ATEEC has just released a unique new report that provides a snapshot of water technology issues in different regions across the U.S. “Regional Water Conversations” gathered input from the Midwest, Mountain West, Northeast, Northwest, Southeast, and Southwest areas of the country to provide specific regional input on technician-level occupations and issues in the water management field.

ATEEC used these Conversation forums to build on information gathered in its 2013 national “Defining Water Management” report, with the goal of further definitizing the water field based on regional similarities and differences. Six community colleges across the country were chosen to host the series of conversations with business and industry. Host colleges included:

  • Bristol Community College and New England Interstate Water Pollution Control Commission (Massachusetts)
  • Central Carolina Community College (South Carolina)
  • Cuyamaca College (California)
  • Eastern Iowa Community Colleges (Iowa)
  • Lane Community College (Oregon)
  • Red Rocks Community College (Colorado)

The discussions helped document and analyze the regional applicability of the previous national results in the water management field. The resulting report provided information on differentiation and consistency among the regions in areas of:

  • Technician-level occupational titles and job functions
  • Fastest-growing jobs
  • Certification and licensure requirements
  • Best practices and documentation
  • Cross-cutting technical and employability knowledge and skills
  • Future trends and emerging issues in the field

One of the highlights of the report is a chart listing the “Fastest-Growing Technician Jobs in the Water Field” as:

  • Midwest: Water Treatment Operator, Wastewater Plant Operator, Stormwater/MS4 Technician, Environmental Sampling/Monitoring Technician, Green Infrastructure Specialist, and IT Professional
  • Mountain West: Water Treatment Operator, PLC/SCADA Specialist, Water Reclamation Plant Operator, Distribution Operator, Instrumentation & Control Technician, Asset & Capital Improvement Planning Manager, and Collection System Operator
  • Northeast: Water & Wastewater Operators, Instrumentation Technician, SCADA Technician, Maintenance Technician, Drinking Water Operator, and Collection Systems Operator
  • Northwest: PLC/SCADA Programmer, Instrumentation Technician, Operations Technician, Stormwater Facility Installation/Maintenance Specialist, GIS Specialist, and Water Treatment Operator
  • Southeast: Water Treatment Operator, Wastewater Plant Operator, Plant Maintenance Technician, Utility Locator, Process Control Technician, PLC/SCADA Technician, and Lab Technician
  • Southwest: Water Treatment Operator, Wastewater Plant Operator, Environmental Compliance Technician, Instrumentation Technician, PLC/SCADA Programmer, Mechanical Maintenance Technician, Water Conservation Technician

(Occupations in bold indicate similar job needs across the board.)

The “Regional Water Conversations” and “Defining Water Management” reports and posters are available in both print and electronic formats. The reports are being disseminated to business and industry professionals, educators, technicians, students, and other stakeholders throughout the country via the Resources section of ATEEC’s website at ateec.org.

(Click the image below to go directly to the report.)

rwc-post