Rural Water - Quarter 2, 2016 - (Page 24)
eDuCatION aND a Career IN water
lessons in
water
w
A Number of
Educational
Opportunities
Available for
Students
BY SaNDY SMItH
While it is clear that finding the
next generation of workers is an issue for
the industry, replacing an experienced
worker with a newcomer isn't always easy.
A number of programs are attempting
to ensure those replacement workers
come into the job with some measure of
knowledge about water.
"It's hard to replace those folks leaving
with 30 or 40 years of experience with a
first-year student," said Keith Richmond,
an instructor in St. Cloud (Minn.) Technical
and Community College's Water
Environment Technologies program,
where students can pursue a diploma in
water environment technologies or an
St. Cloud Technical & Community College.
24
SeCOND Quarter 2016
associate's degree. "We've found that
'Hire them off the streets and get them
trained and licensed' often has a high
failure rate. Learning the language of water
and wastewater takes time."
Richmond points out that students
who complete St. Cloud's diploma or
associate's program pass state exams 100
percent of the time, compared to others
who don't attend such a program.
The same is true at Bismarck (N.D.)
State College's National Energy Center
of Excellence, which offers a one-year
program in water and wastewater. "These
programs help prepare people for the
exams and give them confidence about
what the industry is about," said Ryan
Caya, program manager. "It's not just a
person with mud on the boots going into
the facility to work. They'll have working
knowledge about how that facility works."
Not one-size-fits-all
Because of the need and the great
career opportunities, educational offerings
designed to reach future industry workers
are on the rise in high schools, community
and technical colleges and government
training efforts.
For the latter, look to Alaska, where a
wastewater treatment program has been in
operation for more than 20 years through
the Alaska Job Corps program.
"Overall, this program is very valuable
to the state of Alaska," said Malyn Smith,
the Alaska Job Corps' center director.
"It affords students a big opportunity to
better themselves, to have the training and
then be placed in a job where most of the
time it starts with $20-25 an hour. That is
something for these students that didn't
have the opportunity before."
The Job Corps program, aimed at
those ages 16-24, is about six to eight
months; students work at their own pace
and then spend 1,950 hours of workbased learning. They must complete their
high school diploma or general education
development (GED) to be eligible to pursue
state certification.
Many times, graduates end up working
for in a rural Alaskan village where potable
water is an issue. Some students, though,
have taken jobs in Washington state, or
on the Alaskan pipeline project. Often,
students are hired by the site where they
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Rural Water - Quarter 2, 2016
From the President
Careers in Rural Water
Water University
Credential from Water U Helps Land the Job
Lessons in Water
Finance: Tracking Down Non-Revenue Water
Technology: GIS and the 5 Ws
Emergency Management: Drought to Flood: Oklahoma
A Day in the Life of a Circuit Rider
Four Key Benefits to Incorporating Cellular Technology into Your Utility Management System
The WaterPro Online Community
Regulatory Update
Throwing My Loop
Index to Advertisers/ Advertisers.com
From the CEO
Rural Water - Quarter 2, 2016
http://www.nxtbook.com/naylor/NRWQ/NRWQ0418
http://www.nxtbook.com/naylor/NRWQ/NRWQ0318
http://www.nxtbook.com/naylor/NRWQ/NRWQ0218
http://www.nxtbook.com/naylor/NRWQ/NRWQ0118
http://www.nxtbook.com/naylor/NRWQ/NRWQ0417
http://www.nxtbook.com/naylor/NRWQ/NRWA0016
http://www.nxtbook.com/naylor/NRWQ/NRWQ0317
http://www.nxtbook.com/naylor/NRWQ/NRWQ0217
http://www.nxtbook.com/naylor/NRWQ/NRWQ0117
http://www.nxtbook.com/naylor/NRWQ/NRWQ0416
http://www.nxtbook.com/naylor/NRWQ/NRWQ0316
http://www.nxtbook.com/naylor/NRWQ/NRWA0015
http://www.nxtbook.com/naylor/NRWQ/NRWQ0216
http://www.nxtbook.com/naylor/NRWQ/NRWQ0116
http://www.nxtbook.com/naylor/NRWQ/NRWQ0415
http://www.nxtbook.com/naylor/NRWQ/NRWQ0315
http://www.nxtbook.com/naylor/NRWQ/NRWQ0215
http://www.nxtbook.com/naylor/NRWQ/NRWQ0115
http://www.nxtbook.com/naylor/NRWQ/NRWQ0414
http://www.nxtbook.com/naylor/NRWQ/NRWQ0314
http://www.nxtbook.com/naylor/NRWQ/NRWQ0214
http://www.nxtbook.com/naylor/NRWQ/NRWQ0114
http://www.nxtbook.com/naylor/NRWQ/NRWQ0413
http://www.nxtbook.com/naylor/NRWQ/NRWQ0313
http://www.nxtbook.com/naylor/NRWQ/NRWQ0213
http://www.nxtbook.com/naylor/NRWQ/NRWQ0113
http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/naylor/NRWQ0412
http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/naylor/NRWQ0312
http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/naylor/NRWQ0212
http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/naylor/NRWQ0112
http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/naylor/NRWQ0411
http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/naylor/NRWQ0311
http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/naylor/NRWQ0211
http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/naylor/NRWQ0111
http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/naylor/NRWQ0410
http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/naylor/NRWQ0310
http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/naylor/NRWQ0210
http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/naylor/NRWQ0110
http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/naylor/NRWQ0409
http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/naylor/NRWQ0309
http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/naylor/NRWQ0209
http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/naylor/NRWQ0109
http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/naylor/NRWQ0408
http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/naylor/NRWQ0308
http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/naylor/NRWQ0208
http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/naylor/NRWQ0108
http://www.nxtbookMEDIA.com