6 minute read
ED News
from August 2022
by TWUA
by Russell Hamilton, TWUA Executive Director
Father, we bow our heads in respect and humbly say thank you, as we acknowledge that you are the creator. We take comfort in knowing that You remain in charge and control of life as we understand it. We need You, and we welcome You in all we do. We come into Your presence, seeking Your grace, Your calm, Your guidance, and forgiveness. Father, we pray for Your mercy and ask that You guide, direct, protect, and bless TWUA and its members. Father, we thank you for your blessing of abundant rainfall. Amen
In West Texas, Lake Spence is sitting at 20.6 % (- 1.5 %). White River is sitting at 13.9 % (- 2.8 %). Panhandle - Lake Meredith is sitting at 30.9 % (- 1.7 %) and Greenbelt is at 14.1 % (- 1.0 %). If you want a complete look at current lake levels, go to waterdatafortexas.org. The drought has never left for some.
Mark your calendar for the remaining 2022 Regional oppor-
tunities – Ft. Stockton will be August 22nd – 25th . Longview will be October 10th – 13th . Lubbock will be November 1st – 3rd . The links to all the fliers will be activated as soon as possible so that you can register for any region now, making use of budgets more efficiently.
The week of August 22nd will be the Ft. Stockton Regional School. We remain optimistic that this training event will be successful, but your participation is needed if you are in this part of the state. In-person, Live training events are struggling to attract students. As of this writing, there were 13 registrations for Ft. Stockton. Historical attendance for this school has been as much as 120, but typical expectations are 65 to 75. Join with us and help us reach our needed goal. We need to average 2.5 registrations daily for the next 22 days. Norma and Tom would love to have you come to Ft. Stockton and participate in this event.
How is the QR code for advertising training events working? Central Office would love to have feedback and get your thoughts on this method of advertising training. If you have questions, please don’t hesitate to contact Norma Clark (n.clark@twua.org). What does the acronym DATL represent ? There is an old saying; you are not through until the paperwork is done . . . well, you are not registered for a state exam until you . . . Designate A Testing Location.
Call the TCEQ staff in licensing for more information or the official statement related to the Exams, Licensing, and Computer-Based Testing. 512-239-6133
Dates For Annual School 2022. The 104th Annual School in Corpus Christi dates is September 26th – 29th, 2022. This will be Monday thru Thursday. The events have been pushed forward a day. The Opening Session and Awards will be Monday. The school will begin Tuesday and conclude with the vendors moving out at noon Thursday. We will update the information on the website soon, and the form will be live, so you could go ahead and preregister if you are looking for a legitimate budget expense.
The Story Goes Something Like This –
A utility operator was in restful sleep when a vivid dream entered his thoughts. The dream began with a person walking alone down a seemingly abandoned highway. Some will interpret this dream as a person searching for guidance and direction.
This dreamer had walked for the better part of a day, and the sun was beginning to slip behind a grove of trees. In the distance, but in front of the trees, this person could ever so slightly identify where the road being traveled dead-ended. Soon, a decision would have to be made. Should the person in this dream stay at the intersection, go right, or go left?
As this person neared the intersection, he saw an older whitehaired gentleman sitting on a cooler beneath the road sign. A handmade sign leaned against the cooler, which read, directions $10.00. Directions and Fortunes told $100.00, including a free container of water.
This person walking had become quite thirsty. And judging by his age, the man on the cooler gave the appearance that he had witnessed what awaited in both directions, making the traveler curious.
The dreamer gave the older man $100.00 and said he would like to have water and advice on which way to proceed.
The older man stood up, opened the cooler, and gave the traveler water. Then he motioned for the person to take a seat on a rock nearby.
The older man then asked, what brings you to this remote intersection?
I am a utility operator, and I am searching for training.
Oh, a noble profession. Before I share with you the future of going right or left, allow me to offer a fellow operator another container of water.
Sit back, and I will share the vision should you decide to go Right. There will be a pandemic, and all in-person gatherings will be temporarily suspended. There will be no possibility of public gathering for more than a year, and operator training, as you know it, will be extremely rare. Eventually, the pandemic will end, but the economy will be impacted to the point that fuel will be $5.00 per gallon, supplies will become scarce, and product delivery will become delayed. In general, the leftover effects of the pandemic will linger, making participation in live training events a challenge. Both for the operator and the training provider.
The operator finished his water and said, well, I am hoping the other path has more promise.
The older man nodded and said, it will have challenges of its own, but allow me to share what is in store should you go Left.
Both paths will have to deal with the pandemic and the impacts thereof. The leaders of the road traveled Left invested in technology. The training you seek will be readily available, but it will be delivered by the internet and offered electronically to your computer wherever sufficient bandwidth is available.
Can I not seek both methods of training?
For a time, both methods will be provided. But local utility decision-makers will favor the computer version of operator training. Primarily because of the convenience factor and costs associated with sending staff to live events. The live events will slowly fade, and training providers will struggle to justify hosting live events. This can be avoided with strong participation in live events.
Sir, I’m old school. I believe there is value in in-person training events. How will a person easily make contacts with other operators and have access to the vendor representatives who are the source of needed materials and supplies? What if you did not grow up in the computer age and struggle to do much more than email?
As I stated earlier, there will be challenges down each path. The good news is that neither approach is a one-way street. You will have the ability to train using both methods as long as in-person remains viable. A considerable amount of time passed without a word spoken. Finally, the older man stood up, offered another container of water, and asked, which path have you chosen?
This dream analogy is realistic. TWUA Regional events and Annual School are in danger of not being able to justify their continuation as the participation numbers fall. Product vendors and representatives will stop participating as the attendance numbers drop. For a time, the TWUA events will consolidate. Numbers and demand drive training. A lack of participants will impact all live training events.
You have the ability to drive the future of operator training.
Which path will you choose ?
Which path will your employer choose ?
