CLARKSBURG, W.Va. (WV News) — Officials held a signing ceremony Wednesday for a new program that will teach high school students marketable job skills and boost the number of qualified applicants for hard-to-fill water treatment positions at utilities across West Virginia.
As a partnership among Harrison County Schools, the Clarksburg Water Board and the West Virginia Rural Water Association, the pre-apprenticeship program has been in the works since 2020. The goal is to allow students to receive on-the-job training during one-half of their school day so they can earn Class I and II certification as water system treatment operators.
“It’s been a long time coming. This is actually a goal for Harrison County Schools to get more involved with the businesses and looking at what the needs are in the community as far as jobs and what our workforce needs to be, and this is a great start,” said Harrison County Superintendent Dora Stutler.
Students who complete the program will be offered a job as soon as they graduate, earning between $18 and $24 an hour.
“This is a big opportunity for our kids. There’s a lot of need for water plant operators throughout the country. I think the average age is over 50 years old, so a lot of them are going to be retiring. They’re great professional jobs. There’s continued training. There’s a lot of jobs in the state that are going to need these kids,” said Paul J. Howe III, president of the Clarksburg Water Board.
This year’s first and only program participant at the moment is 16-year-old Trent Mosher, who has been working and making a paycheck all summer with the Water Board, while learning how to be a water treatment expert.
“Since COVID started, everyone is having trouble with jobs, but this is a stable job through and through. You’re just always going to have a job here. There’s always a need for water,” Mosher said. “I’m learning a lot. All of my friends and people I talk to are asking me questions about it. “
The program will be available only at Liberty High School next school year, with plans to extend it to other schools after that.
Eventually, the goal is for each utility to have a pre-apprenticeship program in West Virginia schools, allowing students to have the option to learn a trade and then be employed in well-paying jobs with benefits directly after graduation.
“I was thrilled to be part of this pilot , and we wanted to start out with it small,” said Pamela Knight, Liberty High School principal. “I’m sure that after the enthusiasm that the young man from my school has for this program, I think that he’s going to pass that along to others, and we’re going to grow this program, and it will be a very worthwhile partnership for all entities. We will have folks right in our community that will be able to replace those who retire here at the water treatment plant.”