SiTUATE, LLC., a workforce learning and development consulting firm, announces a two-year partnership with the Metropolitan Council of Minneapolis to develop competency-based apprenticeship programs for two operator positions in the Wastewater and Water Division https://metrocouncil.org/Wastewater-Water/Services/Wastewater-Treatment.aspx.
The project is part of the Metropolitan Council’s broader efforts to address looming skills shortages and to use the project as a model on how to develop new employees across its various public entities. The Council required an evidence-based, systematic, and structured program that reliably prepares qualified apprentices to perform successfully on the job. The Council is partnering with the Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry and with unions that represent Council employees to establish apprenticeship standards and certified programs for two critical positions, the wastewater treatment operator and the wastewater collections operator.
Working with the Metropolitan Council is the latest of SiTUATE’s projects related to developing competency-based apprenticeship programs. Ron Jacobs, principal, states that, regardless of the work setting, a competency-based approach consistently results in reduced learning times, greater learning effectiveness, greater linkage between the prerequisites and OJT components, and enhanced confidence to perform on the job, all of which are key apprenticeship program expectations. SiTUATE features staff who have extensive experience in training and water systems.
Competency-based apprenticeships stand in contrast to a traditional time-based approach, which assumes that apprentices will learn all they need during a defined period of time. Unfortunately, this approach often adds unnecessary time to the program, leading to increased frustration and uncertainties about what was actually learned relative to the occupational standard.
Additionally, the project agreement calls for equipping the Metropolitan Council's training staff with the professional skills to implement competency-based apprenticeship programs in the future, such as conducting a job analysis, implementing structured on-the-job training programs, and developing mentors. SiTUATE purposely builds this collaborative learning component into their clients’ agreements, which helps ensure the success of projects in the long run.
The project will feature the prominent use of SiTUATE’s proprietary digital platform to support the development, implementation, and management of the apprenticeship program.
For more information about competency-based apprenticeships, especially in the context of public utilities and services, and the SiTUATE consulting approach, please contact Ron Jacobs rljacobs@situate-training.com or visit the SiTUATE website.
