Highland Canal Workers Experience Tricks of the Trade Across the Water
25 June 2008
Three lock keepers from the Highland Canals (Caledonian and Crinan) have just returned from a visit to the Göta Canal in Sweden to exchange cultural and business knowledge as part of a programme set up by British Waterways Scotland .
Highland Canals Manager, Russell Thomson was given the opportunity to visit the Göta and Dalslands canals during a World Canals Conference a few years ago. Russell quickly recognised the value in learning from international colleagues and the benefits of exchange programmes for the business in both countries.
The exchange programme started in October 2007 when two members of staff from the Göta Canal visited the Caledonian Canal . The trip proved useful for both visitors and hosts alike and now staff from the Caledonian and the Crinan canals have just returned from their most recent and eventful 12 day visit.
One lock keeper who looks forward to welcoming more visitors from Sweden to the Crinan Canal , following his trip, is 50-year-old Joe Brown. He has worked for British Waterways Scotland for 25 years and jumped at the chance to visit the Göta Canal . He said: "I had a great time on my exchange. The Göta Canal design is actually based on the Caledonian so it was very familiar to me.
"We spent a lot of time in a control room from where they operate the six bridges. That was one of the main differences I noticed between Scotland 's canal and Sweden 's canal operation - they have many more locks along their network so they operate them remotely, whereas we operate ours manually. It was very interesting to compare the similarities and differences between both - one lock keeper to another."
The lock keepers from Scotland 'job shadowed' at four different locations along the Göta canal, moving every four days to a different location, meeting many different people, and even picking up some Swedish along the way.
Jo Spragg, lock keeper on the Caledonian Canal said: " The Swedish hospitality was fantastic. The staff on the Göta Canal couldn't have been more welcoming and the weather was great. Despite some cultural differences, I found that overall it was much the same as working on a canal in Scotland - I loved taking the boats through the different parts of the canal and learning from my Swedish colleagues. It was reassuring to realise that I could probably lock-keep anywhere in the world should the need arise!"
Jo adds: "The exchange not only inspired me, it also gave me some good ideas that we could implement on our canals. I can also now recognise our strengths here in Scotland and how we excel in the services we provide.
She continues: "The Göta Canal has many of the same challenges facing it as the Caledonian. Economic resources and accountability for public expenditure means that there is a constant balance needed between maintaining the canals as national assets and developing facilities to enhance and support the canal network."
Scottish and Swedish canal users will ultimately benefit from the experience sharing from 'job swaps'. Russell Thomson, concluded: "It is very important that we share best practice both within and out with British Waterways Scotland . Canals around the world often have similar opportunities and challenges in managing networks and it is very beneficial and valuable to share ideas and 'best practice'.
"This is the first time members of our staff have gone out to Sweden and we have seen the benefit of the trip instantaneously in the business. We plan to send more members of the team out later this year. This experience offers staff a unique challenge, visiting and working in a foreign environment, and I think everyone has got a real sense of satisfaction and achievement from this trip."
Ends 19 June 2008
Notes to Editor:
Exchange participant profiles (3 members of staff who spent 12 days in Sweden during May working on the Göta Canal and Yuchter Canal in Central Sweden - Göta land region).
1. Jo Spragg, Lock Keeper based at Muirtown, Inverness
The hospitality was fantastic. The staff on the Göta Canal couldn't have been more welcoming and the weather was great. However, most of all I think I enjoyed working with the lock keepers, having the opportunity to operate the locks and bridges, and taking boats through the canal.
Despite obvious cultural differences I found that it was much the same as working on a canal in Scotland . It was reassuring to realise that I could probably lock-keep anywhere in the world should the need arise!
As the Swedish learn English from a young age language was not an issue. We did however make the effort to learn a few key phases which seemed to be appreciated by boaters and staff alike.
I learned that the Göta Canal faces many of the same challenges we do on the Caledonian. Economic resources and accountability for public expenditure means that there is a need for a constant balance between maintaining the canals as national assets and developing facilities to enhance and support the canals.
I don't believe there is any right or wrong answer to this problem. However, when talking to the staff on the Göta Canal we found that we were all benefiting from each other's knowledge and experiences.
The Göta Canal also has some similar problems to us with road bridges and traffic users. This was most prevalent in Söderköping, with the E22 road bridge. Lengthy tail-backs and complaints from the local community resulted in the investigation into alternatives, including the possibility of a boat lift. Although the bridges in Inverness do not create the same degree of disruption as in Söderköping, it was nice to know that similar issues exist in other countries.
Without a doubt. Spending time on another canal has given me a fresh perspective. It's easy to become used to your daily surroundings and to see it through a fresh pair of eyes is extremely valuable. The exchange not only provided me with renewed inspiration and good ideas, but also enabled me to recognise our strengths and where we excel in the service we provide.
The staff we met in Sweden were (as many on the Caledonian Canal are) very proud of their canal and the work they do. The only significant difference I could see is that due to their season being much shorter than ours all the lock keepers (of which there are approximately 100) are seasonally employed. The majority are students who work for three or four seasons and then move on. Due to the geography of the country, water-related activities appear to be very popular and a large part of Swedish culture.
I can only give my own opinion from the few people I spoke with and what I experienced whilst working over there. From what I saw, I found that the Swedish enjoy the outdoors and take advantage of good weather. The environment and facilities along the canal support and encourage the public to utilise and enjoy the canal. While we were there i t was starting to build in popularity and there are an enormous amount of cafes and bars along the canal which created a good buzz.
We could maybe learn from the Göta Canal and promote all the benefits of our canals more.
The Göta Canal, at a length of 190km, is much longer than the Caledonian Canal . It has 58 locks and over 30 road and rail bridges. Technology plays a large part in their operational practices. I was amazed to see that 21 of their bridges are operated by remote control. What was very interesting to see, and something that could possibly benefit our service, was a hand held remote control for operating the locks.
They were interested to hear how we manage the different expectations and demands of commercial and leisure traffic. On the Göta Canal the only commercial customers are the passenger cruise boats and, unlike here, they don't have any companies hiring boats out for holidays.
When the Göta Canal was constructed a support infrastructure was incorporated. The canal has many guest harbours and three dry docks, encouraging long-term usage by boaters, whilst raising extra revenue.
In addition to canal owned campsites there are also free to use shelters along the whole length for campers, walkers and cyclists. At Norrkvarn they have converted an old building into a hotel, hostel, pub, café and restaurant, alongside which they have an operational mini canal for children and adults alike to learn how the locks work.
The Göta Canal is used very much for leisure and has the old as well as newly developed infrastructure to support this, which is well promoted and advertised.
2. Joe Brown, 50, from Ardrishaig is a multi skill waterways operative on the Crinan Canal, has worked for BWS for 25 years and still enjoys new and different ways of working and meeting new people; walkers, bikers, joggers and visitors.
Job role : Operating locks and bridges on the Crinan Canal and training operators.
Key observations from the trip:
The technology used and a good insight into how other people do it.
Staff usually based in a control room/station to operate the bridges whereas BWS operate bridges/locks manually
Realising the Crinan's uniqueness
Sweden is looking at building a boat lift similar to The Falkirk Wheel - with boats driving into a lock and then rising into another lock to be lifted over the main road
The automation of procedure is very efficient
3. Alec Francis, 55, from Roy Bridge is a sea lock keeper based at Corpach, Fort William and has worked at the Caledonian Canal for four years.
Job role: Based in the canal office, main responsibilities are issuing licences, advising customers, co-ordination of boats along the west section of the canal, safety and general maintenance.
Key observations from the trip:
The canal is longer than the Caledonian and links with a series of very big lakes, one of which is so big you can't see land from it
Thomas Telford influence in the building of Göta Canal is evident
Found the use of remote control for bridge openings interesting
They visited Vatten, a seasonal holiday village which is smaller than Fort William , and Mottala, a bustling part of the city that goes into Baltic Sea at Mim
Russell Thomson, Highlands Manager:
How important is it to BWS to share best practice?
It is very important that we share best practice both within and out with BWS. Many of us have similar opportunities and challenges in managing canals and it is valuable and beneficial to share 'best practice'.
2. How do the exchange trips benefit the morale of employees?
This is the first exchange trip we have done but already we can see that the staff have benefited greatly from the trip. It has given them something different to get involved in, it has been a challenge to visit and work in a different country and I think they get a real sense of satisfaction and achievement from that. I would hope as we identify the value of the 'best practices', all staff will feel the benefit of moving the business on in a very positive way and the role they have played in identifying and delivering those changes. We also had two Göta staff here last October and I think the whole team enjoyed/benefited from their visit.
3. Do you plan to set up further 'job swaps' with any other canals/countries?
We will have two or three members of the maintenance team going over to Göta in September and I will be looking for other opportunities in the future. We must demonstrate that there is real value (business benefit) from these exchange visits.
4. Does the feedback from employees on the exchange trips help shape future developments/improvements in how you operate and manage the canals? If so, how?
That is certainly my intention but, as the first group has only just returned, we have yet to demonstrate that - but that is certainly the whole point. The staff who have just returned have been tasked to put together a presentation detailing their experiences, and to pinpoint were they feel we can learn from the Göta Canal and vice versa.
5. Do you plan to send more people from the different areas of your business to learn how they operate in Sweden ? And if so what areas are you keen to develop most?
Our Leisure and Waterway Development Manager has gone over to Göta last week to look at the way in which they have developed canalside businesses.
6. How will the exchange trips positively impact on the customers that use the canal?
Hopefully, by sharing best practice, particularly in the way in which we develop the canal operations, service, maintenance and business development, we can deliver more enjoyable and fulfilling visits to the waterway for leisure and business customers alike.
There isn't a 'job swap programme or paper' as such. This is just something that came from my visit to the Göta Canal and Dalslands Canal during a World Canals Conference and also from working with some of my European colleagues on various European Funding initiatives. I could see the similarities (and differences) and felt there would be value in such a programme.