Skip to main content

Training

Wastewater training is available to wastewater operators in Illinois from a number of sources. In addition to assisting an individual operate a wastewater treatment facility and/or prepare for a wastewater certification examination, wastewater training can be applied toward meeting wastewater operator certification requirements. 

  • Environmental Resources Training Center (ERTC): ERTC is designated as the state center to develop, coordinate, and present training for potable water supply and wastewater treatment facility operators. ERTC offers training via a 1 year full-time certificate program for pre-service personnel, semester long courses, seminars/workshops of varying lengths up to 5 days, and correspondence/home study courses. Additionally, ERTC provides assistance to community colleges via course outlines and other training aids. For more detailed information regarding course offerings and course registration, visit ERTC’s website.
  • Community Colleges: Illinois has a network of community colleges that includes every geographic part of the state. A number of the community colleges offer wastewater courses. Visit the community college website and select a specific community college to check whether or not it currently offers wastewater training courses.
  • Illinois Rural Water Association (IRWA): IRWA focuses on offering inplant assistance to operators of smaller communities throughout Illinois. IRWA also offers 1–2 day seminars on topics pertaining to wastewater treatment at various times during the year. Visit IRWA’s website for more information.
  • California State University: California State University at Sacramento offers several correspondence/home study courses on various aspects of wastewater treatment. Visit their website for information on obtaining the course textbooks for reference purposes and/or to enroll in their courses.
  • Water Environment Federation (WEF): WEF is a national organization for wastewater professionals, including wastewater treatment facility operators. WEF has developed a large number of books that cover all aspects of wastewater treatment. These books are available for purchase and are excellent for study and/or reference materials. Additionally, WEF has available training materials on various aspects of wastewater treatment operation, including some on cd-rom disks. For more information visit the WEF website.