The VA AWWA/VWEA Work for Water Committee table at Water JAM2025 will feature resources to facilitate utility recruitment of veterans and students. Notebooks of the resources will be available for review and a summary of the resources will be provided to all booth visitors. All resources are available online at the Work for Water page on the VA AWWA website.
Want to learn more about the Work for Water Committee... click Read More!
The veterans recruitment resources include: a description of the DOD SkillBridge Program; contacts to your Veterans Employment Representative/Virginia Work; the MOS to JOB guide for applying Military Occupational Specialties (M.O.S.) terminology to Civilian Drinking Water and Wastewater Operations positions; a booklet identifying the equipment, technical skills, education, and duties of the 92W Water Treatment Specialists trained at Ft Lee in Virginia; an AWWA/WEF Veterans Workforce Initiative Veteran Flyer; and an AWWA/WEF Veterans Workforce Initiative, Veteran Resources flyer with a tabulation of resources available to veterans as they enter the civilian workforce.
The DOD SkillBridge program offers an opportunity for service members to gain civilian work experience through specific industry training, apprenticeships, or internships during the last 180 days of service. The DOD covers military pay and benefits during a service member’s time in a SkillBridge Program. The only SkillBridge Program in Virginia was contracted with the Institute of Advanced Learning at the Danville Community College, which has a Maritime Defense Manufacturing Program to prepare high school students for entry level positions in Welding, Computer and Numerical Control Parts Machining, Additive Manufacturing, Quality Control, and Non-Destructive Testing. Learn the steps required to initiate a SkillBridge program in your area.
The student recruitment resources include descriptions of the Alex Renew Apprenticeship Program, the
Hampton Roads Public Works Academy, the Henrico County Internship Program, the Hampton Roads Sanitation District (HRSD) Apprenticeship Program, and the Western Virginia Water Authority Education and Outreach Program. Learn how to develop a school outreach program that is approved by the Department of Labor and Industry and meets Standards of Learning.
Other student recruitment resources include the AWWA DVD entitled "Careers in Drinking Water" and the EPA Work in Water Program. The Work for Water Committee resources will complement the new VA AWWA Water Awareness and Outreach Committee teacher toolkit to assist utilities with contact and coordination with the Virginia Department of Education Standards of Learning.
.png){kind=logo}
.png){kind=logo}
