Welcome to the first issue of the NGICP eNewsletter. There’s been a lot going on this year and we’re excited to share with you all that’s been happening with the program.
Highlights
- ASAE Power of A Award: WEF was one of 6 organizations selected to receive a 2019 Power of A Summit Award for the National Green Infrastructure Certification Program. This award is ASAE’s highest honor for associations that go above and beyond their everyday mission to undertake initiatives that benefit America and the world.
- ANSI Accreditation: NGICP is seeking accreditation from the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). The NGICP team will submit their application to ANSI next week and then prepare for the auditing process that will occur over the course of the summer. NGICP aims to obtain accreditation by the end of 2019. ANSI is a private non-profit organization that oversees the development of voluntary consensus standards for products, services, processes, systems, and personnel in the United States. NGICP hopes accreditation will help distinguish this program from all other certification programs in this field.
- NGICP is Going Digital: NGICP started offering the computer-based exam at PSI test centers around the country in Fall 2018. NGICP has also transitioned from paper
applications to an online management system. The system went live in March 2019 and is working well for students and staff. - Stormwater and GI Symposium: The inaugural Stormwater and GI Symposium was held in Fort Lauderdale during May 9-10. The event received positive feedback from
attendees. Save the date for the next one in late March/early April 2020 in Minneapolis, MN. We hope to see you there. - Train-the-Trainer Workshops: NGICP is offering workshops to individuals interested in becoming an NGICP trainer. Three train-the-trainer workshops were held this year – Austin, TX (February 2019), Fort Lauderdale, FL (in conjunction with Stormwater & GI symposium- May 2019). The next one will be held in Minneapolis MN (in conjunction with the Operation & Maintenance of Stormwater Control Measures Conference) in August 2019.
Train-the-Trainer Goes International: The Water Environment Federation conducted New Zealand’s first NGICP Train-the-Trainer (T-t-T) program in May 2019 to fourteen New Zealand professionals. The purpose of NGICP’s T-t-T program is to offer future green infrastructure trainers and leaders best practices and techniques in program development, assessment, and learning to advance a “think and do” culture throughout the industry.
The training cohort consisted of government program leaders, private firms, and decision-makers, who will be tasked with deploying the NGICP Certification across the country. New Zealand’s initial audience for NGICP Certification is workforce development (underemployed, unemployed, and/or under-educated, uneducated). New Zealand hopes to launch its first NGICP training program in September 2019.
Ongoing Initiatives
NGICP is working on the following pilot programs to expand the program to reach a broader audience.
- NGICP Blended Learning Pilot: NGICP is developing an alternative to the current 35-hour in-person training requirement. This new blended learning method (combination of online learning plus an in-person training) gives students access to the curriculum online, six-weeks before attending the condensed 2 day in-person training (which would otherwise be 5 days). NGICP will hold four pilots to assess the effectiveness of this alternate method of providing the training. NGICP held its first blended learning pilot in partnership with the National Recreation and Parks Association (NRPA) during May 14-16, 2019. The training was held in Philadelphia and hosted by the Philadelphia Parks Department; 27 participants attended, all of whom are parks staff from across the country. Many of the participants said that reviewing the modules ahead of time better prepared them for the in-person training. A paper-and-pencil exam was administered at the end of the training. Click here to read more about the blended learning pilot that was held in Philadelphia.
- NGICP in High Schools: 11 students of Woodson STEM High School, Ward 7, DC took the exam in June 2019. This was a pilot program wherein students learned the NGICP curriculum through the course of one school year and took the exam as soon as they completed High School.
- Alternate Pathway to NGICP: NGICP is developing an alternate pathway to the exam for those without a HS education; however, it would only be used as part of a much longer workforce development program, that would need to include soft skills, reading and math remediation, etc. The plan is to pilot this next summer and anticipate the total training would be several months.
NGICP By the Numbers
- Certified Individuals: 468 (as of June 30, 2019). Visit the NGICP website to find out who they are.
- Licensees: NGICP now has 14 licensees who are all holding trainings in their regions; these regions include the southeastern US, New England, the mid-West, Hawaii, and New Zealand.
- Partners: NGICP has two new partners, North East Ohio Sewer District (NEORSD) and Montgomery County, MD. For information on getting involved in the NGICP, click
here. - Volunteers: With more than 100 volunteers involved in different aspects of the program, NGICP has structured itself to adapt and grow with a Strategic Advisory Council (SAC) to administer governance, a Certification Committee to maintain the certification scheme and a Technical Advisory Group to oversee development of technical components.
- Trainers: NGICP now has 61 approved trainers
- Trainings: Just in 2019, there have been 13 trainings ranging from ones held at community colleges to utilities to those provided by licensed trainers.