USAID helps DISCOs on institutional capacity, development

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Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) of Power Distribution Companies (DISCOs) participated in the concluding ceremony of a high-level workshop for the senior human resource management of DISCOs. The workshop was organized by the USAID Power Distribution Program. The three-year long USAID Power Distribution Program’s mission is to reduce energy losses, increase revenue, improve customer service, and transform distribution companies to efficient utilities.
The five-day’s workshop was designed by the senior faculty members of Lahore University of Management Sciences for the USAID Power Distribution Program. A detailed Learning Needs Assessment (LNA) was conducted in 2011 to assess the needs for improvement in DISCO human resource management. The first phase of workshop was conducted in January 2012 followed by the concluding session held on March 19-20, 2012. Senior human resource management from IESCO (Islamabad), PESCO (Peshawar), MEPCO (Multan), GEPCO (Gujranwala), FESCO (Faisalabad), LESCO (Lahore), HESCO (Hyderabad), QESCO (Quetta), and SEPCO (Sukkur) attended the workshop.
“DISCOs play a key role in ensuring a smooth and uninterrupted delivery of power to residential, commercial, and industrial customers. Without an efficiently operating human resource system of DISCOs, the consumers cannot receive the quality services they need.” said Craig VanDevelde, Chief of Party of USAID’s Power Distribution Program on the occasion. “Effective organizations around the world give high priority to human resource management and use innovative HR management techniques to help prepare their employees through the process so that they understand why the company needs to implement key policies and improvements.” USAID Power Distribution Program is a three-year, USAID-funded program aimed at working jointly with government-owned electric power distribution companies in Pakistan to improve their performance in terms of reduction in losses, improvement in revenues and customer services, and to bring them to a level of well-run utilities as in other progressive countries. Through this program the United States Government provides assistance and support to the Government of Pakistan in its efforts to reform the power sector and to end the current energy crisis.