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Pacific Northwest Section Training Coordination Committee. Leveraging Limited Resources to Provide Excellence and Value. Outline – What to Cover…. The Pacific Northwest Section What the Members Need The Training Coordination Committee The Website – Leveraging Technology
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Pacific Northwest Section Training Coordination Committee Leveraging Limited Resources to Provide Excellence and Value.
Outline – What to Cover… The Pacific Northwest Section What the Members Need The Training Coordination Committee The Website – Leveraging Technology Putting it all together Looking to the Future
A Bit About Me… • 18+ years of water treatment experience • Privilege and honor to work for an organization that values education and growth • Spend close to 10% of my time training other operators… • Including teaching classes for State Drinking Water Personnel
The Pacific Northwest Section AWWA • Founded in 1927 • Now comprised of 3000+ members in Oregon, Washington and Idaho • Vision: the PNWS-AWWA will be the recognized leader of the drinking water profession in the Pacific Northwest for safe and high quality drinking water. • One of the ways that we ensure that we fulfill this vision is through the provision of the highest quality education and training.
The PNWS-AWWA (cont’d) • The PNWS-AWWA is an ALL volunteer Section • Except Executive Director • Executive Board • Chair, most immediate Past Chair and Association Director • Board of Trustees • Two members each from Washington, Oregon/Idaho and At-large. • Treasurer
The PNWS (cont’d) • Volunteers leading Volunteers • Over 30 standing committees • Covering every aspect of the provision of water • From natural resource to tap and everything in between • Specialized Committees • Subsection Advisory Council • Training Coordination Committee
The PNWS-AWWA (cont’d) • We are also unique in that we are divided into 12 Subsections • Local operators providing local service
The PNWS-AWWA(…the Problem) • Geographical diversity provides opportunities as well as challenges • Three different agencies with individual sets of rules relating to drinking water treatment, distribution and operator certification. • A class approved in Oregon may not get approval in Washington or Idaho
The Members Needs • When members were polled, Training and Networking were their primary concerns • How do I… Do you know anyone who…Have you ever seen… • Subsections, Committees have filled this need • Training presented an interesting problem • There were a lot of facets that presented barriers to implementation of a successful training
The Members Needs (cont’d) Primarily in our Section those darn 3 states again… Even when advertised, attendance was limited outside a small geographical area Many trainings were being created and presented that were identical There was no one place where an operator could go to easily find out what trainings were being offered Unfamiliarity with the CEU approval process led to denial of approval or lack of trying because of cost and uncertainty Some folks wanted to put trainings on, but just didn’t know how to hold a successful training session
The Solution • Section had Committees that were to focus on • Education • Certification • Efforts focused on trying to bring states certification programs closer together • Training • But largely under utilized and under coordinated
The Solution… (cont’d) • Then Chair Bob Ward appointed an ad-hoc committee tasked with tackling one recurring theme… • Creating a blueprint to help subsections, committees and individuals set-up and hold a successful and sustainable training • Trainings cost $. If you can’t break even you can’t hold another one! • That Committee Co-Chaired by Lisa Snowden and our now Association Director Brenda Lennox created the Blueprint For Successful Training
The Solution… (cont’d) The ad-hoc committee filled one gap, but identified a need in the Section: There needs to be a group of folks working to coordinate the collection and distribution of information relating the trainings that were being held around the 3 State Section In February 2012 the Training Coordination Committee was Born
The Training Coordination Committee The purpose of this Committee is to provide the Section with consolidated training information including an updated display of classes and training opportunities, allowing members and water professionals the ability to find the training from one web site location. The Committee will also provide tools and support to promote the Section’s available training opportunities to attract attendance at Section and Sub-Section sponsored classes and training events. The Committee will also facilitate communication and coordination between Idaho, Oregon, and Washington operator certification programs and the PNWS-AWWA.
The Training Coordination Committee • Key Goals for the First Year: • Create the “One Stop Shop” for Training • Create Budgeting Tools • Marketing Trainings/Registration Tools • Website • Surveys
The Training Coordination Committee • Timing is EVERYTHING • Website • Existing website was going to be difficult to incorporate many of the committees goals… • Website redesign – were able to incorporate many of the TCC’s desires into the website • Website goals: • Streamlined and Simple • Automate as much of the process as possible
The Training Coordination CommitteeEntering New Training Events • We are a volunteer organization! • … self service is KEY to success!
The Training Coordination CommitteeEntering New Training Events Entering a new training into the database was as easy as composing an email…
The Training Coordination CommitteeEntering New Training Events
The Training Coordination Committee • But that was only the first step! • Now members could find the information easy, it was time to tackle the other goals… • Google Sites • Not the glitzy front end of the PNWS-AWWA site, but effective, robust and EASY to train volunteers to use and update.
The Training Coordination Committee • Putting members in touch with resources • Finding Courses that are already approved for Continuing Education • All three States keep databases of classes that they have approved • Class name, how long, contact information, when the approval will lapse • Many instructors are willing to travel to teach their classes or teach additional sessions in their area if interest is high
The Training Coordination Committee • Putting members in touch with resources… • Finding other agencies in the Section that are providing water/wastewater education • PNWS-AWWA has a very large percentage of small and very small utilities so agencies like Rural Water have a fairly large presence. • Here is where those cooperation skills your mother taught you pay off! Both agencies benefit by sending students to each others organizations
The Training Coordination Committee • Putting members in touch with resources: Hosting a Training • Linking members to their respective responsible agencies – Trainers responsibilities. • Assistance with application processes • Providing direct links to documents and forms to assist members in hosting successful trainings.
…What Next? • The website built, the resources collected • Getting the word out to our members • Water Matters – quarterly print publication • E-newsletter – monthly distribution • Website • Face-to-face training with Committee Chairs and Subsection Officers
…What Next? • Section holds training for the Committees in Fall and Subsections in Winter • TCC plays an integral role at these training sessions • Instruction on how to use the website and registration tools (Constant Contact, Pay-Pal, Google, etc.) • Education on the resources that are available to members in regards to training and continuing ed. • Hosting existing training • Develop new training
…What Next? • Train-the-Trainer model • Experimented with developing curriculum, training trainers and getting programs approved through the three States. • Successful, but time consuming… • TCC resources are limited, member burnout potential is high… redirecting these efforts back to our Committees • Let the TCC focus on collecting and distributing information
…What Next? • Improving the website tools • Constant Contact - linking to training database • Linking to State databases directly • Continue to dialogue with Regulating Agencies about the benefits of bringing Continuing Education requirements closer together… • Realizing that the rules will never truly agree, but the Section could GREATLY benefit from one standard for CEU’s
