Tag Archives: Apprenticeship

Maryland Apprenticeship Programs Help Double Number of Job Applicants

September 3, 2019

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Kevin McClanathan (left), chief operator at a water resource recovery facility managed by Washington County Department of Water Quality (DWQ; Williamsport, Md.), stands beside participants in DWQ's Wastewater Apprenticeship Program. Photo courtesy of Katie Yoder/DWQ

With nine water resource recovery facilities (WRRFs), eight drinking water treatment facilities, 45 pumping stations, and miles of pipelines to operate and maintain, the Washington County Department of Water Quality (DWQ; Williamsport, Md.) sometimes struggles to find qualified candidates for its many technical jobs.   Since the launch of a new wastewater operator apprenticeship program last […]

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North Carolina jobs program fills vacancies, forges careers

July 31, 2019

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Charlotte (N.C.) Water has instituted a yearlong utility apprenticeship program with the goal of attracting new talent from the local community. Pictured left to right: Charlotte Water apprenticeship program graduates Desmond McKinnon, Edi Cardoza, and Beanard Odom, II. Photo courtesy of Jackie Jarrell/Charlotte Water.

Charlotte (N.C.) Water has a fresh approach to finding new utility technicians. That approach is a yearlong apprenticeship program offered by the utility trains recruits in a variety of skills — and even guarantees them a job upon completion. The program was created to tackle a high turnover and vacancy rate for the city’s utility […]

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PERL: This gem of an educational partnership is helping build Indiana’s water workforce

May 21, 2019

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Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology civil engineering students toured several Citizens projects through PERL last spring. Photo courtesy of Citizens Energy Group.

While known for top-rated university science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) programs that are educating the next generation of water professionals, the state of Indiana has a problem: convincing graduating students to stay. Half of the 2014-to-2016 bachelor’s-level STEM graduates of Purdue University (West Lafayette, Ind.), for example, found employment out of state, according to […]

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Columbia, S.C.’s atypical apprenticeship program is working, and here’s proof

May 14, 2019

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Operator apprentices at Columbia Water complete walk-through practicals as part of their training and evaluation. Photo courtesy of Hickman.

When it rains, it doesn’t always pour — at least not at the City of Columbia (S.C.) Metropolitan Wastewater Treatment Plant. Even after a historic 1,000-year flood in 2015 and the wettest December on record 3 years later, the 227-ML/d (60-mgd) facility remained well within its regulatory limits every day, according to superintendent David Wiman. […]

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Apprenticeship Program: The “Secret Sauce” Behind Hampton Roads’ Success

April 30, 2019

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Hampton Roads Apprentice Featured

Faced with the challenge of staffing three new water resource recovery facilities (WRRFs), Hampton Roads Sanitation District (HRSD; Virginia Beach, Va.) launched its wastewater apprenticeship program in 1979. HRSD has grown to operate 13 award-winning WRRFs that provide service to 1.7 million residents across 18 cities and counties. Its apprenticeship program has grown in tandem, […]

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Apprentices Are Expected To Fill One-in-Fifty Jobs on UK’s Largest-Ever Water Project

March 28, 2019

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Tideway Featured

Tideway, an independent water company in London, launched a first-of-its-kind apprenticeship program to clean the River Thames and address a pending worker shortage in one fell swoop. “London relies on a 150-year-old sewer system built for a population less than half its current size,” said Hannah Shroot, media relations lead for Tideway. The company is […]

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New Operator Programs, Change Is in the Air

January 16, 2014

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Photo courtesy of John Seldon.

John Seldon, WEF Member and Founder of Temporary Operations and Maintenance Inc.   John Seldon, a Water Environment Federation (WEF; Alexandria, Va.) member since 1980, is founder and president of Temporary Operations and Maintenance Inc. (Port Burwell, Ontario) and a principal of Envir-O-Site Inc. (Sarnia, Ontario). During his career, Seldon has focused on optimizing municipal […]

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U.S. Department of Labor Approves Guidelines for Wastewater Operator Apprenticeship

February 28, 2013

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Photo courtesy of Owen Smith, program and policy analyst in the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development Bureau of Apprenticeship Standards.

WEF developed apprenticeship standards that provide pathway into the profession Evidence of commitment to operators by the Water Environment Federation (WEF; Alexandria, Va.) continues to grow. In 2010, WEF launched its Operator Initiative to provide knowledge and services to wastewater systems operations personnel. As part of this initiative, WEF has obtained U.S. Department of Labor […]

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