Training and development are more important than ever: IPWEA

In a statement IPWEA has outlined the importance of continued training and industry development to help the sector plan for future crises.

The statement reads, the COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the critical need to take a proactive approach to planning, and what happens when complacency creeps in.

Allen Mapstone, Director Strategic Asset Management at IPWEA said traditionally, organisations have been reactive to whatever the current crisis has been.

IPWEA highlighted that aside from the obvious threat to individual health, the danger COVID-19 poses lies in the pressure mass transmission places on the healthcare system, the communications network and the business sector.

In the recovery of the global coronavirus lockdown, new challenges will emerge. Some of the responsibility to develop and build resilience to manage these types of crises in the future will fall to engineers.

Central to overcoming that challenge are forward planning and risk management, key modules in IPWEA’s Professional Certificate in Asset Management the statement reads.

The certificate is a a course designed to equip participants with the skills and capabilities to deal with change, whether it’s the effects of climate change, technological disruption or a viral pandemic.

The Asset Management process helps leaders take into consideration a multitude of changing factors to make informed decisions to provide long-term benefits to communities.

“There will always be a new crisis affecting our livelihoods. Lacking a crystal ball, our course will help you plan for the changing environment around us,” Mr. Mapstone said.

“We’re hit by a flood, we spend money on stormwater.”

“No matter the size of the organisation, or whatever the current crisis, the process for dealing with change and managing risk should remain the same,” he said.