In case you hadn’t noticed, the water business has become a booming field in almost all applications where water is used. This has created a growing shortage of technical people needed to design, build, upgrade, operate and service the required water treatment systems, both new and old. The problem is that few colleges teach water treatment-related technology. This may be because the technologies of water treatment cross curricula lines. So where will the new generation of talent come from? The workers may come from several sources. Talented immigrants from countries where water treatment technologies are taught are an ongoing source of new talent. Existing specialty courses for water treatment technology are another source. In the longer term, colleges and universities may expand their curricula. But in the meantime, where would you go to gain experience, training, networking and understanding the commercial reality involved in this dynamic field?
The answer to many of these questions is conferences. One in particular worth mentioning is the International Water Conference (IWC). It is the oldest and one of the largest technical conferences relating to industrial water treatment. In addition to industry leaders and experts, the conference attracts manufacturers of new and cutting-edge technologies and provides a forum for discussions of how existing technologies have successfully been implemented. For the beginner, a wide range of learning opportunities are provided; you can rub elbows with industry experts and receive formal classroom instruction. For the commercial minded, the conference attracts a wide range of end users from around the globe as well as opportunities to observe the competition up close and personal. This is a “working conference.” Papers typically start at 8 a.m. and run to 5 p.m. The exposition typically opens during lunchtime and after the last papers in the evenings, the hospitality suites open.
Today’s IWC is better organized and expanded in scope. Technical papers are reviewed by peers. There are formal training courses in water-related technologies such as ion exchange, reverse osmosis, electrical deionization, coagulation, biological control and disease prevention and filtration, to name a few. There is an exposition with booths that are intimate and well-represented by the leading companies within the water treatment industry. Last but not least, the hospitality suites provide times and places for informal discussions with authors, industry experts, people with similar experiences and competitors.
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