This section is designed for state or regional leaders who are thinking about establishing a biosolids training program. We analyze the structure of other professional training and certification programs and suggest a course of future action for biosolids professionals. Several ongoing mandatory and voluntary training/certification programs were investigated, including commercial pesticide applicator licensing, wastewater operator certification, and certified crop advisor certification. We found that the certified crop advisor (CCA) program, coordinated by the American Society of Agronomy, has a basic structure that could be adapted for national voluntary biosolids certification. Suggested short-term EPA-sponsored activities that would assist in coordinating training efforts include a National Training Conference, a Training Resources Center, and support for regional training coordinators. We recommend that biosolids training programs be promoted on the local/regional level in the short term (1 to 3 years), with the long-term goal of establishing voluntary training standards on a national level within the next 5 years.
We briefly explored several ongoing mandatory and voluntary training/certification programs to learn how other organizations have formalized the training process. The biosolids industry is unique, but the available mechanisms for training/certification are similar across a broad spectrum of technically based occupations/industries. Our brief investigation included the following programs: commercial pesticide applicator licensing, wastewater operator certification, and certified crop advisor certification.
All of the training/certification programs we investigated shared the following characteristics:
The programs accommodate regional differences due to different operating conditions including climate, infrastructure, and equipment. Pesticide certification and crop advisor certification accommodate a wide range of crop and soil management practices.
Below we describe how each program operates, giving more details on the Certified Crop Advisor Program, since we believe it is the best model for a national biosolids training effort:
The certified crop advisor (CCA) program is the only voluntary certification program we investigated. The CCA program, begun in 1992, has received over 18,000 applications, with 7,200 individuals meeting all requirements. The program is active in 44 states.
Overall program administration is provided by the American Society of Agronomy, which is responsible for major policy decisions and for maintaining a registry of certified individuals.
Regional program administration is performed by state or regional boards made up of representatives of land grant universities, agribusiness, and state and federal agencies. The state/regional boards approve training events, offer state/regional tests once per year, and maintain records of continuing education credits.
The CCA program relies heavily on volunteers from established industry organizations and government entities. It delegates most of the responsibility for training activities to voluntary state or regional boards. The regional programs are coordinated by volunteers in cooperation with industry associations. The Pacific Northwest crop advisor training is provided annually in conjunction with the Far West Fertilizer and Agri-Chemical Conference in Spokane, WA. Smaller-scale training activities are organized by Extension specialists, Extension agents, or industry technical representatives (pesticide or fertilizer manufacturers/wholesalers).
Training materials for the CCA program have been developed by trainers within each region. There is informal sharing of training materials between trainers and regions, but there is no library of training materials. Trainers utilize Extension publications, their personal professional experience, and published and unpublished results of applied research for handouts, overheads, and slides at training activities. There is no basic training (1 or 2 days) for novice crop advisors. Those testing for certification are expected to have received basic training on the job or at a university or community college. Funding for the trainers (travel expense plus some honorariums) is provided through fees charged to participants in the training activities. Some private companies that market wholesale products to fertilizer dealers subsidize the training sessions.The CCA program includes a code of ethics, similar to the NBMA Code of Good Practice for biosolids.
A major problem with the CCA program has been in scheduling enough continuing education events to meet the program requirements (40 contact hours over a 2-year period). This is especially true for two of the major training areas: soil and water management and crop management. These subject areas have few commercial training sponsors (pesticide or fertilizer wholesalers).
For biosolids training, we recommend a voluntary program with a national organizational structure similar to that of the Certified Crop Advisors program. We recommend that training efforts be promoted on the local/regional level in the short term (1 to 3 years), with the long-term goal of establishing voluntary training standards on a national level within the next 5 years. This recommendation is based on our experience in Oregon with the Clackamas Short School, and our investigation of other training programs. A voluntary program is recommended, rather than a mandatory program, for the following reasons:
The following are suggested activities to precede the establishment of a voluntary national certification program. Financial support would be needed from EPA or another source.
A 2-3 day conference could be organized to bring together those with training experience to discuss how to make training happen on a national basis. There already are several forms of biosolids training offered across the country, including programs in Minnesota, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, California, and in the Pacific Northwest. Such a conference could be hosted by a regional biosolids organization (e.g., NBMA) or a national biosolids organization (WEF). This group would provide a logical nucleus for a national training effort. It also might provide inspiration for new state or regional training efforts.
Provide start-up funds for a training resources center to operate from a Web site. The center would assist new states/regions in developing training programs. The center would provide written training resources and individualized consultation to states or regions.
Provide start-up funds to support regional training coordinators. Regional training coordinator duties could include:
- Work with established organized agencies to establish training opportunities in state/region.
- Develop state/region specific curriculum components.
- Attend training events and evaluate success in meeting training objectives.
- Coordinate testing of training participants and participant evaluations of training workshop.
- Communicate with national/regional training board.
The most likely source of training coordinators is educators, either at the community college or university level. Start-up funds from EPA could be offered for a period of 23 years, with local agencies to assume responsibility at the end of the start-up period.
A national board of directors could supervise the overall program, setting minimum standards for voluntary national certification. This national board should include all parties involved in biosolids management, including representatives from:
We envision a training resources center and a national coordinator position to provide leadership for a voluntary national training program.
The training resources center would be initiated and staffed under the supervision of the national board of directors. It would provide training materials to interested states and regions. The national coordinator would be responsible for working with the board of directors, state and regional representatives, and other interested parties to develop and maintain a national training effort. Funding for the national coordinator position would have to be provided on an ongoing basis. The most likely source of such funding is through an established biosolids organization that collects service fees from its members.
Task-oriented committees also are needed to launch the national training effort. Ongoing improvements to the voluntary training program would be accomplished by the national coordinator, in cooperation with the following task-oriented committees:
We recommend that training efforts be promoted on the local/regional level in the short term (1 to 3 years), with the long-term goal of establishing voluntary training standards on a national level within the next 5 years. The certified crop advisor (CCA) program, coordinated by the American Society of Agronomy, has a basic structure that could be adapted for national voluntary biosolids certification. Short-term support from EPA will assist in bringing together a critical mass of interested parties, and in making training materials available nationally. Suggested short-term EPA-sponsored activities that would assist in reaching the goal of national certification/training include a national training conference, a training resources center, and support for regional training coordinators.