Untapped Potential
Building Tomorrow’s Water Workforce Through Apprenticeship
By Abeer Sikder
Kentuckians rely on water daily, with much of it supplied by utilities supported by the Kentucky Rural Water Association (KRWA). KRWA represents local water districts across the state and provides essential training, technical assistance, and advocacy for water and wastewater professionals.
Beginning in 2019, youth ages 16-21 gained access to employment through the KRWA’s apprenticeship program. Overseeing the program is Heather Stevenson, KRWA’s workforce development coordinator, who tackles workforce challenges for rural water utilities and emphasizes the role of utilities as a vital public health industry delivering clean, safe water.
Stevenson’s role with this particular Registered Apprenticeship Program, or RAP, is training individuals for two key roles: water operations specialist and wastewater operations specialist. This two-year program includes 4,000 hours of hands-on training and 288 hours of technical instruction.
KRWA Workforce Development Coordinator
“We’re the only water and wastewater operator apprenticeship in Kentucky. We’re facing a critical shortage of drinking water and wastewater operators — not just in Kentucky, but nationwide. [This apprenticeship is] an effort to ‘grow your own’ and help utilities find individuals in their communities to take ownership … and provide this [communal] resource.”
— Heather Stevenson, KRWA workforce development coordinator
National Rural Water Association
The Kentucky Rural Water Association is a state affiliate of the National Rural Water Association, the largest water utility membership organization in the U.S., which:
Receives funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture for apprenticeship programs.
Provides training and tools to state apprenticeship coordinators to administer Registered Apprenticeship Programs (RAPs).
Fosters conversations with utilities about workforce shortages and sustainable wages.
The RAP is based on the National Rural Water Association’s national apprenticeship standards for drinking water and wastewater systems operators. In 2017, the national association worked with the U.S. Department of Labor to develop national standards for registered apprenticeships that states can adopt.
Overcoming Initial Barriers
Many employers are hesitant to hire high school students as apprentices. Stevenson often fielded concerns about having to “babysit” students who “do not want to work.”
“But you’ve got students graduating with technical certifications who are ready to work,” Stevenson said. “Give it a chance and see how it works.”
Stevenson also had support from Mary Taylor, an industry training specialist in the Kentucky Office of Career and Technical Education. Taylor could “speak that educator language” to show employers the benefits of collaborating with local schools to foster youth apprenticeships.
Stevenson and Taylor addressed common concerns from employers about creating a “whole new” apprenticeship program, like legal liability and complicated setups. Stevenson explained that a model was already in place to simplify the process.
“They come in under our umbrella as a participating employer, so they’re not having to develop their own curriculum,” Stevenson said. “We can allow them to participate in our program; they just have to provide that apprentice [with] on-the-job training.”
Stevenson brought on new employer hosts by demonstrating how much the program had grown through initial partnerships with a few employers.
“The program is still fairly new, but we’ve grown exponentially out of a critical need to train these industry professionals that oversee the care of our water supply and our local water resources,” Stevenson said. “[It’s] the ‘silver tsunami.’ The average age of an operator in our industry is mid-50s. We’re in the middle of a retirement bubble where 30% to 50% of operators are retiring within the next 10 years.”
Now, many utilities find it practical to take on young apprentices due to persistent shortages of skilled workers, unprecedented economic shifts, frequent resignations and new job openings.
“ [RAPs are] the perfect model to pass on institutional knowledge and to train people to be in charge of their water and wastewater systems. Kentucky aligns with the nationwide statistics of less than 2% of certified operators are under the age of 25.”
— Heather Stevenson, KRWA workforce development coordinator
Youth Apprenticeship and TRACK
The Kentucky Rural Water Association has both a RAP and a youth apprenticeship program for high school students.
Many states promote RAPs, a proven apprenticeship model validated by the U.S. Department of Labor or state apprenticeship agency that offers a nationally recognized portable credential. Youth apprenticeships are RAPs for youth ages 16-24. These apprenticeships allow students to work for an employer, gain credit hours for prior learning, and streamline their transition into post-apprenticeship opportunities. Youth apprenticeships lead to students enrolling in college, finding employment or both.
The Tech Ready Apprentices for Careers in Kentucky (TRACK) youth apprenticeship program is a collaboration between the Kentucky Department of Education’s Office of Career and Technical Education and the Kentucky Office of Apprenticeship. It offers high school students career pathway opportunities into various RAPs. Stevenson sees TRACK as an innovative, national model.
“Whenever we first got involved, TRACK was more geared toward manufacturing [and a few other industries],” Stevenson said. “Kentucky, however, expanded TRACK into various industries and adapted it to fit new fields like water utilities. It provides direct entry into our RAP. We can credit them for on-the-job training hours … and some coursework. Through TRACK, it’s a feeder into registered apprenticeships.”
KRWA created apprenticeship opportunities for high school students when they found a utility willing to employ students, starting with an 11th-grade student at Henry County High School who participated in a co-op at his local utility. This inspired Stevenson to find other utilities willing to take on co-op students to expand the apprenticeship program.
Employers can hire students who already have on-the-job training and who have completed necessary coursework once they graduate school and start looking for a registered apprenticeship or full-time employment.
For high school students in TRACK, KRWA helps them apply their on-the-job apprenticeship training toward required on-the-job training hours. Stevenson can also see what courses local school districts offer that are applicable to skills apprentices need to work in the water industry, and then count those courses toward course completion.
The association convinced other schools to replicate this: Hart County High School enrolled two TRACK students to co-op at Green River Valley Water District and Carroll County High School to place a student at Carrollton Utilities.
“It’s rewarding to see some of our apprentices … [graduate and] … mentor their own apprentice,” Stevenson said. “They are becoming leaders in their own communities.”
The Value of Water
“Interest [in our apprenticeships] is growing,” Stevenson said, as more utilities welcome youth apprentices.
Stevenson hopes more utilities reach out to her to take on co-op students. She specifically wants schools to bring their classes to take a tour of the water plant to give them an idea of what the day-to-day looks like on the job.
This knowledge sharing can pique students’ interests about working in this key industry, while educating them about their local water utility and where clean water comes from. Stevenson talks about this first with students to better understand the value of water before discussing the apprenticeship.
“Not every one of those students wants to work at a water plant, but they have a better understanding of the value of water, so it’s [still] a win,” Stevenson said.
Stevenson said either way she is proud to engage students and families about the value of water to their community. She also noted that students often spread the word to others seeking training or employment opportunities. More students find value in apprenticeships in this field that protects a vital resource, avoids or reduces higher education costs and enter a stable career field. Stevenson has heard many families celebrate these opportunities so their children can thrive in jobs close to home with great benefits and pay, while growing the local and state economy.
“The job security aspect is a huge selling point … As apprentices gain skills and credentials, they are going to have a wage progression,” Stevenson said. “Water is intertwined with every aspect of our lives … [from] economic development to the agricultural industries to … our schools and our health care facilities.”
A Model Beyond Kentucky
Stevenson’s dialogues with policymakers and employers about competitive wages, workforce shortages and scholarship opportunities have led to private-sector partnerships and new employer incentives, especially for smaller businesses in rural communities.
“We have testified to state legislators about the benefits of … participating in apprenticeships,’ Stevenson said. “We requested … an additional incentive to employ high school students … to incentivize more employer involvement and co-op opportunities.”
Stevenson attends various national workforce conferences to discuss similar workforce challenges in other states. She has learned from the Alliance of Indiana Rural Water and their nationally recognized apprenticeship program, which was developed to address workforce shortages in the state industry while standardizing training across Indiana.
Other states are expanding their networks to support marginalized communities. For example, the Oklahoma Rural Water Association works with their state departments of Environmental Quality, Tribal Nations and Veterans Affairs to expand registered opportunities.
“So many apprenticeable occupations can be customized to the needs of the industry and business. I’m all for … anything that we can do to help apprenticeships grow in general.”
— Heather Stevenson, KRWA workforce development coordinator