pitch in to help solve engineering problems as well.
“It’s a win win for everyone. Companies get multi-skilled staff and employees get another qualification. It means we get people who can operate turbines and plant, and who are trained as well to provide engineering support on the electrical side.”
Coordination pilot project making good progress
ESITO has launched a trainee coordination pilot project aimed at lifting trainee completion rates. Training coordinator Stephen Griffiths says it’s a concern to the industry that less than 30 per cent of all ESITO trainees presently complete their qualification.
“In the long term, this may make it difficult to achieve the skilled and flexible workforce we need to cope with future activities. It also means many trainees are not reaching their full capability, ultimately reducing the value companies get from their investment in training,” he says.
This pilot project, launched at the start of the year, is being carried out in the South Island, from Timaru south. It involves ESITO's customer service team working with all companies with operations in the region to coordinate ESITO trainees who currently do not receive coordination.
At present, ESITO’s trainee coordination service is focused on modern apprentices and trainees on a full pathway. However, there has been increasing demand from employers and trainees who believe they would benefit from more coordination.
Stephen and Customer Service Manager, Roger Bennett, have started visiting member companies’ key contacts to encourage training coordination and to confirm which trainees they will be working with. Stephen has begun face-to-face meetings with trainees selected for the pilot and says “feedback has been very positive from trainees, supervisors and managers”.
“It’s encouraging to hear that the trainees welcome being coordinated and see it as a motivational and helpful way to complete their qualifications,” he says. “In many cases, training is stalled, and trainees would like a nudge or a kick-start to get them going again on their qualification. They also appreciate us looking at any hold-ups or anything they need a hand with.”
The pilot project will examine whether the provision of coordination and motivational support helps industry trainees to complete their qualifications. It will also help ESITO understand how it can effectively tailor its coordination service to meet individual trainee and company needs and what kinds of motivational support work.
The results will be used to review the way ESITO trainees are coordinated throughout the country.
Contact Centre qualification now available
The National Certificate in Contact Centre Operations (Level 3) is the NZQA qualification benchmark for contact centre operators. It can be completed over one year while working in a contact centre.
Any customer service representative working in a call centre or contact centre in New Zealand can complete this qualification.
The qualification promotes strong customer service ethics, expert professionalism in a contact centre environment and pride in the industry. |
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Want to know more?
Visit the ESITO website for information about the qualification on
http://esito.org.nz/qualifications/industry_qualifications/Contact_Centre.aspx.
Find out about our e-Guides
e-Guides and an e-learning programme option are available as well as printed manuals. To know more about the e-learning programme go to
http://esito.org.nz/about_industry_training/trainees/trainee_downloads/contact-centre-e-guide.aspx.
Visit the ESITO Contact Centre Forum Facebook page
Here you can discuss and talk about key concepts in contact centre training, including great customer service ideas and behaviours, as well as many of the great benefits of the qualification. If you have a Facebook profile, become a fan!
The National Certificate in Contact Centre Operations (Level 3) is supported by ESITO with great subsidies on completion. Contact Ange Brooking on 07 577 8895 or 021 525 414 or email Ange at
ange.brooking@esito.org.nz to find out how this qualification can work for you.
Literacy update on trainee progress
Literacy and numeracy tuition
Adult literacy experts, Literacy Aotearoa, will take over the delivery of literacy and numeracy tuition to line mechanic and cable jointer trainees under a new contract with ESITO. With member adult literacy providers spread from Northland to South Canterbury, Literacy Aotearoa is well-placed to maintain ESITO’s focus on providing local support to local companies. Literacy Aotearoa tutors are trained to work with adults within a workplace environment and ESITO is looking forward to even better results than those so far reported for trainee tuition.
Over 40 trainees, from 15 companies, have received literacy and numeracy tuition over the past year with some continuing on with privately arranged tuition. Trainers and trainees have reported increases in confidence as well as improvements in work-related tasks such as reading safety information and completing forms. Case studies of several of the participating companies are being undertaken by an external agency on behalf of the Department of Labour and findings will be shared with industry when they become available. Please contact
satyas@esito.or.nz for information about ESITO’s trainee programme.
Assessment tool
From mid-March, ESITO will be using a new online tool to assess literacy and numeracy skill levels. This tool has been developed through the Tertiary Education Commission for use by tertiary education providers and industry training organisations. While the assessment tool has been trialed, it would be fair to assume that there may be one or two teething problems with the national roll-out. ESITO will be monitoring the use of the tool closely and welcomes any feedback you might have.
Professional development
Do you want to develop a practical awareness of the literacy and numeracy needs of your employees? ESITO invites you to host or to attend its workshop, “Managing Literacy and Numeracy in Your Workplace”. An experienced literacy practitioner will present this three-hour session at company locations throughout the country between March and July. Managers, HR personnel, and senior trade staff can expect to come away with one or two ready-to-implement strategies as well as clear direction on where to from here. ESITO will send out regional emails advising of upcoming venues. In the meantime, a big thanks to Transfield Services and Northpower (Hamilton) which are hosting the first two workshops. Please refer to ESITO’s website for further details.
http://www.esito.org.nz/leadership/Literacy/Professional_Development_Programme.aspx
On another note, ESITO congratulates the 10 industry personnel who last year completed, or are near to completing, the National Certificate in Adult Literacy Education (Vocational Tutor / Lecturer or Workplace Trainer) Level 5 (NCALE-V). ESITO has supported almost 20 people to gain the qualification since the embedded literacy programme began. If you are interested in developing your skills in adult education and training and want to know more about the NCALE(V), please contact
kated@esito.org.nz .
M-tech trial moves to next stage
The MTechnology project has moved into an exciting new stage with training in the use of the specially-adapted mobile phones well underway. ESITO has been out on the road, talking to the trainees who have volunteered to take part in the pilot, pairing them up with their new phones and showing them what the technology is capable of.
A pre-evaluation questionnaire and interview is carried out with each trainee before the phones are handed over. ESITO is providing on-going support should any issues arise. The response to date from trainees and their managers has been very positive.
What is MTechnology?
Mobile phones are inserted with an RFID chip which holds data specific to the apprentices’ WAP requirements. Each day, trainees use their phones to display their required WAP exposures and simply tick what has been completed during the day and to what level of supervision. Supervisors can then bring up each apprentice on their phone and sign off the exposures in their own time. Small transmitter devices, similar to a small band aid, are attached to work vans and offices. The phones are “swiped” over this transmitting device which immediately updates the database, providing the employer and apprentice with real time, accurate data of the apprentices’ WAP progress.
How does it work?
The phones are activated by swiping a tag that is set up for each trainee. When the tags are swiped a notification is received to notify the trainee that there is information to download. This information is in the form of a video, text and audio file, followed by a quiz outlining a key learning point for the trainees. At this stage, a new set of files is sent to the trainees’ each week. Each file is endorsed by the Electricity Engineers' Association (EEA) and outlines the correct/approved methods that they are required to learn as part of their training.
You can view one of these videos on ESITO’s website under the m-Learning page.
http://www.esito.org.nz/leadership/Sector-leadership/m-learning.aspx
There are still a few spaces available to be part of the pilot. If your company is interested, please contact
natalies@esito.org.nz
About the new New Zealand Diploma in Engineering
In the last year, significant consultation nationally on a unified approach to a diploma (Level 6) development programme for New Zealand has resulted in a proposed new Diploma in Engineering. ESI has been well-represented at those regional meetings.
The proposed new diploma with bring together Electrical, Civil and Mechanical disciplines. The new diploma structure will have two qualifications:
- An achievement-based academic programme of 240 credits and achievable across two years’ full-time study. On completion of this study, a participant would graduate with a New Zealand Diploma in Engineering (NZDE).
- A competency-based practical programme of 120 credits which can be completed in parallel to the academic programme for people doing part-time study. On completion of this study, a participant would graduate with a New Zealand Diploma in Engineering Practice (NZDEP). This qualification would also cover the technician level membership requirements with IPENZ.
Those who are currently in the National Diploma of Engineering (Electrotechnology) (Level 6) will not be disadvantaged and will be allowed to complete that qualification in a transition period or transfer credits across to the new qualification.
Courses for the NZDE will be available in a delivery option that allows people in the workforce to study part-time and will be distance learning, block courses or a combination of both.
Any enquiries can be directed to kwhite@esito.org.nz .
Bring back cadetships
With the diploma in electrotechnology now fully available for part-time students, the concept of cadetships successfully used in the past for technician development, is now a training and development option for companies. School leavers with appropriate qualifications can be recruited into a five-year training programme. During that period, they can be scheduled to rotate around various company activities, gaining exposure over a wide range of disciplines.
This is definitely something for human resources and operational managers to consider as they face the challenge of transferring skills into a new generation of technicians.
New Registration Categories
The Electrical Workers Registration Board (EWRB) has now finalised the proposed categories of registration. The new electrical regulations will be before Cabinet shortly and come into force on March 29.
Those that have a direct bearing on the ESI are as follows.
- Cable Jointer
- Electrical Service Technician
- Electrical Engineer registration
- Electrical Installer registration
- Line Mechanic
The following qualifications may be affected and will need to be reviewed.
National Certificate in Electricity Supply (Electrical, Electrical Fitting) Levels 2-4
National Certificate in Electricity Supply (Cable Jointer) Levels 3 & 4
National Certificate in Electricity Supply (Line Mechanic Distribution) Levels 3 & 4
National Certificate in Electricity Supply (Electrical Service Technician) Level 4
National Certificate in Electricity Supply (Line Mechanic Transmission) Level 4
A point of interest to those companies thinking of cadetships and technician development is the provision for the registration of those who completed the National Diploma of Engineering or the new New Zealand diploma. Registration to carry out all prescribed electrical work as described in Clause 1 of Schedule 1 of the Electricity (Safety) Regulations 2009 can be achieved if the following criteria are met:
- Holds a national Diploma in Engineering (Electrotechnology) (Level 6), or NZ Certificate of Engineering (Electrical)
- Passed the electrician regulatory written examination
- Passed the electrician practical examination or three-stage assessments
- Completed three years’ practical experience which is satisfactory to the Board.
Any enquiries can be directed to kwhite@esito.org.nz .
Productivity pilot shows applicability to our industry
A major initiative to improve productivity through the application of lean manufacturing or lean thinking principles to the electricity supply industry is being led by ESITO and facilitated by Skills4work.Three member companies took part – Transfield Services, Top Energy and Northpower.
The principles of lean manufacturing were first developed by Toyota. Lean thinking is about developing effective business and operational processes, and is used to create customer value. More specifically, it is about identifying waste and continuous improvement. Hence, although the electricity supply industry is not a manufacturing industry, the principles are still worth attention. There is no business in existence that can claim it has no waste, yet a waste-free business process is highly effective and productive.
As part of the pilot, Transfield Services, Top Energy and Northpower selected a Strategic Leadership Team (SLT) comprising six senior staff from each company to learn the principles of lean thinking. These included root cause analysis, value-stream mapping, application of 5s concepts (sort, stabilise, shine, standardise and sustain) to identify and eliminate waste, opportunities for improved management, and facilitating and sustaining continuous improvement.
Each company also put together a Productivity Improvement Team (PIT) comprising 10 -12 “coal face” workers. The PIT teams selected an area or process in their business unit where they could apply the principles of lean thinking.
Transfield Services decided to address the organisation of their yard at the Auckland Electrical Services Division. Top Energy chose to value stream their faults response process and Northpower chose to value stream map their job process from specification to job completion.
Wayne Clapp, General Manager of Transfield Services, says they have already seen a major interest saving on $150,000 just by reducing stock in their warehouse as a result of the major clean-up of their yard in Auckland.
Northpower’s CEO Mark Gatland says, “process improvement at the coal face was hugely encouraging to him and the entire company”.
“From the set-up of the teams to roll-out of the initiative, the entire process has not only built confidence amongst employees but also seen the implementation of project hand-over.”
Russell Shaw, CEO of Top Energy, says the productivity pilot was a great tool to engage and empower employees and provide Top Energy with the mechanisms and solutions at their workplace. He expects to see the initiative improve staff engagement, customer service and lower costs.
Like all the other senior managers, Fraser Jonker, General Manager Regional Service Delivery at Northpower, would like to see a stronger focus on the sustainability of the initiative. He believes that sustainability is the core and says that Northpower will be looking at putting in place an audit programme of the planning process. He also stresses the importance of reducing information waste.
As a result of the pilot programme, the PIT team members from each company have completed the National Certificate in Competitive Manufacturing (Level 2). ESITO would like to congratulate them and wish them all the best. If your company would like the same kind of support and training, please do not hesitate to contact ESITO.
Qualifications Update
Line Patrol and Condition Assessment
Neither the Line Patrol nor the Condition Assessment qualifications have been popular over recent years, and as a result ESITO will expire both these qualifications.
Power Technician
Thermal Operator
Network Operator
Electrical Services Technician
The above qualifications are due to be reviewed during 2010. If you have any comments or feedback in respect of any of these reviews please
contact ESITO.
Upskill Scholarships awarded in 2009
The following 26 electricity supply industry employees received ESITO UpSkill scholarship funding in 2009.
Applications for training in 2010 are now being received. If you are planning to do some upskilling this year, visit http://www.esito.co.nz/about_industry_training/employers/upskill_scholarships.aspx for more information or contact your local Customer Service Manager.
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First Name
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Last Name
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Company
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Qualification/Course
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Lisa
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Stevenson
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Unison Networks Ltd
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NC in Business Administration L4
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Anjay
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Narayan
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Netcon Ltd
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National Diploma in Engineering (Electrotechnology) (L6)
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Miriam
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Campbell
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Orion NZ Ltd
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Graduate Diploma in Management
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Kamlesh
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Prasad
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Network Waitaki
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NZ Diploma in Business
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Michael
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Nicholson
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Edison Consulting Ltd
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NZ Institute of Directors - Director's Course
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Frank
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Dunk
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Counties Power Ltd
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National Diploma in Engineering (Electrotechnology) (L6)
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Daniel
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Jordaan
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Northpower Ltd
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National Diploma in Engineering (Electrotechnology) (L6)
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Alotusa
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Mulipola
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Northpower Ltd
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National Diploma in Engineering (Electrotechnology) (L6)
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Michael
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Cox
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Northpower Ltd
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National Diploma in Engineering (Electrotechnology) (L6)
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Pu (Andy)
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Wang
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Northpower Ltd
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National Diploma in Engineering (Electrotechnology) (L6)
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Fengtong
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Wang
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Northpower Ltd
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National Diploma in Engineering (Electrotechnology) (L6)
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Barry
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Coleman
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Linework and Stones Ltd
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National Diploma in Engineering (Electrotechnology) (L6)
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Scott
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Melhop
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Peak Power Ltd
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National Diploma in Engineering (Electrotechnology) (L6)
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Matthew
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Hawes
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Orion Group Ltd
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National Diploma in Engineering (Electrotechnology) (L6)
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Cherie
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Scott
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Transfield Services
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NZIM Certificate in Business
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Tracey
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Whyte
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Unison Networks Ltd
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National Diploma in Health and Safety Management
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Nadine
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Huston
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Orion Group Ltd
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NZ Diploma in Business
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Hannah
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Connolly
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Waipa Networks Ltd
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National Diploma in Engineering (Electrotechnology) (L6)
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James
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May
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Orion Group Ltd
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National Diploma in Engineering (Electrotechnology) (L6)
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Michael
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Hobbs
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ABB Ltd
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National Diploma in Engineering (Electrotechnology) (L6)
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Mark
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Vincent
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Electrix Ltd
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National Diploma in Business L5
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Bjorn
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Van Dam
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ABB Ltd
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National Diploma in Engineering (Electrotechnology) (L6)
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Steven
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Gray
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ABB Ltd
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National Diploma in Engineering (Electrotechnology) (L6)
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Nicholas
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Falloon
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Connetics Ltd
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National Diploma in Engineering (Electrotechnology) (L6)
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Helen
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Allan
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Counties Power Ltd
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National Diploma in Business L5
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Karl
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Lapwood
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Wells Instrument & Electrical
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National Certificate in Electrical Engineering L5
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Annual Report 2009
The 2009 Annual Report is now available. Please do not hesitate to contact us if you require a hard copy.
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