TREEO Center Training

How can we draw in additional schools?

S Employers promote academies with their local school boards and vocational/technical schools. S Establish sponsorship for a local academy that includes tutoring, training, and internships. S Assist with locating teachers who have experience or are licensed in water and wastewater operations. S Communicate, communicate, communicate; the curriculum is readily available and

FSAWWA provides annual monetary support.

Any specific recommendations for improvements?

S Create an academy-only website link with training videos and mentoring opportunities. S Sponsor a teacher to shadow utility operations staff over the summer. S Hire retired licensed operators to teach at the local high school. S Dramatically increase the number of

Operators’ Initiative volunteers. S FSAWWA Water Utility Council volunteers can get involved in supporting the academies. S Provide AWWA training videos to approved academy instructors free of charge. S Look outside the treatment plant for vacancies to be filled by graduates, such as backflow, maintenance, and customer service. S Have a “Signing Day,” like the National

Football League, where students can apply for positions and talk to utility personnel. S Explore other metrics or intangibles: • Did graduates go into the sciences or engineering? • Maybe they went to work in a laboratory or in the field. • Maybe some went on to a university and stayed with water quality.

The Future: Providing Jobs to the Local Economy and Giving Back to the Community

The following are suggestions from the Operators’ Initiative for how it can help move academy graduates toward employment with utilities. S Budget for short-term, 40-hour summer internships at around $15 an hour. S Provide new-employee apprenticeships and training programs. S Obligate to fill entry-level positions on an annual basis. S Partner with human resources, unions, and risk management departments to set up opportunities associated with local academies and graduates. S Schedule time for employees to organize tours. S Prepare lesson plans for teachers. S Integrate unique training programs with the needs of the local academies. S Volunteer to tutor a student virtually, mentor a teacher, or be a guest speaker. S Be a leader in the community.

Each school was awarded a banner from FSAWWA to display. The options are endless!

Resources

For additional information about the academies and volunteering, visit these links: S Florida Section American Water Works

Association (fsawwa.org) S https://www.awwa.org/AWWA-Articles/ florida-section-program-preps-highschoolers-for-water-treatment-jobs1

Scavenger hunt at FSAWWA Fall Conference.