Lessons Learned from Training Today's Operator: Perspectives for the Engineer

Adult learning is the focus of increased academic research, and the lessons show that adult learning styles require changes in the way training is prepared and delivered. Applying these lessons to professional development and operator training is important to the continued success of the water and wastewater industry. Increasing demands of public expectations, process technology, instrumentation, and data access place additional burdens on today's operator ' requiring a new sense of process awareness. This paper reviews adult learning principles and modern operator training needs, and gives examples of ways to incorporate these concepts into operator training materials. Engineers will learn specifics of how to improve their training products for their audiences. Operators will learn how to demand more of and get more from the training sessions and classes they attend.