Host: Jenelle C. Booker, Syracuse University Environmental Finance Center
Guest: Chris Judd, Water Systems Instructor at West-MEC in Surprise, Arizona
In this two-part podcast series, The Emerging Role of Career and Technical Education Schools in Certifying the Next Generation of Water and Wastewater Operators, you’ll explore how the Water Systems Training program, offered by West Maricopa Education Center in Surprise, Arizona, is building the next generation of water professionals through career and technical education. Following an introduction to the Water Systems Training program, host Jenelle Booker continues the conversation with instructor Chris Judd. They discuss the second component of the program: work-based learning. Chris shares how regional partnerships with both private industry and regional utilities in Central Arizona built a pipeline of early career opportunities for his students. He also shares how students made Arizona wastewater history as the first high schoolers to ever take Arizona Departments of Environmental Quality wastewater treatment certification exam.
Missed part one? You can find part one here, How Arizona High School Students Are Exploring Water Careers Through Hands-On Learning, and hear how the program came to be as well as how Chris Judd’s hands-on approach helps high schoolers get excited about starting a career in water.
Additional Resources:
- EFCN Blog | How’s the Weather Today? Wastewater Workforce Forecasting
- EFCN Podcast | Preparing Water Utilities For An Aging Workforce
- EFCN | Future Water Leaders Program