When done correctly, a solid staff training program can be one of the most effective Best Management Practices (BMPs) for both Industrial and Municipal Permittees. Comprehensive training not only ensures that employees understand and adhere to stormwater management protocols, but it also enhances the overall efficiency and compliance of the facility. In a recent presentation, Nathan Hardebeck from CWT Academy shared valuable insights on building an effective stormwater staff training program, emphasizing the importance of planning, technology, and meticulous recordkeeping.

Key Takeaways

Key takeaways from Nathan’s Presentation include:

1. Bridge the gap between administration and operations

Educating the administrative personnel on the importance of stormwater is critical for effective stormwater management. This group needs to know how everyone affects your stormwater permit and the ramifications of non-compliance. Getting administration on board and educated will ease your pain later on when requesting funds to implement a stormwater policy at your facility.

2. Stay up to date with changes on your site

As your site changes, your training should change with it. Whether that is a new inspection software, new tools used by your staff, or a new processes or BMPs that are utilized at your sites, your training should be updated to address these changes, and staff should be trained before use.

3. Capture Institutional Knowledge.

It is important to capture institutional knowledge and incorporate it into your training as much as possible. This is the knowledge of your site or processes that only certain individuals possess and is often lost when those individuals retire or move on to another company. This informational loss can lead to real issues if that knowledge isn’t passed on.

4. Identify the appropriate level of training

Different staff may require different levels of training depending on their responsibilities. It is critical to identify these responsibilities to ensure that they are adequately trained. While this is especially important for municipal training programs given the wide breadth of training requirements for municipal staff, industrial facilities should also tailor their training to job duties when appropriate.

5. Plan Ahead!

You should plan well ahead of training deadlines to ensure that your staff is receiving the best possible training. Rushing to get an individual trained can lead to more expensive training costs, unavailability of the “good” trainers, and potential missed deadlines or compliance issues. Planning allows you to get cheaper early booking rates if bringing in instructors and allows you to better plan your budget and operations schedule.

6. Consider bringing in an outside trainer

In some cases, you can be more effective in getting your message across if you bring in a trainer from outside of your operation. This can allow your staff to see multiple different perspectives on stormwater and allows for another voice to echo some of the training messages you want to get across.

7. Motivation and Engagement Matters!

How your audience walks away from your training can play a major impact in how well that information is retained. Creating training that is hands-on, engaging, or provides motivation such as certifications or career enhancement can increase the effectiveness and retention of that training.

8. Tailor your training style for your demographics

Your training may need to be tailored to meet your audience’s needs. This might include offering your training in another language or using technology in a way that is appropriate for your audiences skill sets or learning processes. Some employees might prefer online training, while others may benefit more from instructor-led training in a classroom.

9. Tracking and recordkeeping is critical

Tracking the training dates of your employees is critical to staying in compliance with your stormwater permits. The ISGP requires employees to be trained annually and that the training dates be logged. Larger facilities may need to consider investing in learning management systems. These systems can be set up to easily view who is lacking training, send alerts when training is set to expire, and generate reports needed for permit compliance.

10. Review and Adjust

It is important to take a step back and review what is working with your training program and what isn’t working. Make adjustments so that the list of what is working continues to grow, and the list of what isn’t working shrinks.