Case Study
Severn Trent Water: 2-Day Bespoke Manager Training
How Sygma designed and delivered a 2-day management training and assessment programme built around Severn Trent's own policies and procedures.
Client
Severn Trent Water
Programme
2-Day Bespoke Manager Training and Assessment
Audience
Site managers and supervisors (max 6 delegates)
Format
Flexible classroom and practical split
Key elements
Severn Trent-specific policies, strike investigation, USAG form, CAT Manager data analysis
The Brief
The Brief from Severn Trent Water
Severn Trent Water is one of the UK's largest water and wastewater companies, responsible for a vast network of buried infrastructure across the Midlands and beyond. With contractors and internal teams regularly working in proximity to these assets, utility avoidance at the management level is not just a training requirement. It is a critical operational and legal responsibility.
Severn Trent's requirement was distinct from an operative refresher course. Their site managers and supervisors needed a programme that addressed their specific role: overseeing utility avoidance on site, managing operatives using CAT and Genny equipment, responding correctly to utility strikes, and understanding Severn Trent's own policies and procedures in detail.
The programme also needed to incorporate assessment. Severn Trent wanted evidence that managers had demonstrated competency, not just attended a course. And with experienced managers who have limited time, the group size needed to be kept small enough to allow meaningful assessment: a maximum of six delegates per cohort.
What Sygma Designed
What Sygma Designed
Sygma Solutions worked with Severn Trent's H&S and L&D teams to design a 2-day manager training and assessment programme. The programme uses a flexible classroom and practical split: the balance of time spent in each environment is adapted based on the delegate group and the site conditions available on the delivery dates.
Across the two days, managers progress through Severn Trent-specific content, practical review sessions, and structured assessment activities that produce documented competency evidence.
| Module | Detail |
|---|---|
| Severn Trent Policies and Procedures | Management-level content built around Severn Trent's own H&S policies, reporting chains, and site protocols. Managers work through the actual Severn Trent documentation rather than generic industry frameworks. |
| Utility Avoidance at Management Level | The specific responsibilities of a site manager or supervisor overseeing utility avoidance work. What managers are required to know, what they are required to check, and what they are required to do when procedures are not being followed correctly. |
| CAT Manager Data Analysis | How to interpret and act on CAT Manager fleet data from a management perspective. Managers learn to identify patterns in equipment usage, missed Genny deployment, and operative behaviour from the data rather than from observation alone. |
| Utility Strike Investigation | How a strike investigation should be conducted at management level. What the manager's responsibilities are when a strike occurs on their site, and how the Severn Trent internal reporting process should be managed. |
| USAG Form Completion | Structured assessment activity where delegates complete the USAG (Utility Strike Analysis Group) form using a realistic scenario drawn from the utility water sector. Completion is assessed: correct, complete, and timely form submission is the standard required. |
How It Works
How It Works in Practice
The flexible classroom and practical split means the programme adapts to what is available on the delivery dates. Where a suitable practical site or training yard is accessible, more time is allocated to practical assessment. Where classroom delivery is the only option, the balance shifts accordingly, without losing the assessment rigour.
Delivery can take place at Severn Trent facilities, on a managed practical site, or at Sygma's Wigan Training Centre. All options are discussed and agreed at programme design stage.
Every delegate completes Sygma's QR-code feedback form at the end of each day. Trainer scores remain private until the following working day. Severn Trent's L&D and H&S team receives a full group report. The programme produces documented assessment evidence for each delegate, available as a training record for Severn Trent's compliance systems.
Outcomes
Key Outcomes for Severn Trent Water
| Outcome | How the Programme Delivers It |
|---|---|
| Managers understand their specific legal and operational duties under Severn Trent procedures | Content is built around Severn Trent's own policies, not generic frameworks. Managers leave with clarity on where their responsibility sits within the Severn Trent management chain. |
| Competency is assessed, not assumed | Structured assessment activities across both days produce documented evidence, not just a certificate of attendance. |
| Strike investigation capability is embedded at management level | Managers practise the investigation process using realistic water sector scenarios. USAG form completion is assessed, not optional. |
| CAT Manager data becomes a management tool, not just a record | Managers leave with the ability to interpret fleet data and act on it, raising the standard of their oversight role. |
| Group size enables real depth | Six delegates maximum means every manager is assessed individually and professionally discussed. No one is lost in the group. |
| Honest feedback data reaches the right people | QR-code feedback system ensures Severn Trent receives unfiltered delegate responses, not post-training recollections. |
Need Manager-Level Utility Training Built Around Your Organisation?
The Severn Trent programme shows what is possible when training is built around management-level responsibilities, company-specific policies, and proper competency assessment. If your organisation operates in the water, utilities, or infrastructure sector and needs something beyond a standard refresher, we can design it.