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DREXEL HEIDEL: The
state of Tennessee

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has over 400 water
and sewer utilities.

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There's a lot of small utilities
as far as water purveyors.

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In our industry, just
nationwide and locally, we're

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experiencing a worker shortage.

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CRISTINA CARBAJO: The
state of Tennessee

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has four levels of
certifications for drinking

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water and wastewater
treatment operators,

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and the exams are very
difficult to pass.

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DREXEL HEIDEL: Combined with
the people that were retiring,

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we were seeing low test scores.

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The pass rate for the
operators was right around 30%.

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This test is very
thorough, very rigorous.

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You're talking
about water quality.

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You're talking about
protecting receiving streams.

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So the professionals--
you need to be

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really talented
and knowledgeable

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in their industry.

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CRISTINA CARBAJO:
Industry actually

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came to our community
college and asked

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us to create a new
program to help

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train qualified individuals.

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CRISTINA CARBAJO:
Recently, we're

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able to purchase some jar
testers with our ATE money.

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DREXEL HEIDEL: Oh, great.

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 And so I'd like to use that--

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KANE BARKER:
And so the vision

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was to craft this wonderfully
interdisciplinary degree

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program to try to cover
technical skills, math,

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chemistry, microbiology theory.

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And all of that
leads up to being

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able to pass state
certification exams.

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KANE BARKER: Do
you have any ideas

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that we could write
together as a partner

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to see what we could add to the
program in terms of technology

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and equipment?

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KANE BARKER:
With the ATE grant,

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we were able to develop
curriculum and teaching

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resources and then get approved
as a totally new program.

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NICHOLAS GALLOWAY: We
had a family business

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that was open for 38 years.

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We grew nursery stock
for a commercial nursery

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that my dad ran.

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So we would line up trees
and set up irrigation.

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And then once a year,
we'd harvest them.

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And then we would
sell them to ourselves

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at the commercial nursery.

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We were all heartbroken when
we found out my dad had cancer.

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And then literally
in the same month,

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we found out the
business was going

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to have to shut down because
the land was getting sold.

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When the nursery
shut down, I had

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about a month worth
of salary built up,

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and I needed to find a career.

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I found out about this program
and enrolled in the school.

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CRISTINA CARBAJO: Nick was in
my first cohort of students that

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started in the fall of 2019.

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And he's an example
of someone that

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came in knowing nothing
about the industry

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and really achieving the
highest level of success

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that one of my
students could achieve.

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ATE funding has provided
a lot of opportunities

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for our students that they
might not see elsewhere,

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even if they are already
employed in the industry.

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We have been fortunate
enough to purchase equipment

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that has allowed students to see
the newest technology available

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for lab testing and for
computer software and modeling,

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so before students get out into
the workforce and graduate,

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they can simulate some
emergency scenarios

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on how they might
react as an operator.

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What would they do?

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What would they change?

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This allows them to experience
that and prepare for that

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before they get into
the real situation.

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NICHOLAS GALLOWAY: 
You would read a concept

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in a book, and then you

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were invited to go
out in the field

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and see in real life
what was taking place.

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CRISTINA CARBAJO: Every course

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that the students take in
the Water Quality Technology

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Program includes site visits.

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They'll spend time with
certified operators,

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and they'll get to do some
hands-on learning experiences

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while they're there.

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DREXEL HEIDEL:
We've hired four people

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from the program, and they're
all doing a great job.

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They come to the plant.

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They have the
technical knowledge

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to know how things work
and laboratory procedures

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and safety procedures.

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And it really gives them
just really a big leg up.

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Without the grant, we would
not have this program.

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NICHOLAS GALLOWAY: As you
come down through here,

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you're inspecting
with your eyes.

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You're looking for foaming,
which is a sign of bacteria

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that you do not
want in the plant.

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CRISTINA CARBAJO: Nick
received full-time employment

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before graduation.

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He passed his state
certification exam

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before graduation.

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He has already been
promoted internally

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within his organization,
and he's really

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set up to take on leadership
roles in the future.

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NICHOLAS GALLOWAY: That was

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one thing when I
started the program,

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I also want to be a
role model for my kids

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and kind of show them
you can do anything

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if you put your mind to it.

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So when he got--

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right before he got
cancer, my father

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called me into the office.

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And he's like, hey, if
this place isn't here,

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do you have something that you
can do to support yourself?

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I think it was kind of his
way of, like, hey, man,

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you're going to have to do this,
because I'm-- the whole thing

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is going to come out
from underneath you.

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So I think he'd be
really proud of me.

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NICHOLAS GALLOWAY:
I work 15 miles from my house,

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so the water that
I treat every night

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can affect everybody from
here all the way to Memphis

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and ultimately all
the way to the ocean.

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This funding is providing
training for future generations

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to make sure that the
precious resource of water

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is protected for years to come.

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