A $500,000 grant from the Environmental Protection Agency will be used to educate middle and high schools students from communities with high unemployment levels about career opportunities in the water industry.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently announced a $3.8 million Innovative Water Infrastructure Workforce Development Program to ensure there are enough trained workers to operate critical water infrastructure in the coming years. Grand Rapids Community College (GRCC) was named one of ten grant recipients across the country to help the agency reach its staffing goals. GRCC will work with Bay College in Escanaba to educate teenagers in the state about career opportunities in fresh and wastewater management. In a press release from the agency announcing the grants, EPA Assistant Administrator for Water, Radhika Fox, said, "Workers at water and wastewater treatment utilities provide a service that is absolutely essential to public health, the environment, and economic prosperity in their communities. The water sector is facing significant workforce challenges and it is critical that EPA and its federal, state, and local partners invest in the next generation of water professionals."
GRCC said in a news release that it will use the grant funding to host "Water Weekend" events and work with schools and other organizations to get the word out about career opportunities. One of the partnering organizations is the city of Grand Rapids Environmental Services Department. Water System Manager for the city of Grand Rapids, Wayne Jernberg, commented on the grant project, "We are excited to partner with GRCC to address the employment needs of water and sewer utilities. Like water and sewer utilities across the nation, Grand Rapids is experiencing staffing shortages due to retirements and the lack of a diverse pool of qualified water professionals. We are confident that this partnership with GRCC will help to address our long-term workforce needs and encourage young people within the community to pursue a career in the water industry."
Bay College is one of only a few colleges in the country to offer a Water Resource Management degree program. Bay College's Lead Water Instructor, Troy Gallagher, said in a news release that "Bay College's Water Resource Management program has been designed to offer students classes either on campus or online. This delivery made us an ideal partner for Grand Rapids Community College and the EPA grant."
Julie Parks, who serves as the interim dean of GRCC's School for Workforce Development, was quoted in the news releases from both colleges as saying, "We are grateful to the EPA for partnering with us to provide this essential training, which will provide up-close looks at family-sustaining careers that keep our communities safer. This program is another example of the value GRCC provides through working with community and education partners. Bay College has one of the nation's best water programs."
Cindy Carter, Bay College vice president of Business, Technology, & Workforce Development, also commented, "This unique opportunity, for Bay College's Water Resource Management Program and GRCC, clearly demonstrates Michigan's community colleges, collaborating together, to build the pipeline to support careers in the water and wastewater industry."