New Jersey American Water Launches 2024 Water UP! Training Program in Egg Harbor City with Rowan College of South Jersey
Providing Training for New Generation of Water Utility Workers
CAMDEN, N.J. – April 11, 2024 – New Jersey American Water today announced the launching of its fourth annual Water UP! – Water Utility Pipeline – training program, a paid, 9-week workforce development program for adults, in partnership with Rowan College of South Jersey. The training program, which began March 25 and runs through May 30, will equip participants with hands-on water utility and essential business training necessary to join the water and wastewater utility industry upon graduation.
Water UP! aims to help adults from traditionally underserved areas in the company’s footprint pave their career path in the water utility industry by exposing them to a multitude of skill sets including utility-specific training, customer service training, key administrative skills, and OSHA 30 certification. This helps participants identify their interests and strengths and will hopefully lead them to pursue future professions in the water and wastewater field.
“The sustainability and longevity of the water utility industry is only as good as its employees, which is why it is so important that we continue training programs like Water UP! to invest in a new generation of talent,” said Mark McDonough, President, New Jersey American Water. “Each year, the Water UP! program brings together qualified and diverse professionals that will carry out a commitment to providing high-quality, reliable water and wastewater service with the tools to excel in a lifelong career.”
The 2024 Water UP! class includes 10 residents of Egg Harbor City, Pleasantville, Galloway Township and Atlantic City who were selected by New Jersey American Water and Rowan College of South Jersey through an application and interview process. Throughout the 9-week course based at New Jersey American Water’s recently acquired Egg Harbor City Water Treatment Facility, the group will experience classroom-based lessons administered by Rowan College of South Jersey and hands-on field training facilitated by New Jersey American Water. They will also and earn their OSHA 30 certification and travel to Delran for a tour of the company’s Delaware River Regional Water Treatment Facility to learn about its state-of-the-art water treatment processes and the company’s research laboratory.
Additionally, the Water UP participants will tour the Atlantic County Utilities Authority’s wastewater treatment plant and environmental park to learn about wastewater treatment and renewable energy, respectively.
Upon completion of the Water UP! program, participants will receive six college technical elective credits from Rowan College of South Jersey. They will also be uniquely qualified for entry level positions in the water industry, such as Utility Mechanic, Operations Specialist, Customer Service Representative, or Water Quality Technician.
“This is a great example of how our workforce training partnerships provide students and workers with the pathways they need to find new careers and opportunity, and to ensure that employers have access to a highly skilled workforce to meet critical labor market needs in South Jersey,” said Brigette Satchell, Dean of Career and Technical Education at Rowan College of South Jersey.
The 2024 Water UP! program is funded by a grant from the New Jersey Governor’s Office of Climate Action, the Green Economy & the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection’s the Building our Resilient, Inclusive, and Diverse Green Economy (BRIDGE) Initiative.
First launched three years ago, New Jersey American Water’s Water UP! program included an inaugural cohort in Camden and Delran in 2021, Plainfield in 2022, and Lawnside in 2023. A total of 30 adults have completed the program and several of them have since gained employment in the utility industry with New Jersey American Water or other utility or construction companies. More information about the Water UP! training program and New Jersey American Water’s other workforce development initiatives is available on the company’s website, newjerseyamwater.com, under About Us, Workforce Development.
Caption: The participants of New Jersey American Water’s 2024 Water UP! Class pose for a photo on day one of the training with External Affairs Specialist Doreene Bennett (far left).
New Jersey American Water, a subsidiary of American Water (NYSE: AWK), is the largest regulated water utility in the state, providing high-quality and reliable water and wastewater services to approximately 2.9 million people.
CAMDEN, N.J. – April 11, 2024 – New Jersey American Water today announced the launching of its fourth annual Water UP! – Water Utility Pipeline – training program, a paid, 9-week workforce development program for adults, in partnership with Rowan College of South Jersey. The training program, which began March 25 and runs through May 30, will equip participants with hands-on water utility and essential business training necessary to join the water and wastewater utility industry upon graduation.
Water UP! aims to help adults from traditionally underserved areas in the company’s footprint pave their career path in the water utility industry by exposing them to a multitude of skill sets including utility-specific training, customer service training, key administrative skills, and OSHA 30 certification. This helps participants identify their interests and strengths and will hopefully lead them to pursue future professions in the water and wastewater field.
“The sustainability and longevity of the water utility industry is only as good as its employees, which is why it is so important that we continue training programs like Water UP! to invest in a new generation of talent,” said Mark McDonough, President, New Jersey American Water. “Each year, the Water UP! program brings together qualified and diverse professionals that will carry out a commitment to providing high-quality, reliable water and wastewater service with the tools to excel in a lifelong career.”
The 2024 Water UP! class includes 10 residents of Egg Harbor City, Pleasantville, Galloway Township and Atlantic City who were selected by New Jersey American Water and Rowan College of South Jersey through an application and interview process. Throughout the 9-week course based at New Jersey American Water’s recently acquired Egg Harbor City Water Treatment Facility, the group will experience classroom-based lessons administered by Rowan College of South Jersey and hands-on field training facilitated by New Jersey American Water. They will also and earn their OSHA 30 certification and travel to Delran for a tour of the company’s Delaware River Regional Water Treatment Facility to learn about its state-of-the-art water treatment processes and the company’s research laboratory.
Additionally, the Water UP participants will tour the Atlantic County Utilities Authority’s wastewater treatment plant and environmental park to learn about wastewater treatment and renewable energy, respectively.
Upon completion of the Water UP! program, participants will receive six college technical elective credits from Rowan College of South Jersey. They will also be uniquely qualified for entry level positions in the water industry, such as Utility Mechanic, Operations Specialist, Customer Service Representative, or Water Quality Technician.
“This is a great example of how our workforce training partnerships provide students and workers with the pathways they need to find new careers and opportunity, and to ensure that employers have access to a highly skilled workforce to meet critical labor market needs in South Jersey,” said Brigette Satchell, Dean of Career and Technical Education at Rowan College of South Jersey.
The 2024 Water UP! program is funded by a grant from the New Jersey Governor’s Office of Climate Action, the Green Economy & the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection’s the Building our Resilient, Inclusive, and Diverse Green Economy (BRIDGE) Initiative.
First launched three years ago, New Jersey American Water’s Water UP! program included an inaugural cohort in Camden and Delran in 2021, Plainfield in 2022, and Lawnside in 2023. A total of 30 adults have completed the program and several of them have since gained employment in the utility industry with New Jersey American Water or other utility or construction companies. More information about the Water UP! training program and New Jersey American Water’s other workforce development initiatives is available on the company’s website, newjerseyamwater.com, under About Us, Workforce Development.
Caption: The participants of New Jersey American Water’s 2024 Water UP! Class pose for a photo on day one of the training with External Affairs Specialist Doreene Bennett (far left).
New Jersey American Water, a subsidiary of American Water (NYSE: AWK), is the largest regulated water utility in the state, providing high-quality and reliable water and wastewater services to approximately 2.9 million people.