1. MULTI-AGENCY OPERATOR TRAINING PROGRAM Douglas J. Craig Bay Area Clean Water Agencies Annual Meeting January 24, 2008

2. DEMAND FOR WATER/WASTEWATER OPERATORS 50 percent of operators to retire in seven to ten years. 5,220 certified wastewater operators in California Twice as many water treatment operators as wastewater operators

3. RECRUITMENT CHALLENGES Limited awareness of job opportunities No “pool” of operators to draw from Time requirements to advance – difficult to replace Grade IV and Grade V operators “Stealing” operators from other agencies does not solve the problem

4. CURRENT TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES Regional Occupational Programs (ROP) Limited accredited community college curriculums – one in Northern California

5. MULTI-AGENCY APPROACH Provide contract education classes at other locations Contract between Bay Area Clean Water Agencies (BACWA) and Solano Community College Offer at least three accredited classes per semester Advertise opportunities to promote interest Press releases Website postings High school and Regional Occupational Program California Water Environment Association (CWEA) website

6. PROGRAM GOALS Expand the awareness of job opportunities as a water or wastewater operator Develop a pool of operator candidates to replace retiring operators Advance the education of existing operators and potential operator candidates  28½ credits for Certificate of Achievement in Water/ Wastewater  60 credits for Associate of Science Degree from Solano Community College

7. AGENCY PARTICIPATION Central Contra Costa Sanitary District Contra Costa Water District Delta Diablo Sanitation District Diablo Water District Dublin San Ramon Services District East Bay Municipal Utility District City of Livermore Mountain View Sanitary District Oro Loma Sanitary District Rodeo Sanitary District West County Wastewater District Union Sanitary District Zone 7 Water Agency

8. ISSUES WITH CONTRACT EDUCATION Classes offered in Contra Costa County Community colleges in Contra Costa County must approve an agreement with Solano Community College Agreement must be repeated each semester Similar agreement required with other counties

9. CLASSES OFFERED WATER 100Introduction to Water and Wastewater Treatment WATER 104Introduction to Water Supply and Treatment WATER 105Wastewater Treatment WATER 106Instrument and Controls WATER 107Mathematics of Water and Wastewater Treatment

10. RESPONSIBILITIES Solano Community College provides books, teachers’ salaries, and college accreditation Multi-agencies provide class location, student recruitment activities, course fees, and teacher selection

11. ADVERTISEMENT AND PROMOTION Radio and newspaper announcements of the classes Developed and distributed a brochure Websites High school and Regional Occupational Program mailings Word of mouth

13. CONTRACT EDUCATION COSTS $12,000 per semester class No charge to students Administrative efforts and advertisements contributed by agencies

14. AGENCY PARTICIPATION COSTS (PER SEMESTER) < 5 MGD$1,500 5-10 MGD$4,000 > 10 MGD$6,000

15. RESULTS OF FIRST SEMESTER 61 students in three classes offered at Central Contra Costa Sanitary District Teacher ratings were high Student pass rate was 98 percent 3 students have accepted permanent positions

16. RESULTS OF SECOND SEMESTER There are 110 students in four classes; 3 classes at Central Contra Costa Sanitary District and 1 class at West County Sanitary District 25 repeat or continuing students

17. LESSONS LEARNED Administering contract education and coordinating with the college can be challenging Ensure students are committed through teacher contact Start early advertising, recruiting, and coordinating with community colleges Student must enroll in the community college and register at site of class, which can be confusing if brochure is not read carefully

18. WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE? Continue to offer classes in multiple locations Encourage other community colleges to add water/wastewater curriculum Continue to provide the opportunities for a career in water/wastewater operations Evaluate program effectiveness and revise, as necessary

19. MULTI-AGENCY REQUESTS If you are interested in being a teacher, let us know If you are interested in joining the multi-agency training program, let us know