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Training
and Development
IPA
has helped people and organisations develop across the energy and utilities
industry since 1989. We use professional training and HR experts as well
as leading commercial, legal, regulatory, financial and technical experts
to design our training programmes and advise on our methods.
We
have worked with people and organisations across the world, including:
- established and new energy and utility companies
- industry associations
- Government departments and organisations
- legal advisors
- regulatory agencies
Below
you’ll find details of
- IPA’s approach to
training and development
- Training courses available
- Examples of our training
and development
- Key training and development
people
If
you need further information contact our Training Director, Ian
Benfield on +44 (0) 131 240 0840.
IPA’s
Approach
IPA’s approach to your training and development needs is founded
on 3 core principles; accessibility, involvement and practicality.
Accessibility
We believe that training and development works best in relatively small
groups with colleagues with similar backgrounds and learning needs. We
carefully tailor each of our courses and seminars in order to reflect
the experience of the participants. We work with translators or local
experts, if required to ensure the concepts and illustrations are clear
and well understood. We know individuals are sometimes isolated, so we’re
developing interactive web-based courses to create a classroom from your
desktop, wherever you are located.
Involvement
Put simply, if you are involved you’ll learn more and develop further
and faster. We therefore use a variety of methods and media to stimulate
involvement and interest, for example, problem solving sessions based
on your real life issues, role play exercises, business games, practice
presentations, dummy press conferences, mock assessment interviews or
simulated negotiations. Your comments and suggestions are always valuable
to us and feedback is welcome at any time.
Practicality
Ultimately, our training is about your needs. Our programmes are designed
to be practical and hands- on, using a variety of techniques. They also
draw extensively from the in-depth practical experience of our commercial,
legal, regulatory, financial and technical training experts.
Our
products
Our approach and our products are designed to complement each other. Where
our approach is accessible, involving and practical, our products are
designed to reflect this using comprehensive range of tools designed to
meet your needs.
Mouhammed
Shammaa (3rd from left), a local expert with the Euro-Arab Mashreq
Gas Co-ordination Centre in Damascus, seen here working alongside
colleagues from the Egyptian gas industry during a recent IPA
training programme.
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Training
courses available
IPA has delivered a wide range of modular programmes. These can be delivered
as self-contained modules or incorporated into larger training programmes
designed specifically for you and your organisation.
IPA
training programmes can be grouped into 3 broad areas, markets, regulation
and utility management.
Markets
Recent training courses and seminars including:
• Introduction to energy markets
• The European Union Internal Energy Market
• Restructuring and operation of the UK wholesale markets
• Introduction to emissions trading
• Tools and techniques for risk management
• Fundamentals of energy trading
• Wholesale market operations, communications and data flows
Monther
Qudaisat from the Jordanian Ministry of Energy together with colleagues
from the Jordanian gas sector working on an exercise in IPA’s
training programme on the EU Internal Energy Market.
Regulation
IPA has a number of standard courses to compliment our tailor-made programmes.
Ranging from 1-day to 2-week programmes, these include:
•
Introduction to regulation
• Regulatory framework – legislation, licences and operating
codes
• Regulation of monopoly utility companies
• Regulation of competitive markets
• Cost of service, price control and tariff setting
• Regulatory accounting and financial reporting
• Regulatory procedures, systems and compliance management
• Regulatory communications and public relations
• Network performance and customer service standards
Senior managers of the Southern distribution company in Andhra
Pradesh in India during a discussion on IPA’s presentation
of international best practice in the regulation of energy markets.
Utility
Management
Where utilities face challenges as a result of restructuring or unbundling
requirements, or the need for enhanced efficiency as a result of regulatory,
service delivery, investment or competitive pressures management competence
is both a competitive advantage and a crucial catalyst for change.
IPA
recently trained over 400 managers from the Serbian electricity company
EPS in a range of management and market related issues prior to the introduction
of regulation and competition and the unbundling of the company and is
part way through a 3 year programme to enhance the technical and management
skills of gas industry managers in Syria, Egypt, Jordan and the Lebanon.
A small selection of modules delivered is set out below:
•
Introduction to management
• Corporate and business strategy and planning
• Investment appraisal and feasibility studies
• Financial planning, revenue and losses
• Management accounting
• Human resource management
• Project management
• Internal (EC) Energy Market
• Public relations
• Health and safety
• Maintenance and materials management
Study Tours
International best practice is best studied at first hand and the lessons
to be learned can be more meaningful and better remembered in the context
of the local business culture and with the opportunity to meet key policy
makers and service providers. IPA therefore specialises in arranging focussed
and high quality study tours to the world’s leading energy markets.
The
key to a successful study tour is good contacts. In recent years IPA has
organised successful study tours and work experience on behalf of clients
from Kyrgyzstan, Mozambique and Serbia, amongst others, with destinations
as varied as Argentina, Brazil, England, Ireland, Lithuania, Portugal
and Spain.
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Current
and Recent Experience in Training and Development
Euro-Arab
Mashreq Gas Market
IPA is leading a consortium delivering a 3 year programme to support the
development of the gas sector in Egypt, Syria, Jordan and the Lebanon.
This includes the establishment of a regional resource and training centre;
training needs analysis; training in modern legal and regulatory frameworks;
a training the trainers programme; and a 15 module skills based training
programme covering all aspects of business operation and development.
Serbia
– Establishment and Operation of the Energy Agency
IPA supported the Energy Agency of the Republic of Serbia through hands-on
advice and support, including a study tour to Ireland, an Introduction
to Regulation training course for Council Members and senior staff, seminars
on regulatory accounting and wholesale markets and a practical and hands-on
public relations seminar, including a mock-up press conference.
Serbia
– Institution Building
IPA provided expertise to improve the efficiency of the electricity sector
in Serbia by enhancing management competence at EPS, the Serbian electricity
utility. This involved a major training programme including the establishment
of a management development centre, training needs analysis, development
of a comprehensive management training plan, a training the trainers programme
and a modular skills based programme covering the main aspects of modern
utility management (as described above).
UK
– British Energy
In 2006 IPA has been working with senior managers from a major UK generator
to enhance the organisations understanding of electricity market operations,
the role of the trading function and risk management techniques.
India
– Support to Distribution Companies in Andhra Pradesh
During 2005-6 IPA conducted a series of tailor made training seminars
for senior managers of the newly established electricity distribution
businesses in Andhra Pradesh in India, covering issues such as European
market reform experience, best practice in customer service and wholesale
market organisation and communications requirements.
Zambia
The overall objective of this assignment is to assist the Energy Regulation
Board with institutional capacity and capability strengthening. Training
tasks included individual training needs assessments for all members of
the ERB’s staff, drawing on the extensive experience of our team
in setting up and working with Regulators from other jurisdictions. A
training programme was then devised incorporating many of the elements
of our regulatory training package, including economics, price control
and tariffs, legislation and licences and the role of operating codes,
and regulatory procedures and processes.
UK
– Commercial and Physical Operation of Energy Markets
IPA delivered tailor made training courses on the commercial and physical
operation of the UK electricity and gas markets for Commissioners and
senior staff of the UK Competition Commission.
UK
– Emissions Trading
IPA prepared and delivered an Introduction to Emissions Trading course,
supported by the Association of Electricity Producers, to energy sector
participants and other interested parties, and was working with several
legal firms to offer similar courses to their clients.
Kyrgyzstan
– Tariff Reform and Social Implications
In Kyrgyzstan, IPA organised study tours and workshops for senior officials
of the Kyrgyzstan Government, to demonstrate how to implement tariff adjustments,
anticipating social implications and the means of addressing these.
India
– Electricity Sector Reform in Madhya Pradesh
In order to support the electricity sector reform programme in Madhya
Pradesh, IPA assisted with know how transfer in relation to international
best practice and organised a major national and international study tour
for senior Ministry and utility company staff.
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Our
key training and development people
IPA
can cover a huge a variety of subjects in our core areas of markets, regulation
and utility management and operation.
Meet
some of our training experts:
Iain
Nelson
Iain has over 20 years experience in HR and organisational development
which has involved developing and delivering: business transformation,
human asset management and safety improvement programmes. He has extensive
experience of designing, organising and delivering a wide range of training
programmes and workshops in the energy sector.
Gordon
Gullan
Gordon has 16 years experience of institutional reform and an in depth
knowledge of best practice utility management. He has 5 years experience
in leading training provision for the energy and construction division
of a major management training centre and has tutored and led many corporate
teams through strategic thinking workshops. He led IPA’s major project
to enhance management competence at EPS in Serbia, with training delivered
to over 400 managers, the establishment of a management training centre
and a major training for trainers programme.
Ian
Benfield
Ian is an Associate Director of IPA and is responsible for developing
and co-ordinating IPA’s training activities, with special responsibility
for regulatory training. He has 18 years experience in the regulation
of the energy industry including 5 years with Ofgas, the UK gas regulator
and 9 years with TXU Europe/Eastern Electricity, a large energy production,
network, retail and trading company, where he led a team of 13 responsible
for regulatory issues across Europe. Ian has a particular interest in
training and know how transfer and has developed and delivered courses
and seminars for IPA throughout the world, including IPA’s suite
of regulatory training modules.
Peter
Bedson
Peter Bedson has 17 years senior electricity industry experience and is
a Director of IPA who now leads IPA’s market based training. Previously
he was Commercial Director for a large CCGT in the south of England and
played a key role in steering UK market developments, both as a member
of the NETA Balancing Market and Transmission Access Expert Group and
as a member of the Executive Committee of the Electricity Pool.
Michael
Wagner
Michael is Associate Director with the IPA Trading, Risk and Analytics
Team. He developed IPA’ss macro-economic forecasting model (ECLIPSE)
to capture the interaction between the power markets and government policies
such as emissions constraints and carbon trading and advised the Belgian
regulator on ancillary services costs. Before joining IPA he developed
a simulation model for NGC to forecast the costs of operating the transmission
system under new market arrangements and was involved in the design of
the market trading arrangements and headed a market risk team, managing
a European portfolio of energy products for a major US based utility,
developing risk reporting and risk management tools and working to maximise
the profitability of the trading book with respect to risk and capital
requirements.
Jan
Devito
Jan is a leading authority on the electricity market, with detailed knowledge
of the trading mechanisms and was previously a Director of St Clements
Services. She has been involved in the development of the electricity
market in the UK since its inception and was an elected member of the
first Balancing and Settlement Code Panel, the body tasked with establishing
the New Electricity Trading Arrangements (NETA) in August 2000. She was
a member of the Steering Group established by the regulator to provide
industry guidance on the development of NETA and was also a member of
the Transition Management Project Board.
Richard
Tomiak
Richard has 20 years experience in the energy industry and is a specialist
in providing energy market advice. He has delivered energy sector training
in a range of settings, including Serbia where he was responsible for
the delivery of training in energy planning and in “understanding
energy markets”. This entails developing an awareness of the level
and competency of planning within EPS, establishing good working relations
with EPS staff, preparing training material, ensuring follow-up between
training modules to ensure application and sustainability of training
provided and assisting in the training of trainers from within EPS.
Peter
Kirkby
Peter has over 30 years of experience and is a member and fellow of the
Chartered Institute of Management Accountants. He has substantial financial
management experience in utilities undergoing restructuring and reform
with 13 years top-level management experience in power utilities in Botswana,
Sierra Leone, Albania, Georgia and Kyrgyzstan. With IPA, Peter recently
provided training expertise for Institutional Building of the Electricity
Utility in Serbia. Previously, he provided financial management expertise
for the Georgian Wholesale Electricity Market programme, in order to improve
the financial performance and economic efficiency of Georgia’s electricity
sector.
Brian
Wharmby
Brian is a Director of IPA and an ex-Director of Ofgem (the UK energy
regulator) with over 30 years experience in the energy industry and a
particular interest in learning and know-how transfer. He has delivered
a wide range of training courses and seminars to audiences throughout
the world, for example in India he reviewed the regulatory framework prepared
for Madhya Pradesh and participated in the Indo-UK Power Sector Working
Group and a Powergrid/WB/DFID Seminar and Workshop on Open Access. Recently
in Lesotho and Zambia he has worked to newly appointed regulatory staff
and in Ireland, the Netherlands, Germany and Slovenia he has worked with
European regulatory authorities to enhance their understanding of successful
regulatory approaches.
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