Water Supply & Sanitation Sector Reform Human Resource Development ( HRD ) Training Program & Workshop No. ( 9 ), 28-31 August 1999 [Archives:1999/36/Health]

By: Ismail Al-Ghabiri, Economic Editor,
Yemen Times
Eng. Anwer Sahooly, Chairman of the Technical Secretariat for Water Supply & Sanitation Sector Reform stated the following:
“A four days training plus workshop program, organized by the Technical Secretariat, was successfully concluded at Hilltown Hotel last Tuesday 31st, August 1999. The Training program, organized for top officials of NWSA branches all over Yemen, combined two main topics (modules). The first one presented the real meaning of the sector reform (Cabinet resolution No. 237, 1997) to create a realistic expectation and the right perception for the participants about the meaning and impacts of decentralization and autonomy on the branches. The program emphasized the survival kit to deal effectively with this change, (e. g. Shifting from rigid bureaucratic attitude and behavior into commercial and entrepreneurial one, delegation and creative thinking).
The second one introduced the meaning of organizational change and the forces, which lead to that (political, technical, economical and social). The participants were provided with step-by-step procedures to implement and manage the change, as they will assume the role of change agent in their branches.
They were thought how to analyze the strengths and weaknesses of their branches and how to utilize the strong points and come up with creative solution for the weak ones.
To keep them in the real world, all the expected sources for resistance to change as well as different reasons for resistance were discussed and analyzed. The participants are now equipped with some effective techniques of how to handle resistance. All the concepts and the ideas were introduced through behavioral exercises and role playing to achieve both the knowledge purpose and attitude change.
The training program marked the end of phase II and the start of phase III of the HRD project.
Following the training program, workshop No. 9 was held on 31st, August 1999, with the objective of presentation of ” Organization and Training Guidelines for Water Enterprises”, explained the set up of the guidelines, clarified how they are to be used indicating the need for future decentralized action and introducing priority training program.”
About the importance of this training course for the people of NWSA, Mr. Jack van Hoorn, Team Leader/ Fin. Management Expert, said, ” Tow of the main features of the Cabinet Resolution (No. 237) of 1999 are the decentralization of t he management of water supply and sanitation to the NWSA branches and increasing the efficiency in service delivery to the customers. In order to prepare the branches for their new role in a decentralized set up, an extensive training program is needed. As one of the components of the water and sanitation sector reform strategy, financed by t he German GTZ, DHV Consultants/ ARCADIS Euroconsult is involved in the National Human Resources Development Project; one of the objectives of this program is the specification of training modules, including a priority training program and training materials for this priority training program. This last training course, organized by the Technical Secretariat for Water Supply and Sanitation Sector Reform and the Dutch financed ‘ Institutional Strengthening of Five NWSA Branches Project’, executed by DHV Consultants/ ARCADIS Euroconsult, introduced the first training modules developed by the Human Resources Development Project. This first training course was targeted at the management of the five branches, supported by the ISFNB project.”

Training and workshop topics were presented by :
– Eng. Anwer Sahooly: Chairman of the Technical Secretariat for Water Supply & Sanitation Sector Reform.
– Dr. Medhat Ragheb, Senior HRD & Organization Expert, Team International.
– Eng. R. Trietch, HRD II Consultant.

——
[archive-e:36-v:1999-y:1999-d:1999-09-06-p:./1999/iss36/health.htm]