NEWTT

NEW ENGLAND WATER TREATMENT TRAINING (NEWTT)

NSF/ATE Award #1601840 July 1^st, 2016 – June 30^th, 2019

Project Overview:

The Blue Center for Water Technologies NEWTT program will promote water sector careers through outreach in both formal and informal educational venues to veterans, displaced workers, and high school youth, especially women and people of color currently underrepresented in STEM studies. It will establish a multi-state network of industry and educational partners serving as project advisers. It will work with community colleges partners in each of the New England states to incorporate NEWTT curricula in their region. These stakeholders will work together to enable current and future water quality professionals across New England to: access industry endorsed educational opportunities that link non-credit training to academic certificates and degrees; make connections with industry mentors; and locate water sector employment and internships across the region. HYBRID (Online and Face-to- Face) curriculum, a dedicated technical assistance web-site and access to a “Lending Laboratory” will support replication and fidelity to high standards throughout the region elevating the profile of this largely invisible career path. BCC has over eighteen years of experience in water and wastewater technology education.

Working with advisers throughout New England, and drawing from the US DOL Water Sector Competency Model and comprehensive job analyses conducted by the Advanced Technological Environmental and Energy Center (ATEEC), the Associated Boards of Certification (ABC) Need to Know Criteria, together with NSF funded projects, the NEWTT program will develop a multi-tiered/multi-entry certificate program that integrates state certification requirements and is articulated with associate and higher level degrees It will be offered in a HYBRID format (online and onsite) to increase access and wide utilization of high quality curricula across the region. Coursework will be organized in a modular fashion and will build on lessons learned from current NSF ATE projects. The modular, hybrid format will extend access to rural areas and enable the use of Prior Learning Assessment (PLA) to translate learning experiences from non-credit programs, and state certifications, into college credits. This will help accelerate achievement of higher degrees among the existing workforce.

As part of the project design, the grant will provide the partner community colleges with professional development resources and training, travel funds to attend NEWTT events, and materials and recruitment approaches to assist them in engaging veterans, displaced workers, underrepresented groups, and high school students. Proposed activities for outreach, recruitment, retention and professional development will leverage BCC expertise and effective practices honed from prior NSF-supported work.

NEWTT will reach out to area high schools using our past successful recruitment experiences, such as our work with the CVTE program, use of dual enrollment opportunities, career development days, and existing hands-on laboratory experiences for high school and GED students in the career engineering and environmental programs delivered at the college. Hands-on experience is critical in developing the skills of learners.

Grant resources will be used to enhance the laboratory capabilities at Bristol Community College and serve as a model for other colleges to replicate. In addition to updating existing equipment, the project will: develop an operating models of a water treatment plant; operate the college’s existing aquaculture facility to utilize its wastewater treatment capabilities; use its water flows for environmental monitoring exercises; and add SCADA controlled process work stations for students to gain familiarity with these operations. BCC will continue to use its existing GIS software license for ArcGIS in the program to familiarize students with the use of GIS in the water management sector. The 5 acre 3.2 MW Solar Carport, the 100 kW Photovoltaic solar energy system on top of four buildings, the 6 kW wind turbine, the College’s LEED Platinum Net Zero Energy Science and Clinical Laboratory building, and engineering departments energy auditing and renewable energy training equipment will be used as part of our training programs to prepare for adaptation of the water sector to climate change.

The regional network will provide a source of local advisors and mentors. The grant will also work with industry to create internships using the network of the College’s cooperative education program and the CONNECT (partnership of public colleges in southeastern MA) portal for regional internship opportunities. Internships are a current requirement of the BCC Environmental Technology Associate Degree program. These internships have led directly to full-time positions or brought students into the employers’ network to help them connect with available jobs. The project will also investigate the apprenticeship model, which has been used for this workforce sector in Europe, but has seen limited application in the U.S.

Project Goals:

1. Build on BCC’s 18 years of water training experience to develop a New England Regional Water Technologies Curriculum Framework that maps skill, knowledge and licensing requirements needed to prepare for careers in two major areas of water management:

1) Drinking Water Operations

2) Wastewater Treatment Operations

2. Design an educational pathway and hybrid (online and onsite) curriculum composed of two certificate options (one for each sector area) that articulate with associate degrees aligned with the NEWTT Curriculum Framework and Employ methods that promote engagement such as industry scenarios.

3. Build capacity to increase the supply of qualified water technicians throughout New England and expand participation of groups under-represented in STEM studies including women, people of color, Veterans and displaced workers.

4. Conduct formative and summative evaluation activities to determine project outcomes.