In 2021, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) awarded $500,000 to the Toledo Metropolitan Area Council of Governments (TMACOG), City of Toledo, and Owens Community College to develop the region’s water and wastewater workforce.
According to an Ohio EPA survey conducted in 2018, 41% of the state’s drinking water operators are expected to retire by 2028. The project team surveyed water and wastewater facilities in northwest Ohio and found that over 75% indicated a need for operators.
In response, the team created a Water and Wastewater Certificate Program at Owens Community College, where students can earn their credential in as little as eight weeks and secure a job in the water workforce.
Listen to the Executive Director of TMACOG, Sandy Spang, discuss what they did to increase the water workforce in Ohio!