Company Background: Powering a Region—and a Learning Culture
The South Central Connecticut Regional Water Authority (RWA) delivers over 42.5 million gallons of clean water daily to over 430,000 residents in 15 municipalities. Behind this essential service, RWA operates four advanced treatment plants, maintains more than 1,700 miles of underground pipe, and stewards over 27,000 acres of watershed land.
But RWA’s transformation goes beyond infrastructure. The organization has shifted from a compliance-based culture to one that invests deeply in its people.
At the heart of that change stands Janeen Carrano, RWA’s Training Manager. Since joining two years ago, Janeen has introduced the company’s first Learning Management System (LMS), built a leadership development foundation, and cultivated a culture where learning feels meaningful, not just mandatory.
Challenge: One Person, Many Needs
Janeen faced a significant challenge. She needs to design relevant, inclusive learning for a diverse workforce that includes both union and non-union employees—from office staff to field technicians. With many employees nearing retirement, Janeen and RWA’s leadership team prioritized knowledge transfer, employee engagement, and succession planning.
Field teams – especially those in distribution, water quality, and treatment – work in busy, hands-on roles that leave little time for training. Janeen had to overcome time constraints, curate content efficiently, and change the mindset towards required training.
“I never want anyone to just check the box and move on. I want people to say the training was relevant, impactful, and maybe even fun.”
— Janeen Carrano, Training Manager, Regional Water Authority
Objectives: Driving Engagement with Purpose
Janeen and the RWA team set out to:
- Boost employee engagement and nurture a culture of continuous learning
- Deliver flexible, accessible training for every employee—especially those in the field
- Align training directly with performance goals and business needs
- Cut down time spent curating content by partnering with OpenSesame
Implementation: Listening First, Then Scaling with Intention
Janeen started by listening. She joined team meetings, spoke with department managers, and built cross-functional relationships to understand employee needs. She introduced a training matrix that helped each department map job responsibilities, identify existing training, and surface learning gaps.
From there, she developed role-based learning plans and used OpenSesame’s curated content library to quickly deliver high-quality training. This approach saved countless hours and allowed RWA to provide tailored learning experiences.
To support field teams, Janeen rolled out flexible training schedules, including hybrid and asynchronous options. She added OpenSesame courses as pre-work, reinforcement, or on-demand refreshers based on the training content and each team’s goals.
To keep momentum going, Janeen launched a Learning Advisory Committee made up of cross-departmental reps who offer feedback, promote learning initiatives, and share insights on employee motivation. Today, employees actively request new learning opportunities—and RWA delivers content in seven of OpenSesame’s nine categories.
Results: Turning Strategy into Lasting Impact
RWA’s approach has driven measurable impact across the organization. The team achieved a 91% course completion rate. Learners averaged 9.71 enrollments and gave an average rating of 4.75 out of 5.
Employee surveys and feedback from outside consultants showed a cultural shift: RWA improved its internal service excellence score from 72% in 2023 to 76% in 2024—exceeding its 75% goal. Emotional intelligence and psychological safety courses helped strengthen collaboration, boost communication, and build employee confidence across departments.
What started as a compliance-driven training program now serves as a tool for employee growth, performance goals, and long-term succession planning.
Looking Forward: Building a Learner-Led Culture
Janeen isn’t slowing down. As retirements approach, she’s focusing even more on succession planning—using learning paths to prepare employees for their next roles. With support from leadership, HR, and front-line managers, RWA now sees learning as a driver of engagement, performance, and future readiness.
Up next, embedding OpenSesame into onboarding, leadership development, and career mobility programs—with the ultimate goal of creating a self-sustaining, learner-led culture across the organization.
A CLOSER LOOK
“There are many great publishers in OpenSesame, but knowing my workforce, they value short, quick, and accurate information. These publishers deliver exactly that—concise, reliable insights that keep employees informed and engaged without overwhelming them.” – Janeen Carrano, Training Manager, Regional Water Authority
RWA’s Favorite Publishers and Courses
