When communities turn on the tap, they expect safe, reliable water.
For Iowa American Water, meeting that expectation depends on skilled employees who understand complex water systems and meet state certification requirements. The company serves about 70,000 households in Iowa, making it one of the largest water and wastewater utilities in the state.
“Many of our long-tenured, senior-level staff are on the precipice of retirement,” said Tony Loete, vice president of operations for Iowa American Water. “As they retire, newer employees will be stepping into roles where they need certification.”
To meet that need, Iowa American Water partnered with Eastern Iowa Community Colleges (EICC) to develop local, customized operator training for employees.
The first Water Treatment Grade I course was delivered from Feb. 16 to April 9 at the company’s East River Station in Davenport. Eight employees participated.
Before the partnership, local access to operator certification training was limited. Employees often had to travel outside the immediate area, adding time away from work and making training harder to schedule.
EICC worked with Iowa American Water leaders and subject-matter experts to design a course aligned with Water Professionals International Need-to-Know Criteria and Iowa Department of Natural Resources expectations. The goal was to prepare employees for certification exams while keeping the training connected to the systems they work with every day.
“The training was built around the work Iowa American Water employees actually do,” said Daisy Torres, EICC’s Continuing Education safety program manager. “By aligning the course with certification expectations and delivering it onsite, we made the training more practical and accessible for employees.”
Joe Conner, senior operations training instructor for Iowa American Water, was among the employees who completed the course. He has worked for the company for nearly 11 years, mostly in field operations, and also served for a year as a maintenance relief operator.
In his current role, Conner develops and delivers training for employees. He said the course strengthened his understanding of water treatment and gave him more tools to support others entering the field.
“Having the instructor on-site allowed him to tailor the curriculum to our environment, making the training more relevant, practical and easier to apply in the field,” Conner said.
EICC also built flexibility into the format, including Teams access for employees in Iowa American Water’s Clinton district.
“It saves time because our employees don’t have to leave the workplace,” Loete said.
The partnership began with a different training need. EICC initially worked with Iowa American Water on securing state 260F training funds to help offset the cost of commercial driver’s license training. As planning continued, the work shifted to match the company’s operational priorities, including operator certification.
Iowa American Water provided input on the curriculum, identified employee participants and hosted the training. EICC provided curriculum design, instruction, materials, and administrative support.
“We were able to help steer where we wanted it to go. Overall, it was a very, very easy lift because EICC did all the heavy lifting as far as the course development,” Loete said.
The training supports Iowa American Water’s effort to build its next group of certified operators. The company depends on employees across operations, laboratory work, construction, field service, and customer service to keep systems running. Certified operators play a central role in providing safe, reliable service to customers.
The partnership is positioned for future growth, with additional offerings such as Wastewater Treatment Grade I training, advanced certification levels and potential designation of a regional certification testing site, Torres said.
For Iowa American Water, the partnership created a local path to certification. For EICC, it shows how customized training can help employers build skills, support retention, and meet workforce needs.
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