The implementation of Regulation 3630, introduced by the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) in June 2023, underscores this priority by mandating that all South African water and wastewater treatment works be overseen by qualified and registered process controllers by June 2025.

This regulation marks a transformative shift in professionalising the water workforce. No longer are operators seen as low-skilled workers; instead, they are now required to meet formal education and registration standards, much like engineers and scientists. This elevates water sector roles into recognised career paths, ensuring greater accountability, improved service quality, and enhanced public safety.

As the Energy and Water Sector Education and Training Authority (EWSETA), we are playing a pivotal role in ensuring the sector’s smooth transition to compliance by developing qualifications, facilitating targeted training, and upskilling existing workers to meet Regulation 3630’s requirements.

• Occupational Qualification Development: EWSETA facilitated the creation and registration of the Water Works Management (NQF Level 6) qualification to equip supervisors and managers with the skills needed to oversee treatment plants. We are also developing an NQF Level 8 Water Resource Management programme, aimed at training senior professionals in advanced water management techniques.
• Accredited Training Providers: EWSETA encourages and facilitates QCTO-accredited training providers nationwide to deliver essential qualifications for water and wastewater treatment operators, Process Controllers, and technicians. This ensures that quality standards are met and that workers are properly prepared to comply with Regulation 3630. This will encourage continuous professional development thorough occupational skills programme and credit bearing short learning programme for the 30 credits requirements.
• Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL): Recognising that many experienced water sector employees lack formal qualifications, EWSETA supports RPL pathways that validate industry experience. By partnering with the Water Institute of Southern Africa (WISA) — the custodian of the Process Controller designation — we are ensuring seasoned operators can achieve professional registration without starting from scratch.

These initiatives ensure that current and aspiring water professionals are equipped to meet Regulation 3630’s standards while fostering a culture of excellence in water services.

Why professionalising the water workforce is crucial

The impact of Regulation 3630 will be transformative for South Africa’s water sector. By professionalising water roles, the regulation directly enhances:

• Water quality and safety: With qualified professionals managing water treatment facilities, there is a reduced risk of errors that compromise drinking water quality or wastewater treatment standards.
• Service delivery: Trained Process Controllers bring expertise to ensure efficient plant operation, minimising costly disruptions and improving response times to infrastructure challenges.
• Compliance and accountability: Registered professionals adhere to industry standards and codes of conduct, ensuring greater transparency and responsibility in water operations.

EWSETA’s contribution to professionalising the sector also aligns with national goals such as the Blue Drop (drinking water quality) and Green Drop (wastewater quality) certification programmes, which measure municipal performance and compliance with strict water standards. By supplying a skilled workforce, EWSETA directly enables municipalities to achieve higher scores in these critical assessments.

Water utilities and municipalities must urgently act to professionalise their personnel. EWSETA encourages employers to:

• Conduct skills audits to assess employee qualifications and identify gaps.
• Enrol employees in accredited training programmes or access RPL opportunities to ensure experienced staff meets certification requirements.
• Partner with EWSETA to tailor training initiatives that align with municipal needs and support long-term compliance.

For existing water professionals, this transition presents an opportunity to gain industry-recognised credentials, pursue career growth, and contribute to building a safer, more reliable water supply for all South Africans.

About EWSETA

Energy and Water Sector Education and Training Authority (EWSETA) is a skills development authority serving the energy and water sectors. It is one of 21 Sector Education and Training Authorities (SETAs) established in South Africa in terms of the Skills Development Act of 1998 – amended. It plays a crucial function in ensuring that the National Skills and Development Strategy is executed within the energy and water sectors

The mission of EWSETA is: comprehensive research and a sound understanding of the skills demand and supply forces in its sector; coordinating, facilitating and providing quality assurance for sector relevant skills development programmes for its stakeholders, aligned with stated national skills development priorities; and establishing a sector skills pipeline with a positive impact on government’s economic growth policies, employment creation and the eradication of poverty.

EWSETA’s responsibility is to manage skills development through strategic sector skills planning within the framework of the National Skills Development Strategy III. This includes developing a sector skills plan and implementing the sector skills plan by: establishing learning programmes; approving Workplace Skills Plans and the Annual Training Report; allocating grants to employers, education and training, providers, and workers; monitoring education and training in the sector; registering learning programme agreements; and promoting learnerships and other training programmes.

The role of EWSETA also includes facilitating the creation of learnerships with employers in the sector via the following: finding workplaces where learners can do practical work; supporting people who create learning material; helping to wrap up learnership agreements; and registering learnership agreements.

By Teslim Mohammed Yusuf: Executive – Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation, EWSETA