As we all continue navigating the massive changes to our daily lives brought on by the COVID-19 global pandemic, one thing has remained the same: the American public does not have to worry about the safety of their water supply. Dedicated water industry professionals continue to operate treatment facilities around the nation and are working hard every day to ensure this remains true.
As water sector utilities activate their continuity of operation plans, the need for flexible, on-demand training options has never been greater. In these unprecedented times, American Water College is uniquely able to support the growing online training needs of our industry.
The American Water College staff is prouder than ever to serve water industry professionals. As an online training provider, we are pioneers in remote workforce development and teleworking. During this time of social distancing and workforce separation, we continue to add staff to provide increased student support for our growing student population.
As we all continue to deal with this global pandemic, here’s what we’re doing to help:
Extending Course Access for Impacted Operators
First and foremost, we are working with
operators who have been personally impacted to extend their course access at no
cost.
With current shelter-in-place orders and social distancing guidance, certifying authorities have postponed or canceled certification exams. We understand that this is disappointing to those who have been studying diligently to prepare for their exams. We are doing what we can to ensure that you’re ready to take the exam once it is rescheduled. If you are a current student who was planning to take a certification exam this spring, please contact us for your free course extension.
Expanding MyWaterCollege Online Training Operations for Impacted Utilities
Second, we have seen the need for expanded online training support. To meet that need, we are announcing an expansion of our MyWaterCollege operations to support water sector utilities.
MyWaterCollege is the most comprehensive water sector learning management system available today. Utilities and organizations signed up for the MyWaterCollege system can continue delivering essential training to their entire organization while operating under their continuity of operation plans.
MyWaterCollege includes features such as:
- Online safety training
- Online continuing education modules
- Comprehensive administration console with the ability to push out plant or job-specific training to operators
Training can continue through MyWaterCollege, even if a utility finds it necessary to take actions such as minimizing non-essential staff at treatment facilities and adjusting schedules to facilitate social distancing. Additionally, organizations can use the system to cross-train their employees, thus increasing operational resiliency in these unprecedented times.
If you’re interested in setting up MyWaterCollege for your utility, you can find more information here on our website, or by calling our office at 661-874-1655.
Increasing Our Public Awareness Campaign
Lastly, we are committed to supporting the water industry through this unusual time. In the coming days and weeks, we plan to support industry professionals by pushing out updates and sharing resources with the general public related to their water supply and COVID-19.
We have begun to receive requests from news
outlets for information on the safety of the public water supply for drinking
and hand washing. We will continue to review the guidance from the EPA and
other resources in order to provide the public with the most up-to-date information
about how the industry is responding to keep the water supply safe.
We at American Water College are grateful for
all that water industry professionals do for us, our families, and the entire
nation. For more information about any of the programs American Water College
has available, please give us a call at 661-874-1655 or visit www.americanwatercollege.org.