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Developing Future Water Leaders at Eastern Municipal Water District
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aving a pipeline of well-trained workers who can replace retiring employees and continue the mission has long been a priority for Eastern Municipal Water District (EMWD), and it uses its internship and fellowship programs to do just that. In this interview, EMWD’s Human Resources Manager Paula Allen and Senior Public Affairs Program Manager Roxanne Rountree tell Municipal Water Leader all about these important programs. Municipal Water Leader: Would you give us a basic overview of EMWD’s apprenticeship and internship programs? Paula Allen: EMWD’s internship program is designed for current college students. It’s a paid internship program generally offered between May and October each year. The opportunities can be within any department at EMWD, but we most often have internships available in our development services, engineering, finance, or information systems departments. We also have two apprenticeship programs in place, one in our electrical department and the other in our mechanical maintenance department. Both programs allow apprentices to work alongside a journey-level employee who can provide the apprentice with on-the-job training as well as classroom instruction. Municipal Water Leader: When did EMWD decide to establish these programs? Paula Allen: The internship program has been in place for more than 30 years. It has been restructured several times over the years, but the objective has always been to introduce students to jobs in the water industry. The internship is mutually beneficial, allowing EMWD employees to work with college students to complete a project that is relevant to the student’s coursework. The real-world projects complement the students’ coursework while also providing opportunities to sharpen soft skills, such as communication, meeting facilitation, and conducting presentations.
Municipal Water Leader: How long are the apprenticeship programs and what do they cover?
28 | MUNICIPAL WATER LEADER | April 2021
Paula Allen: The apprenticeship program requires a 4‑year commitment and includes supervised, structured, on-the-job training as well as classroom instruction. The apprentices are at-will employees of EMWD. Throughout the program, each apprentice learns skills under the supervision of a journey person. For the instructor-led classroom training, we partnered with the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California. Apprentices’ classroom instruction includes exams and demonstrated proficiency assessments. After successfully completing the program, apprentices are reclassified as controls technicians in our electrical department or mechanical maintenance technicians in our mechanical maintenance department and are expected to maintain employment with EMWD for a minimum of 1 year. Municipal Water Leader: Would you tell us more about the college internship program? Paula Allen: The college internship program is a 6‑month paid internship designed for current college students. Participants can work up to 20 hours a week. The required educational level and coursework are dependent on the needs of the department that is hosting the intern. Some project assignments are geared toward undergraduate students, while others require graduate-level coursework completion. Participants apply for the internship program that they are most interested in and that supports their educational and career goals. During the recruitment period, internship information and links to apply are found on the careers page of EMWD’s website. We do have partnerships with local colleges, but students from any college or university are welcome to apply. Municipal Water Leader: Would you tell us about the Youth Ecology Corps (YEC) program and how it differs from the other apprenticeship and internship programs? municipalwaterleader.com
PHOTOS COURTESY OF EMWD.
Roxanne Rountree: The apprenticeship program came about during succession planning, when we were considering anticipated retirements, and is intended to minimize gaps in recruiting and to retain highly qualified and skilled technicians. The electrical apprenticeship program was first implemented in 2017, and we added a second program in the mechanical maintenance department in 2019.
Participants in EMWD’s Youth Ecology Corps program visit an EMWD facility.
