MWDOC ALLIANCE LEADS INDUSTRY WORKFORCE NEEDS ASSESSMENT by Municipal Water District of Orange County Jan 19, 2022 Member Submitted News Early last year, the Municipal Water District of Orange County’s (MWDOC) Water Energy Education Alliance (WEEA) began discussions to perform a statewide water and wastewater workforce needs assessment. In November 2021, the Centers of Excellence (COE) agreed to conduct the study. Today, WEEA is excited to welcome the COE to its Leadership Roundtable Meeting on January 25, 2022, to kick off the project with statewide water, energy, and education leaders. The wave of expected retirements, or the “Silver Tsunami,” has long been a discussion topic for industry leaders and educators. If approached thoughtfully and intentionally, the study will deliver the information needed to garner support from industry leaders, educational institutions, and funding sources to continue building and strengthening workforce pathways for California students interested in water, wastewater, and energy sector careers. Educators, workforce development leaders, industry and industry HR representatives are encouraged to join the discussion and contribute. What type of information does your agency need to successfully prepare for current and future workforce gaps? What information do educators need to help recruit students to training programs? What mission-critical jobs should be at the forefront of this study? These questions and many more are at the heart of the project. Meeting attendees will have an opportunity to ask questions upon registration and during the online presentation. Additionally, participants will join regional breakout groups to discuss ideas, concerns, and solutions related to the project. The meeting will be held via Zoom, and all are welcome. Registration is required to participate. The registration link is www.mwdoc.com/WEEAMeeting. WEEA, administered and facilitated by MWDOC, is a growing collaborative of over 55 education, water, wastewater, and energy industry leaders representing the counties of Orange, Los Angeles, Inland Empire, and San Diego. This thriving, engaged coalition works together to identify workforce gaps and share ideas, strategies, and successes for building sustainable career pathways to water, wastewater, and energy sector jobs. Joining WEEA in this effort are representatives from BAYWORK, a consortium of 43 Bay Area water and wastewater utilities, IEWorks, a collective of 7 water and wastewater agencies in the Inland Empire, and the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (Metropolitan), the largest wholesale water supplier in the nation. WEEA sponsors include Metropolitan, Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, Moulton Niguel Water District, the Water Replenishment District of Southern California, Western Municipal Water District, California Environmental Education Foundation, Big Picture Learning, and California Community Colleges.
