Empowering Future Leaders: New Jersey American Water’s 2023 Water UP! Graduation Celebration
New Jersey American Water is proud to celebrate the 2023 graduates of the Water UP! (Water Utilities Pipeline) training program! Through this workforce development program, in partnership with Rowan College of South Jersey (RSCJ), New Jersey American Water provides hands-on experience in the water utility industry and essential classroom-based business training. This program is helping to develop the next generation of water and wastewater utility professionals.
This year’s graduating class includes nine adults: four from Camden, and one each from Bellmawr, Evesham Twp., Gloucester City, Salem City, and Winslow Twp.
Graduates received both field training and classroom-based lessons over nine weeks. At Rowan College of South Jersey, graduates learned financial literacy, resume writing, customer service, trade mathematics and other real-world career skills. At New Jersey American Water’s Lawnside Operations Center, graduates learned on-site industry skills, including utility maintenance, treatment and water quality testing, and more. Graduates also visited the Camden County Municipal Utilities Authority’s Wastewater Treatment Facility in Camden, and New Jersey American Water’s Delaware River Water Treatment Plant in Delran to tour the facilities, learn about treatment processes and meet other industry professionals. In addition to learning these critical skills, graduates learned the importance of safety in the workplace by earning an OSHA 30 certification.
At graduation, Shawn M. LaTourette, Commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection and Camden Mayor Victor Carstarphen joined Dr. Fred Keating, President of Rowan College of South Jersey, and Mark McDonough, President of New Jersey American Water to celebrate the graduates.
These young adults are now prepared to launch fulfilling careers in the water utility industry as Operations Specialists, Utility Mechanics, Environmental Compliance Technicians, Customer Service Representatives, or other entry-level positions. They also received six college technical elective credits from Rowan College of South Jersey and attended a career fair with American Water recruiters and representatives from other utility industry companies.
First launched in the fall of 2021, the Water UP! program has included cohorts in Camden and Plainfield. New Jersey American Water was proud to partner with the New Jersey Governor’s Office of Climate Action & the Green Economy & the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection’s Building our Resilient, Inclusive, and Diverse Green Economy (BRIDGE) Initiative to fund the 2023 program, and the 2024 program, which will be in Egg Harbor Township.
To learn more about Water UP! visit www.newjerseyamwater.com/WaterUp
About American Water
American Water (NYSE: AWK) is the largest regulated water and wastewater utility company in the United States. With a history dating back to 1886, We Keep Life Flowing® by providing safe, clean, reliable and affordable drinking water and wastewater services to more than 14 million people with regulated operations in 14 states and on 18 military installations. American Water’s 6,500 talented professionals leverage their significant expertise and the company’s national size and scale to achieve excellent outcomes for the benefit of customers, employees, investors and other stakeholders. As one of the fastest growing utilities in the U.S., American Water expects to invest $34 to $38 billion in infrastructure repairs and replacement, system resiliency and regulated acquisitions over the next 10 years. The company has a long-standing history of executing its core operations, aligned with sustainable best practices, through its commitments to safety, affordability, customer service, protecting the environment, an inclusive workforce and strengthening communities. American Water has been included in the top 10% of America’s Most JUST Companies by JUST Capital and CNBC, is ranked number one in the utilities industry for the 2024 Forbes American’s Best Large Employers, has been recognized on the 2023 Bloomberg Gender-Equality Index for the fifth consecutive year, is the highest-ranked water and wastewater utility on Barron’s 100 Most Sustainable U.S. Companies 2024 List, and has earned the U.S. Department of Homeland Security SAFETY Act designation and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s WaterSense® Excellence Award, among additional state, local and national recognitions. For more information, visit amwater.com.
Powered by Notified