DENVER — The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment will be on hand at the American Water Works Association’s Annual Conference and Exposition (ACE13) June 9-13 to help water utilities better understand how to bring veterans into the water sector, according to a press release.
Veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars and other military service are seen as excellent candidates to fill mission critical jobs at water utilities.
AWWA’s 2013 State of the Water Industry Report, to be published this fall, will demonstrate that replacing an aging water workforce remains among the top concerns for water utilities, stated the release.
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and Colorado Department of Labor and Employment representatives will exhibit in the conference registration lobby and will participate in a Wednesday morning panel discussion, which also includes water professionals who are veterans.
Panelists will discuss why water employers should seek out veterans, describe the various programs to assist veterans and employers and explain how to navigate the bureaucracies that are involved with veterans’ career placement.
Attendees will leave the session with concrete action plans equipping them with the tools to add more veterans to their workforces, noted the release.
With the anticipated retirements of the Baby Boomers, the water sector expects to lose 30-50 percent of its experienced workforce within the next 10 years, according to a 2010 Water Research Foundation report.
Read the entire press release here.
