WaterNow QWEL Service Offerings

Qualified Water Efficient Landscaper Training Program

WaterNow QWEL Service Offerings:

Qualified Water Efficient Landscaper Training Program

EPA's Qualified Water Efficient Landscaper (QWEL) training is a professional certification program offered across the western U.S. designed to expand the number of landscapers qualified to help property owners design and maintain water efficient landscapes. QWEL provides graduates with the knowledge in water efficient and sustainable landscape practices, including water management and preservation of other valuable resources, and presents an affordable, proactive, local approach to reducing landscape water demand.

QWEL is recognized as an EPA WaterSense labeled professional certification for Irrigation System Audits. Upon successful completion, QWEL graduates are listed as Certified Professionals on the WaterSense and QWEL websites.

WaterNow became a QWEL Professional Certifying Organization (PCO) in 2015. Our objective was to help expand the professional capacity for water efficient and sustainable landscaping practices in the San Francisco Bay Area. Since then, our primary QWEL program focus has shifted to Colorado and WaterNow has partnered with various municipalities to deliver QWEL trainings, including the City of Aspen and Eagle River Water & Sanitation District. WaterNow has graduated over 100 landscape professionals in Colorado.

WaterNow provides a spectrum of services to cities, towns, utilities, water resource service districts, and/or organizations (including both QWEL PCOs and non-PCOs) that have limited capacity to facilitate QWEL trainings themselves. WaterNow customizes its management of each program to ensure that we are fulfilling the requirements of the certification program and also meeting local needs and priorities. See below for a list of services offered.

Content Delivery & Logistics

WaterNow can coordinate all aspects of class management and logistics including:

Venue selection and preparation
Instructor recruitment & training
Curriculum updates and customizations based on location, class, population, etc.
Class resources and participant materials including catch can test, controllers, QWEL participant manuals, worksheets, and presentation slides
Exam administration, grading, and QWEL certification

Marketing & Outreach Efforts

WaterNow can encourage QWEL course attendance by marketing QWEL through a variety of methods:

Develop a marketing plan to include numerous outreach strategies
Employ outreach strategies including: email communications to organizations' training coordinators and other appropriate personnel, media-related notices to applicable organizations, social media posts and content, direct contact with organization and industry groups
Foster local partnerships to solicit financial or in-kind contributions to enhance program offering

Enrollment

Establish and achieve recruitment goals for each class
Manage enrollment through online registrations

Certification and Reporting

Achieve an average QWEL certification rate of 90% of enrolled participants in accordance with program goals
Track and notify participants of certification status; issue letter and certificates to graduates
Update internal QWEL-certified professionals list

Continuing Education Unit (CEU) Program

Support and track graduates CEUs
Identify qualifying CEU opportunities
Send quarterly regional newsletter with QWEL updates and CEU opportunities and deadlines

Learn more: QWEL would be a great fit for your community! Please contact Victoria Arling, Senior Colorado Basin Program Manager, ([email protected]) for more information.