About 1/3 of the water utilities workforce is eligible to retire in the next decade. EPA and U.S. Army Corp of Engineers will establish a workforce development grant for the sector.
SAN FRANCISCO — Mayor London Breed, the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC) and its partners announced the establishment of a federal grant program to fund training and career development for the water utilities workforce.
More than 30 percent of the nation’s water and wastewater workers are eligible to retire in the next five to 10 years, making this grant program a vital opportunity to train the next generation of industry employees.
Included in the America’s Water Infrastructure Act, the $1 million per year competitive grant program was championed by the SFPUC and its partner utilities in the Water Agency Leaders Alliance (WALA), the National League of Cities (NLC) and the National Association of Clean Water Agencies (NACWA), among other national organizations.
The original legislation was sponsored by U.S. Senators Cory Booker of New Jersey and Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia. The bill authorizes the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the United States Army Corps to establish the competitive water utilities workforce development grant, according to Booker’s website.
EfficientGov.com
by EfficientGov Staff
October 24, 2018