Apprenticeship Program

NJWA Water and Wastewater Systems Operations Apprenticeship Program

Licensed operators are imperative for communities to have access to safe drinking water and to ensure wastewater is properly treated to protect our rivers, streams, and groundwater. Without these highly trained individuals, essential lifeline services would fail. It takes more than 380,000 highly skilled water and wastewater personnel nationally, and more than 3300 in New Jersey to ensure the operation and maintenance of these essential services.

Advancements in water treatment and supply technology have increased the skills and training required of this workforce. Water professionals are responsible for meeting stringent regulatory standards, replacing aging infrastructure, recruiting, and training new operations specialists, and responding to and recovering from natural disasters, and other emergency incidents.

Download Apprenticeship Program (Applicant Brochure) PDF

Download Apprenticeship Program (Employer Brochure) PDF

Where is our industry heading?

In addition to increasing professional demands, utilities will soon be forced to replace many of their most experienced employees. During this decade, the water industry is expected to lose upwards of 50 percent of the licensed operator workforce due to retirements. Many of these retiring employees have worked at the same utility for most of their careers, and they will depart with decades of valuable institutional knowledge.

Water and wastewater utilities provide opportunities for a respected professional career in an important field. Those seeking to develop the skills necessary to enter the profession should consider the NJWA Apprenticeship Program.

Careers

Thousands of hard-working men and women protect our environment and ensure the health and safety of its citizens by providing access to safe, affordable drinking water and effective sanitation management. Water and Wastewater Operation Specialists have a wide range of skills from computer technology to heavy machinery, from financial understanding to regulatory compliance. This profession works both indoors and outdoors and must interact and work with engineers, chemists, management staff and laboratory staff. Rural utility operators typically are responsible for management, operations, and maintenance of a system. They can also be responsible for inspecting equipment, monitoring daily activity, maintaining regular test samples and ensure that safety standards are met by staying current on environmental laws and regulations.

If you are looking for a stable, promising career where you will be able to serve your community and make a difference in everyday lives, learning from some of the best water and wastewater operators in the nation, apply to become an apprentice in the water and wastewater industry. There will always be a need for water and wastewater professionals and there is no better time than now to become the next generation of respected professionals in the most vital industry in the world: Water.

About the Apprenticeship Program
The Apprenticeship Program lays a firm foundation for apprentices to thrive upon completion. With little to no cost, apprentices will attend an approximately 2-year training program. From classroom instruction and on-the-job training, you are provided the tools necessary to be a successful operation specialist in your community. During your apprenticeship, you earn-while-you-learn from knowledgeable, passionate people who strive to deliver clean drinking water to their community and treat wastewater before returning it to the environment. This program starts as a job and emerges as a solid and secure career as either a water operations specialist or wastewater operations specialist.

Get Started

Apply to become an apprentice in the water and wastewater industry and become one of the best water or wastewater operators in the nation. 

NRWA - National Rural Water Apprenticeship Program - Contact Form

Additional information is available through the links provided below. 

Download Employer Documents for Apprenticeship

NJWA Apprenticeship USDOL Approved Standards (PDF)
Qualifications and Selection Procedures (Appendix D) (PDF)
Employer Acceptance Agreement (Appendix E) (PDF)
NJWA Apprenticeship Program Content - Water Treatment (PDF)
NJWA Apprenticeship Program Content - Waste Water Treatment (PDF)

Download Documents for Apprenticeship

NJWA Apprenticeship Guidance Overview (PDF) 
NJWA Apprenticeship Program Content - Water Treatment (PDF) 
NJWA Apprenticeship Program Content - Waste Water Treatment (PDF) 

Why Select The NJWA Apprenticeship Program?
Apprenticeship Program Benefits - Employers

Apprentice Benefits - Employers

• Expand universe of potential new employees/Reduced recruitment costs – NJWA will outreach to various employment agencies, high schools, colleges and trade schools to help identify apprentice candidates. Helps reduce recruitment costs and provides a stable, reliable source of employees.
• Develop highly-skilled employees – The NJWA apprenticeship program provides a systematic approach to training that ensures employees are trained and certified to produce at the highest skill levels required for the occupation.
• Increase productivity – Highly trained employees improve operations.
• Customized training – Meeting industry standards and tailored to the specific needs of the employer, resulting in highly-skilled employees.
• Increased knowledge - Transfer knowledge through on-the-job learning from an experienced mentor, combined with education courses to support work-based learning.
• Enhanced employee retention - 91% of apprentices that complete an apprenticeship are still employed nine months later.
• A safer workplace - May reduce worker compensation costs, due to the program‘s emphasis on safety training.

Download Employer Documents for Apprenticeship

NJWA Apprenticeship USDOL Approved Standards (PDF)
Qualifications and Selection Procedures (Appendix D) (PDF)
Employer Acceptance Agreement (Appendix E) (PDF)
NJWA Apprenticeship Program Content - Water Treatment (PDF)
NJWA Apprenticeship Program Content - Waste Water Treatment (PDF)

Apprenticeship Program Benefits - Workers

• Paid On-the-Job Training - Apprentices receive a paycheck that is guaranteed to increase as their training progresses and established milestones are successfully completed.
• Hands-on career training - Apprentices receive practical on-the-job training to enable them to meet the challenges of operating water and wastewater systems.
• An education - Apprentices also receive related technical instruction to supplement their on-the-job training to further improve skills and competences.
• A career - Once the apprenticeship is complete, workers are on their way to a successful long-term career with a competitive salary and little or no educational debt.
• National credential: When an apprentice successfully completes the apprenticeship program, he or she earns a certified portable credential accepted across the U.S.
• Licensing – The NJWA apprenticeship program provides the necessary elements to qualify those satisfactorily completing the program to take the NJDEP licensed operator examination.

Download Documents for Apprenticeship

NJWA Apprenticeship Guidance Overview (PDF) 
NJWA Apprenticeship Program Content - Water Treatment (PDF) 
NJWA Apprenticeship Program Content - Waste Water Treatment (PDF)