Certified water and wastewater operators are without a doubt ranking members of the “unsung heroes” club. They are truly some of the first environmentalists and were protecting our natural resources and our health long before it became “socially in” to actually be concerned about our environment. Professional drinking water operators are the very last line of defense when it comes to protecting our nation’s tap water, and wastewater professionals guard our source waters with ever increasing vigilance.
The vast majority of us take our water quality for granted and don’t think twice about the virtual eradication of water-borne diseases such as typhoid, typhus, and the plague.
This is without a doubt due to dedicated and conscientious regulators, inspired scientist, and insightful engineers, but most importantly well-trained certified professional water and wastewater operators.
With this in mind, the Georgia Association of Water Professionals recently developed a recognition program titled: Enhancing the Professional Image of the Certified Operator. This program was unveiled at GAWP’s 2003 Annual Conference and Exposition held in Savannah Georgia and continues to this day.
|
Many other professions wear patches, pins, and other forms of insignia that designate them as “Certified Professionals”. Emergency Medical Technicians, Law Enforcement Officers, and even Automobile Mechanics proudly display symbols that evoke confidence and trust among the public they serve.
Water professionals are no less important and have no less of an impact on our society and should have similar recognition.
In response to this need, we developed this program with the specific intent of creating a line of official insignia that all Certified Georgia operators could display with pride and honor.
This unique project started with the creation of numerous insignia designs and styles, and the development of a specific marketing, sales, and advertisement plan. It has enjoyed great success with the initial rollout and continues to enjoy a very high level of participation. Georgia’s Certified Operators are now anxious to display a visible indicator of their professional achievement and competence both on and off the job. Many municipalities have purchased these insignia for their entire operations staff in order to increase their personal pride and promote a sense of accomplishment for their employees.
|
This program was developed with long-term effectiveness in mind; however, initial interest is very high and the Association is quite pleased with the results. Numerous municipalities have purchased lapel pins and uniform patches for all of their certified operators at no cost to the employee. Well over 500 operator recognition items have been purchased during the first four months alone.
Enhancing the Professional Image of the Certified Operator has already incurred significant success and will continue to reap benefits for Georgia’s certified operators for years to come. Not only does it elicit personal pride, but it also increases the public’s confidence in our profession’s performance and capability.
Eleven different “official” insignia pins, a uniform patch, and uniform shirt were developed to recognize the professional achievements of reaching specific water and wastewater certification levels in Georgia. Operators participating in this program report an increased level of desire to obtain higher levels of competence and a heightened sense of accomplishment when they reach the next level of professional certification. |
