Benchmarking master classes continue to grow municipal capacity

Water Services Master Class (WSMC) 6 was held during February/March 2018 in Durban, Paarl and Bloemfontein, with 202 persons registering for WSMC 6, and 150 persons attending (excluding the MBI team). Municipal participation in this WSMC was 73% of total attendance (i.e. 110 persons).

The learning outcomes of WSMC 6 included: (1) Understanding on-site sanitation and Faecal Sludge Management, and development of Shit (Excreta) Flow Diagrams to understand associated performance gaps, and (2) Understanding Water Conservation/Water Demand Management, and using the GreenCape Non-Revenue Water Pre-feasibility Tool to motivate NRW interventions performance, (3) Understanding MBI Municipal Scorecards and associated data review and submission process, (4) Understanding Munibench new developments and enhancements. Attendance of the WSMC was worth 1.5 CPD points.

Feedback for WSMC 6 once again showed that the general sentiment from municipal participants was overwhelming positive in terms of content, pace, professional development and networking opportunities. The following combined feedback is presented:

• The overall combined feedback for WSMC 6 is overwhelmingly positive.
• The content scored 4.6 out of 5 (on average), or 92%.
• The pace scored 4.4 out of 5 (on average), or 88%.
• The balance between theory and practice scored 4.5 out of 5 (on average), or 90%.
• The exercises/activities scored 4.5 out of 5 (on average), or 90%.

In addition to the above, participants were asked if they were interested in a number of new and exciting initiatives. The following feedback is noted:

• 78% (87 out of 111 feedback forms received) were interested in participating in the WRC SFD Project.
• 83% (90 out of 109) were interested in conducting a SSP interactive learning activity at their WSA.
• 85% (94 out of 111) were interested in using the FSM Toolbox.
• 87% (96 out of 110) were interested in using the NRW Pre-feasibility Tool in their WSA.

The MBI team will need to follow up with participants to take enthusiasm for participating in these new and exciting initiatives further forward.

To-date, the Water Services Master Classes (WSMCs) have been a very successful platform for peer learning and establishment of peer networks. The WSMCs aim to draw from local case studies and better practices, with an emphasis on “practitioner to practitioner” exchange. Key elements of the WSMCs include: (1) Free participation by all, (2) Technical overviews, (3) Case studies, (4) Best practices, (5) Share common issues/challenges faced, (6) How did they do that?, (7) Performance measurement (PIs), and (8) Networking. All municipalities (regardless of maturity of participation level) are invited to attend these benchmarking events.

For further information on the MBI, or if you would like to get involved, please contact us.