BWA initates internal staff development training

The Barbados Water Authority (BWA) recently launched its Stepping Stones In-ternal Training Programme during a short ceremony at the organisation’s Pine Headquarters.

The initiative focuses on the sharing of critical, practical and technical skills, by senior staff with their colleagues.  Jacqueline Caesar, Director of Human Re-sources Management & Development, BWA, explained: “We have been able to take advantage of the wealth of experience and expertise that exists within the Authority and this programme highlights the sharing of this knowledge.”

She add-ed: “Our senior staff members are facilitators of the sessions and our shared ob-jective is for our employees to have the tools to prepare them with the requisite skills to facilitate advancement and deliver
superior service to our customers.”

Caesar explained that training and development programs provided a host of ben-efits which include a boost in employee productivity, enhanced employee perfor-mance and engagement, increased eligibility for employee advancement, the crea-tion of a knowledge sharing environment, ensuring employees have a competitive advantage and an improvement the overall company culture.

BWA General Manager Keithroy Halliday explained that having the workers trained in this way has highlighted the depth of knowledge that exists within the organisation.

He explained: “This initiative has revealed hidden talents and shown new ways to handle age old challenges in both those being trained and the trainers themselves, with knowledge sharing and transfer benefiting both the organisation and our customers.’’

The Barbados Workers Union (BWU) is in full support of the initiative which was developed by the Human Resources department.  Carl Boyce, President of the Workers Union BWA Division, described the training being executed as an integral aspect of organizational transformation.

“The BWU has given its blessing to the programme, which is similar to a chain where training will transform the BWA and a trained worker is an informed and educated worker. The shared goal of the BWU and the BWA is to make workers the best that they can be and the Stepping Stones Internal Training Programme is one of the methods”to achieve this,” Boyce said.

The ongoing programme is an empowering mixture of personal and professional developmental courses such as job enhancement, information technology, master-ing supervision, work life balance, driving skills, positive discipline, emotional intel-ligence, managing finances, Mathematics and English for everyday use.  (PR)