High school training program primes pipeline for Texas water operators

Responding to a workforce shortage stemming from retiring water professionals, the Texas Section of the American Water Works Association (TAWWA) has developed a new training program – dubbed SETH (Science, Engineering, Technology, Health) Water Operator Training Program – to help fill a talent pipeline for Texas water operators.

“Texas is facing a workforce issue as older, career employees retire, and this is especially true in smaller, rural water systems,” said TAWWA Executive Director Daniel Nix. “Smaller school systems across rural Texas also face challenges with declining student enrollment and risk the loss of state funding as the average daily attendance declines.”

Developed in collaboration with the Texas Department of Agriculture, which provided grant funding to establish the program, and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ), SETH is a 22-hour Basic Water Works Operation course for training high school students to become licensed water operators. The program was initially spearheaded by Dean Sharp, past chair of the Texas Section and current co-chair of the TAWWA Management Division.

“The TCEQ was the final piece of the puzzle,” Nix said. “As the SETH project evolved, the TCEQ worked with TAWWA to develop a new application process for high school students to allow them the opportunity to take the licensing exam before they turned 18 and before they graduated.”

Many high schools across Texas already have vocational career programs that train students for jobs that require certifications or licenses, so the SETH program integrates with existing frameworks and offers a pathway for high school students to earn a Class D Water Operator license before graduation.

“Texas is a big state with over 4,600 community water systems,” Nix said. “By providing operator training at no cost to students, school districts and local utilities, participants can obtain their Basic Water Operator Certification through local school systems. Additionally, while they are completing the training, the local utilities can be matched up with the students and evaluate them as they prepare to graduate.”

SETH offers a comprehensive curriculum covering essential topics such as water quality, treatment processes, distribution systems, and safety protocols. The program utilizes an online delivery format, featuring video lessons presented by TCEQ-approved subject matter experts.

Pilot program proves promising

The SETH program was recently piloted with promising results. In June 2024, 13 students from the Pflugerville Independent School District participating through the school’s Skills Trade Academy enrolled in the program and successfully completed the training.

Of those, seven students obtained their TCEQ Class D Water Operator Certification and two received employment offers after interviewing with local utilities.

“The SETH pilot provided us with essential feedback that allowed us to adjust the delivery process to meet the needs of students and instructors,” Nix said.

Since the pilot program, hundreds of school systems across Texas have expressed interest in including SETH as part of their career curriculum.

Matt Woodard, director of public works with the City of Manor, helped start and participate in the Skills Trade Academy and the SETH program. “It is always great to show people what we do and what we operate for, which is essential for life,” he said. “The SETH program has helped fill one of our positions in our utility department.”

“Rather than relying on the hope that we can find and employ the younger generation who will pursue a water utility career, our vision is to create a supportive network of local high schools and water utilities working together to build a workforce of young people to operate, maintain and manage our water systems to meet the highest quality standards and address the challenges of the future in water treatment,” Nix said.