TO: Northeast Wastewater Treatment Facilities
FROM: New England Interstate Water Pollution Control Commission
DATE: July 8, 2005
RE: Northeast WWTF Labor Market Questionnaire
Much has been said recently about the potential for a labor shortage in the water quality field, especially in wastewater treatment. We are hearing the same thing over and over again from facility managers—that they are finding it hard to recruit qualified candidates, often having to resort to poaching employees away from other facilities. Not only is the industry facing retirements of older workers, which is leading to a drain of institutional knowledge from facilities, but it is also dealing with a lack of awareness among the public of the good employment opportunities available within the field.
The New England Interstate Water Pollution Control Commission (NEIWPCC) is concerned about this issue, and we have undertaken a number of efforts to help attract people to water quality careers. In 2004, NEIWPCC, the New England Water Environment Association, and the state wastewater associations in the Northeast cooperated in the creation of a Water Quality Career Opportunities poster/brochure. Distribution of this product targeted high schools, technical high schools, and career centers, but unfortunately none of the agencies have had the staff resources to take it to the next level.
NEIWPCC is now investigating the possibility of developing a wastewater training pilot program with Job Corps to help recruit younger workers into this rewarding and important profession. Job Corps provides young people (ages 16-24) with career planning and preparation by providing them with the opportunity to earn their high school diploma or GED, while offering them career counseling, vocational training, and job placement assistance.
Before moving ahead with this pilot training program it is crucial that we establish a clear understanding of what the actual wastewater labor market looks like in the Northeast. We need to know that if young workers are trained to enter the wastewater field there will in fact be positions for them to fill. Much of what has been said about the future labor shortage has been speculative, and based on what is known about general workforce demographics and anecdotal information gathered on an ad hoc basis about the age makeup of current staff. We need your help to gather real-world data on employment trends in the wastewater industry. We are asking that you please complete this short questionnaire to the best of your abilities, and return it to NEIWPCC by July 29th. The results will be compiled and if appropriate, the information will be used to support the development of the Job Corps wastewater training pilot program. Of course we will share the results with you and will keep the responses anonymous.
Thank you for your participation in this survey. If you have any question or would like to receive an electronic version of the survey, please don’t hesitate to contact Marianna Vulli at (978) 323-7929 or via email at mvulli@neiwpcc.org
download the survey as a Word file
Northeast WWTF Labor Market Questionnaire
Please complete the following survey to the best of your abilities. If you have received this document in electronic format, to enter your answers click on the gray spaces to begin typing or click on the box you wish to select. Please note that you must indicate in which state the facility is located. Return the completed questionnaire to NEIWPCC via email (mvulli@neiwpcc.org) or via fax (978-323-7919) to the attention of Marianna Vulli by July 29th. Contact Marianna Vulli for an electronic version of the questionnaire.
State: Required Facility Name:
Contact/Title: Address:
Telephone/Fax: Email:
System Type: Conventional activated sludge Design Flow Capacity: MGD
Extended aeration
Rotating biological contactor
Sequencing batch reactor
Other
1) What is the total number of current employees at the WWTF?
Of the total, what number are:
# Entry-level # Mid-level # Senior-level
# Operations
# Maintenance
# Laboratory
# Management and supervision
2) What is the current age makeup of the facility’s employees? (enter number of staff in each range)
18-30
31-40
41-50
51+
3) Are there any current vacancies? YES NO
If YES, in what areas are the vacancies (indicate how many):
a) Superintendent
b) Chief Operator
c) Operator
d) Mechanic
e) Lab Technician
f) Electrician
g) Entry-level
4) Will the WWTF need to replace staff in the next 5 years? YES NO
If YES, how many?
In what areas (indicate how many):
a) Superintendent
b) Chief Operator
c) Operator
d) Mechanic
e) Lab Technician
f) Electrician
g) Entry-level
5) Is the WWTF planning to increase its current employee base in the next 5 years? YES NO
If no, are cutbacks possible in the next 5 years? YES NO
6) What is the background/prior experience/training of the employees hired by the WWTF?
7) What is the starting salary/benefits package for entry-level employees?
8) Is certification a requirement for being hired? YES NO
If yes, what level?
Are there other requirements for being hired (e.g., civil service status)?
9) Does the WWTF have a recruitment program? YES NO If YES, please describe:
10) How would the WWTF consider a job application from a graduate of a Job Corps wastewater training program?
Favorably No-Difference Un-Favorably