The West Houston Association had the privilege of hosting some representatives of the Water Environment Association of Texas (WEAT) that are commisioned by the organization to work on Operator Workforce Solutions. These representatives met with us at our Education & Workforce and Water Resources joint committee meeting in early March.
Together, our Water Resources and Education committees are planning an event on July 16th to focus on the workforce needs as the refer to the operator industry. The operations side of the waste water industry is loosing employees faster than they are gaining them and as this trend continues many companies are trying to fill that gap by reaching out and educating the audience of potential employees on what these jobs really entail.
Individuals from AECOM, Black & Veatch and TRA are partnering with WEAT on a three sub-program to recruit potential employees. The program will focus their attention on high school students, veterans and pre-screened candidates from Workforce Solutions to attract and train. Training would involve TCEQ certified classroom training and internship opportunities in the private and public sectors. The idea is still in a draft version and will require partnership with education entities, other non-profits and private industry to continue making headway. Though our region is looking at a serious problem within the wastewater industry, WHA is partnering with many others who are actively working to find a solution!