Water is a precious resource. So, as it turns out, are workers in the water industry.
Across the nation, the water business is facing a major workforce shortage, with nearly half of current employees eligible to retire in the next five years.
Eastern Municipal Water District (EMWD) is working to address the crisis by creating a career pipeline through schools and temporary employment programs.
EMWD’s Youth Ecology Corps (YEC) provides young adults with short-term opportunities to work part-time at the water district. In partnership with the Riverside County Workforce Investment Board, EMWD has hosted the program for more than a decade, instructing hundreds of 18-to-24-year-olds.
Gracie Valencia is one of them. More accurately, she was one of them, as she's now a full-time EMWD employee.
This summer, Valencia’s experience in the program landed her full-time employment with EMWD, giving her something she has long searched for in a job: a future. She was assigned to the Public Affairs team and assisted on educational field trips and other events, eagerly embracing every assignment.
When a position as a Customer Service Advisor became available, she went after it.
“I knew EMWD was an organization I wanted to be at, and that this could be my long-term home,” she said. “I would not have had this life-changing opportunity if it wasn’t for the Youth Ecology Corps program and the skills and experience it provided me. The trajectory of my life is different because of this program and the commitment I made to it.”
The YEC program is only one of EMWD’s growing stable of initiatives to promote water industry careers. EMWD offers college internships, apprenticeships, and an award-winning high school Career Technical Education program that promotes careers in the water and wastewater sectors.
“These programs provide opportunities for young adults they would not otherwise have,” EMWD Board President Stephen Corona said. “It is so rewarding when we can help them achieve their dreams.”
In 2017, Eric Morales came to EMWD’s offices after graduating with a degree in biochemistry He saw a flier about the YEC program in EMWD’s lobby and applied, then began working in EMWD’s state-certified laboratory.
Morales was invited back for a second YEC term. When a permanent position in the lab became available, his real-world experience obtained through the YEC program made him the ideal candidate.
He is now a senior scientist in the lab, helping EMWD perform more than 48,000 water quality tests every year as part of its commitment to safe drinking water.
“I think I can honestly say if it wasn’t for the YEC program, I wouldn’t be here at EMWD,” Morales said. “I knew I wanted to work in a lab that made a difference, and the YEC program allowed me to see what the lab scientists do at a major place like EMWD.
“Programs like this work. EMWD has taken the initiative to take a chance on interns and allow them these kinds of opportunities.”