Introduction
Water Professionals International (WPI) is an established and influential organization within the water and wastewater sector serving its membership since 1972. Besides providing the water industry’s only psychometrically valid, fair, and legally defensible standardized exams, the WPI association provides a voice for international certification issues and is a tool for building lifelong professional relationships.
Innovation is integral at WPI. We are proud of the exceptional data-driven services provided by our organization, C2EP, and the professional volunteers we trust who help us create exams that help water and wastewater operators around the world protect our public health systems and the environment.
The term “ABC Exams” continues to be used in some industry circles and by WPI (previously known as the Association of Boards of Certification, or ABC) to denote the examinations administered by our organization. The transition from the Association of Boards of Certification to Water Professionals International reflects an evolution in our commitment to excellence in certification processes. Despite the organizational name change, the term “ABC Exams” persists as a legacy identifier, signifying a continuity in our dedication to upholding rigorous standards in the field. The familiarity of the term serves to maintain recognition and clarity for stakeholders who have long associated our examinations with the esteemed quality and reliability that the ABC name represents.
WPI Vision Statement
Public Health and the Environment are Protected through Professional Stewardship of Water Resources
WPI Mission Statement
Competent Water & Wastewater Professionals Successfully Operate in a Supportive Public and Policy Environment
WPI Goals
- Improve the competence of water and wastewater professionals and the efficacy of their systems through standardization & classification.
- Ensure the public, policymakers, other stakeholders, and potential and current operators are aware of the value of the role of certified operators.
- Create & maintain a diverse, engaged, and supportive network of peers committed to advancing the profession of water and wastewater operations.
WPI Strategies to Achieve These Goals:
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Industry Standardization
Certified operators will have validated competencies applicable across jurisdictions.
- Update common standards for operator certification/licensure that are relevant across systems and jurisdictions, including adapting Model Standards of Operator Certification, exam development, and the Professional Operator program.
- Support the acceptance and use of testing modalities that incorporate virtual or online methods to improve exam accessibility.
- Develop resources guiding evaluation of instructor qualifications and content relevancy of distance education courses.
- Facilitate the promotion of certification reciprocity and the revised classification framework.
- Promote the Professional Operator program.
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Classification
All systems and facilities will be consistently defined and classified using modern, science-based criteria.
- Create or adapt modern, science-based criteria for systems and facilities and ensure alignment of operator certification with these revised criteria.
- Communicate revised criteria to stakeholders and advocate for relevant policy changes.
- Explore the potential for a relevant accreditation process for systems and facilities.
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Professional Advocacy
Implement a content strategy communicating the positive nature of careers in water and wastewater management to current and future operators.
- Leverage efforts by industry partners to improve policymaker and public awareness, valuation, and fair compensation of professional operators and their staff leading modernized water and wastewater systems.
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Community Strategies
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- Initiatives implemented by WPI directly support the goals and missions of industry organizations.
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Professional Community Strategies
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- Create an individual membership category for operators.
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Organizational Strategies
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- Modernization, Standardization, and Harmonization
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