The Water Industry in general will be experiencing a 40% “brain drain” within the next five years. The State of Connecticut currently has 1020 Certified distribution and treatment operators registered within the state. Within the next five years 40% or 432 will be retiring!! That represents an acute problem within our industry and we feel there is desperate need to address this increasingly growing dilemma.
The Connecticut Section of the American Water Works Association is embarking on a new and exciting initiative. The process began well over a year and a half ago when then Section Chair of the CT Section, David Kuzminski met with Portland Superintendent of Schools Dr. Sally Doyen and proposed the idea of a high school course which would expose students to careers within the water industry. David has worked with the Portland School system for many years, as the Co-Coordinator of the Town Tech Educational Partnership Program, a program developed in early 1990 which gives high school students real life projects in partnership with town government. The Town Tech Program has had a relationship with the Connecticut Section over the last ten years since they developed the first CT Section web site. Since then the Town Tech Educational Partnership has been maintaining the Section’s web site.
