Apprenticeship Wastewater/Environmental Sanitation

The Apprenticeship Wastewater/Environmental Sanitation program is designed to prepare students for careers in the environmental protection field of waste water treatment. This program is also designed to enable those already working in the field to upgrade their skills. Subjects addressed include water quality and public health regulations, conventional wastewater treatment process operation, advanced treatment processes, and wastewater recycling and disposal.

It is estimated that there will be approximately 25 - 40 students enrolled in each of the Apprenticeship Water and Wastewater Technology courses. The projected number of students to earn a certificate annually is 20 to 25 students.

The Apprenticeship Wastewater Treatment/Environmental Sanitation provides high-quality instruction leading to a certificate of proficiency or achievement, an associate in science degree, and/or transfer to a CSU programs in water science related programs. The program also prepares students for employment or advancement in wastewater treatment/environmental sanitation and related industries.

Career Options

Examples of careers include the following:

• Water and wastewater treatment operators
• Wastewater collection operators
• Wastewater distribution, instrumentation and control, Customer Support, Field Service, or Test Technician

With a bachelor's degree:

• Environmental Science/Environmental Engineering
• Engineering Technologist

As a Career Education program, our plans and goals are informed annually by our Technical Advisory Committee and the input of its members, who are all professionals in the field of Water Science, and members of our local Orange County service area. Our faculty, both full time and adjunct, are active or retired professionals in this same industry, who also inform our planning efforts. Our full-time faculty create, evaluate, and update our annual plan goals based upon the input of all of these professionals.

This new apprenticeship program is designed to provide career and technical training for the area of wastewater treatment an environmental sanitation. Apprenticeship students seeking seeking employment in this industry must be certified by the State of California and these programs provide the educational foundation.

As stated above, Santiago Canyon College already has public-service related programs in CTE, such as Public Works and Water Automation/Electronics Technology, but this program will provide opportunities for students to advance in their career or start a career in the water and waste industry. SCC has several different State-approved Associate Degrees and Certificates of Achievement and Certificate of Proficiency within the discipline of Water and Wastewater Technology: Water Treatment, Wastewater Treatment, Water Distribution, There are six certificates of proficiency, three in the same areas as the Associates Degree and Certificate of Achievement, plus Water Conservation, Water Equipment O&M, and Water Utility Management. The Water Automation Program also has a certificate program that is CSU transferable. The Water and Wastewater Technology Program is a key program in the State. The Water and Wastewater Technology Program faculty are looking to expand the program with stackable credentials. SCC will work with the campus articulation officer to align course curriculum and programs to meet the transfer requirements and the Transfer Model Curriculum (TMC) for the Water and Wastewater Program Transfer Degree.

There are no other colleges in the service area that have a comprehensive water and wastewater technology program. Santiago Canyon College’s water programs are unique to Orange County however 5 other partner colleges have started their Automation Fundamentals Certificate programs with core courses in DC Electricity, AC Electronics, and Programmable Logic Controllers (PLC’s). These Automation based courses stack well within the unique disciplines offered at each of these colleges; Industrial Technology, Robotics, Manufacturing Technology, Mechatronics, Industrial Automation, Electrical Technology, HVAC/R, Electronic Technology, and Theme Park Technology. Partner colleges included are Irvine Valley, Saddleback, Orange Coast, Fullerton, Cypress, and now Santiago Canyon. Water and Wastewater Treatment and Automation has become a major driving force in the previously mentioned industries. Employers are looking to the community colleges to provide the needed foundational automation training for new hires as well as retraining incumbent workers to meet entry-level skills. The State Strong Workforce Program continues to fund the Water and Wastewater Program in various areas. They are currently working to create a Regional Automation Fundamentals Certificate that will be transferrable between the 6 partner colleges as well as be stackable within each unique discipline at the respective colleges. The next hase will be to roll this program out to other interested community colleges across the state.

It is estimated that there will be approximately 25 - 40 students enrolled in each of the Apprenticeship Water and Wastewater Technology courses. The projected number of students to earn a certificate annually is 20 to 25 students.