EDITOR’S COMMENT
Skills shortage
Totally
brings threat of
transforming...
perfect storm
S
top-start... That’s the nature infrastructure investment are
of the cycle that operates in frequently voiced. Many say that a
the UK when it comes to new funding regime should be put
water industry funding. The end of in place that allows water utilities to
the five-year AMP cycle for England make strategic long-term
and Wales creates a dip as projects investments, while ensuring that the
dry up, and redundancies take UK’s water engineering expertise is
place. However, this time around a safeguarded and enhanced. But
difficult situation has been reform will not occur overnight and
compounded by clashing with the despite these on-going protests the
worst recession for a generation and cyclical nature of the spending cycle
by the fact that the next business looks set to continue, for the
plans for Scotland, Northern Ireland medium term at least.
and England and Wales all start However, the water industry can
together in April 2010. The big make things easier for itself by
question is, will there be sufficient ensuring that it has an adequately
slack in the system to cope with the trained workforce in place to deal
increase in demand for the brightest with the increase in workload.
and best come April, when the On this note it is encouraging to
...your motor operating costs
work begins again and the economy see the postgraduate institution
starts to grow, or has the industry Cranfield University (see page 28)
fatally reduced its capacity? along with several other universities, ABB Process Performance motors are designed for
The draft determination on water running courses aimed at re-skilling
prices from Ofwat in August would, those who have lost their jobs
the lowest energy consumption and an operating
if adopted, commit the 10 water- during the recession with a specific
life beyond 20 years. It helps reduce daily running
only plcs in England and Wales to focus on placing postgraduates in
spending £19.6B in AMP5, the water and the utilities industries. costs as well as the total lifecycle cost of your
substantially up from the £15.7B However, it will take a lot more
which they are spending in the than this for the industry to be in
machinery. Our network of ABB Motor Service Partners can provide spares
AMP4. It is looking like the industry shape for the projected increase in
and support at short notice, helping you maximise uptime and further
will have to deal with a significant activity that is on the horizon.
increase in workload at the Clearly training and resources reduce the lifetime cost of your plant. Our transformation goal is simple:
beginning of the next cycle as a should be ramped up across the
result of this extra cash. Final price board at this critical time. Otherwise,
to maximise the return on your investment today, tomorrow and forever
control determinations are due next with budgets running dry and the
To find out more, call 07000 MOTORS (that’s 07000 668677)
month. Suppliers to the industry are clouds set to hang over the jobs
anticipating a 15% rise in workload market for the immediate future, or visit
www.abb.co.uk/energy
in the next five-year spending there is a danger that the skills
period, starting in April 2010. shortage in the industry could
Calls for the Government to develop into the ‘perfect storm’.
review its current approach to water Nick Myall, Acting Editor
uo
id y
D
Power and productivity
?
enter
TM
for a better world
November 2009 Water & Wastewater Treatment 3
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