New England Water Treatment Training (NEWTT) Program

The New England Water Treatment Training Program (NEWTT) will recruit and educate community college students for careers in water treatment and wastewater treatment. With input from academic, industrial and government partners, NEWTT will produce a model curriculum and certificate program that can be delivered in both onsite and online formats, giving students the flexibility to balance career development with their lives. NEWTT will disseminate its model to neighboring institutions through equipment loans and consulting, leading the New England region in modernizing and growing its technical workforce. With much of the existing water treatment and wastewater treatment workforce preparing to retire by the year 2020, NEWTT will help ensure this region of the country is prepared to deal with emerging issues surrounding access to clean water. 

The goals of this project are to recruit and prepare students for careers in water and wastewater treatment. With input from its partners and an industrial advisory board, NEWTT will conduct a Developing a Curriculum (DACUM) workshop to ensure its program is aligned with industry and community needs, and the program prepares students with the proper knowledge and skills to enter the regional workforce. The use of hybrid instructional methods will ensure NEWTT reaches students in urban, suburban, and rural areas. NEWTT will use a prior learning assessment tool to link students' non-credit experiences and certifications to germane academic credit. Project evaluation will focus on the progress of developing the program and student performance indicators such as enrollment, success, and retention. The participation of community colleges from throughout the New England region will assure the program deliverables have broad application and impact, and will serve as a model as other institutions adopt NEWTT's program.