PROGRAM OVERALL SCHEDULE
Program Layout
The program was split into 15 weeks, with an initial introductory week reviewing administrative and foundational topics, followed by 12 weeks alternating between classroom weeks with a Brown & Caldwell trainer and field weeks with a City & County of Honolulu trainer, covering six overarching topics.
Classroom Week
Classroom weeks predated field weeks, reviewing the foundational theory behind the six topics of the program: maintenance, preliminary and primary treatment, secondary treatment, activated sludge, advanced treatment, and solids and solids handling. A primarily lecture-focused week, daily lectures also incorporated classroom activities like quizzes and tests, math workshops, crosswords, guest and student presentations, and field trips.
The trainers selected for the TDR program had a deep interest in teaching and mentorship, as well as an extensive experience in wastewater consulting and operations. They worked with the new operators to introduce them to wastewater topics, provided clarification and reinforcement, took them through classroom and field activities, and encouraged the operators to ask questions until they were comfortable with the information.
Field Week
Immediately following classroom weeks, field weeks were hosted for the students to provide them with in-the-field experience, reinforce classroom week topics, and give them exposure to the different CCH treatment plants. By the end of the 15-week program, the new operators had visited all of the major CCH treatment plants.
For three days of the week, students were broken up into pairs and completed assigned worksheet packets at three plants with treatment processes relevant to the classroom week’s topic. Each plant designated a CCH trainer for field weeks, and those trainers served as a mentors for the trainees to ask questions about plant operations while on site and go over any other topics not covered in class. Additionally during field weeks, classroom time was hosted to provide a platform for review and discussion, math workshops, and guest and student presentations. The two days of the week where the operators were not on site were used as certification prep days where operators were given quizzes, math problems and reviewed information and identified areas where they needed further clarification or instruction.
Certification Requirements
| Grade | Work Experience | Education Points (CEUs) |
| 1 | One Year | None |
| 2 | Two Years | 6 |
| 3 | Three Years | 16 |
| 4 | Five Years | 32 |
NOTE: High school diploma required for all grades.
