Status: Ongoing

Alison Anderson, P.Eng. (Instructor/Coordinator, Yukon Water and Wastewater Operator Program (YWWOP), Yukon University) in collaboration with Professor Onita Basu (Civil & Environmental Engineering at Carleton University), completed a project to support and enhance the YWWOP curriculum and courses. YWWOP trains residents of the Yukon and nearby regions to gain and maintain various operator certifications. These certifications enable operators to be employed within the water and wastewater sector to ensure access to safe drinking water and environmental and human health protection with respect to wastewater treatment.

The goal of this project is two-fold (1) to identify opportunities to improve and enhance current YWWOP learning activities to address operator needs and (2) to assess and potentially further develop opportunities for water operators and engineering students to co-train together.

The project responds to findings in the 2017 Yukon Water and Wastewater Sector Profile Report and explores whether co-training with engineering students is a way to address themes identified such as operator confidence and the desire for cross-training. This work resulted in:

A conference paper: Hoffmann, L.M., Basu O.D., Anderson, A.V. (2024). Experiential learning through co-training Northern water and wastewater operators with engineering students.

An industry magazine article: Hoffmann, L, Anderson, A. Basu O.D (2024). Yukon University’s Water and Wastewater Operator Program partners with engineering students in a new co-training project. EOCP Operators Digest (magazine), Spring Edition: 12-16 

Partners and funders

Carleton University and engineering student fundraising
YukonU Scholarly Activity Grant