- Determined that Quiz/Evaluation expectations per CEU contact hour should be 20 minutes of evaluation for every 3 hours of instruction.
- Classification of academic content into Theory, Applications, and Operations, allowing modular integration of practitioner-targeted CEU content into academic courses.
- Identification of the need to characterize 'Tacit' knowledge expectations of the workforce for future work.
- Identification of a procedural gap between the job skills identified through the KSA process and the educational components necessary to produce a well-rounded technician, i.e., tacit knowledge, theory, applications, and non-technical (vis. Liberal Arts) education.
- Discovered that the biggest hurdle in placing students in internships is the unwillingness of utilities to recruit and commit. May find that utilities are more willing to provide resources and opportunities if specific students/resource needs are identified.
- The target jobs needs asessment elicited the following findings:
- Impending retirements are likely to a be problem for the majority of utilities (69.2% respondents)
- Attrition and succession planning are important concerns over the next 3-8 years
- Positions in utilities with the highest attrition rates (water and wastewater operators) are also expected to be the most difficult to fill.
- Preffered degrees for new hires are:
- B.S. (with or without internships) for Laboratory Technicians
- A.S. (with internships) for water or wastewater operators (B.S. was a 2nd choice)
- A.S. (with internships) for supervisory/managerial positions (B.S. was a 2nd choice)
- Based on an informal survey of students, stakeholders and peer programs, it was determined that a modular, self-paced format would be more amenable, both to current operators and the target recruitment audience of recent high-school graduates and other-industry displaced workers. Modularizing the curriculum has:
- eliminated duplication of content between 3-semester credit hour courses
- eliminated tangentially relevant material included by necessity in courses that applied to multiple technical concentrations (water, wastewater, management).
- Increased the net amount of material able to be covered by approximately 3 semester credit hours in the water and wastewater tracks
- Simplified the process of articulating appropriately credentialed 3rd-party training
- Allowed greater integration between academic content and state certification expectations
- Easier alignment between WTI offerings and receiving curricula and partnering community colleges
- Establishing a U.S. Department of Labor Appenticeship program requires a minimum of 144 hrs of class time, as well as a minimum of 2,000hrs of On-the-Job Training (OJT). WKU or partnering WTI program partners can serve as the apprentice's sponsor, responsible for tracking progress and associated metrics. The resulting certificate awarded the student could be leveraged as an addititional indicator of competnency or quality. Maintaining consistency between training outcomes across WTI apprentice programs across different states could form the basis for reciprocity (or accreditation) of academic/training programs between different states. Formalized DOL apprenticeship programs also improve VA benefits eligibility for potential students falling in those categories.
- Found that small water utilities seem more willing to provide internships to students than large utilities. This may be due to the increased policies and procedures in place at larger utilities that create interference to hinder the process. Small systems, on the other hand, seem to welcome the opportunity to train students. Small systems have the highest rate of operator turnover due to operators gaining higher levels of certification and leaving to work for larger utilities.
- Based on feedback from an exploratory committee, a Lab Technician track would be a welcomed and viable option for a two-year degree, although a 4-year degree would be preferred. General laboratory technique and quality control were among the most important skills and abilities desired for an entry-level lab technician.
- The water resource industry seems to be pushing toward a 4-year degree, apparent by a recent change in the KY/TN Section AWWA's scholarship program that requires applicants to be upperclassmen.
- For the Utility Management track, existing water operators can benefit from an A.S. in Utility Management through career advancement opportunities, but it is not likely that an individual with an A.S. in Utility Management that has never worked as an operator will be hired into a management position at a utility.
- Based on the relationship with Mountwest Community and Technical College in West Virginia, it was found that fully subsidized tuition leads to a higher attrition rate for students. This may be attributable to the lack of required financial investment by the students and/or a target of a financially underprivileged demographic.