City Council Memorandum
TO: HONORABLE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL NOVEMBER 28, 2023 FROM: HUMAN RESOURCES DEPARTMENT WARDS: ALL
SUBJECT: 15-MONTH FOREMAN ACADEMY TRAINING PROGRAM FOR PUBLIC UTILITIES ENERGY DELIVERY AND WATER SUPERINTENDENTS AND SUPERVISORS IN THE AMOUNT OF $99,568.58.
ISSUE:
Approval of the 15-month Foreman Academy training program for Public Utilities Energy Delivery and Water Superintendents and Supervisors in the amount of $99,568.58.
RECOMMENDATIONS:
That the City Council:
Authorize the purchase of licensed training content and training supplies for the Foreman Academy in the amount of $99,568.68; and Authorize the City Manager, or designee, to execute any contracts and documents necessary to effectuate the project described herein, as well as the ability to make minor non-substantive changes in accordance with all purchasing policies.
BOARD RECOMMENDATION:
On November 13, 2023, the Board of Public Utilities unanimously recommended that the City Council approve the 15-month Foreman Academy training program for Public Utilities Energy Delivery and Water Superintendents and Supervisors in the amount of $99,568.58.
BACKGROUND:
In partnership with Riverside Public Utilities (RPU), Human Resources has developed a field and operations supervisor development program for RPU Energy Delivery and Water Divisions aimed at addressing several key challenges:
Improve supervisor confidence and competence in their roles.
Increase IBEW-member employee engagement.
Provide career development opportunities to staff; increase internal promotion rates and succession planning for critical retiring team members.
Improve team communication, collaboration, and trust.
Embed new skills into the culture.
Provide structured and consistent training as new employees are hired.
DISCUSSION:
HR staff conducted a training needs assessment to determine skills and knowledge gaps in RPU’s Energy Delivery and Water Field Operations Supervisors and Superintendents and developed a program that addressed those specific skills and knowledge requirements. The specific workshops selected were chosen to address specific skill development needs and align to other City programs such as EPIC Training, and the Citywide Foundations of Supervision Program.
The proposed 15-month training program would serve 45 RPU employees in the Energy Delivery and Water Field and Operations Divisions. It includes 13 different workshops and incorporates learning sustainment and reinforcement activities that help to ensure the new skills are embedded into the culture. The proposal includes organizational change management strategies, tailoring the training materials to increase relevance to Field and Operations staff, and development of an evaluation strategy and impact study to measure the results of the program.
This program will be led and facilitated by in-house staff in the Human Resources Department, Training and Organization Development Division, and will encompass licensing training content from multiple vendors, allowing them to utilize best-practice materials specific to the targeted skill needs. The training materials will incorporate existing training content from the City’s EPIC Training, HR Essentials Training, and Foundations of Supervision Training.
The department reached out to three (3) vendors for the fully required training materials. Two of the vendors provided courses that would benefit the City’s Foreman Academy, and as such were selected to utilize segments from each company.
Vendor
Location
Amount
Ken Blanchard Cos.
Escondido, CA
$28,350.00
Franklin Covey
Salt Lake City, UT
$43,785.00
Center for Creative Leadership
Greensboro, NC
$49,920.00
The department reached out to two vendors for Training Evaluation and Impact Study Development Quotes and considered a third option of potentially training two internal City employees to conduct the services themselves. It was found that, while the third option of utilizing City employees to provide the Impact Study, the HR Department did not have enough resources to handle the design and analysis of training evaluation data internally.
Vendor
Location
Amount
Training with Kirkpatrick Partners for 2 City Employees to conduct Impact Study City of Riverside
$ 3,672.00
Measure Up, Paul Leone
New York, NY
$ 9,000.00
Kirkpatrick Partners
Newnan, GA
$18,900.00
The City currently utilizes the services of TalentSmart, Center for Creative Leadership, and The Myers Briggs Company, and are utilizing multiple items from each vendor to add to the Foreman Academy Training, including training materials related to Conflict Management and Emotional Intelligence.
The total project breakdown is as follows:
Project Breakdown
Work Type
Licensed From:
Estimated Amount
Training Content Licensing
The Ken Blanchard Cos.
TalentSmart
Center for Creative Leadership
$31,240.00
$ 7,016.87
$15,212.41
Assessments
Center for Creative Leadership
Hedges & Associates
The Myers Briggs Company
$13,860.00
$ 5,343.75
$ 2,420.55
Impact Study
MeasureUp
$ 9,000.00
Misc. Training Materials & Supplies
Various
$15,475.00
Total Project Costs
$99,568.58
The expected benefits of the program include improved employee engagement, higher internal promotion rates, succession planning for critical retiring team members, and reduced staff grievances and complaints.
Section 403 of the Purchasing Resolution states that “Competitive Procurement shall not be required for Information Technology software maintenance and license renewals; training; advertising; or professional recruitment services where the Manager is satisfied that the best price, terms and conditions for the Procurement there of have been negotiated.” The Purchasing Manager concurs that the recommendation complies with Purchasing Resolution No. 23914 Section 403.
STRATEGIC PLAN ALIGNMENT:
This program aligns with Strategic Priority 5 – High Performing Government, specifically Goal 5.1, Attract, develop, engage, and retain a diverse and highly skilled workforce across the entire City organization; and Goal 5.5, to foster a culture of safety, well-being, resilience, sustainability, diversity, and inclusion across the city organization.
This program aligns with EACH of the five Cross-Cutting Threads as follows:
Community Trust – This program builds community trust by fostering a culture of respect amongst RPU Energy Delivery and Water employees and fulfilling our obligation to provide a safe and respectful workplace to our employees.
Equity – This program is being offered to all RPU Field and Operations Supervisors in both the Water and Electric Divisions and therefore demonstrates equitable distribution of training within that Division for those classifications.
Fiscal Responsibility – Providing this training to staff will help mitigate organizational and financial risk by helping us positively impact our staff, increase engagement, and potentially decreasing the number of employee complaints and grievances and turnover. Our comprehensive approach helps to increase the application and use of the skills learned, offering a greater return on the city’s investment.
Innovation – This training program will offer a comprehensive and collaborative program designed to impact RPU’s culture.
Sustainability & Resiliency – Planning ahead to build talent bench strength will help ensure organizational resiliency in succession management practices.
FISCAL IMPACT:
The total fiscal impact of this purchase is $99,568.58. The funds are budgeted and available in the Electric Fund, Public Utilities Workforce Development Internal Training Account No. 6002000-427203.
Prepared by: Rene Goldman, Human Resources Director
Approved by: Todd M. Corbin, Utilities General Manager Certified as to
availability of funds: Kristie Thomas, Finance Director/Assistant Chief Financial Officer Approved by: Rafael Guzman, Assistant City Manager
Approved as to form: Phaedra A. Norton, City Attorney
Attachment: Presentation
Foreman Academy Training Program – Page 2