The Water Workforce

Veolia, associations roll out a plan to stimulate water infrastructure and its employees

Veolia Water, the industrial water company, alongside the Water Environment Federation (WEF) and the American Water Works Association (AWWA), announced the launch of Veolia Workforce Academy North America February 5, a free fully digital workforce training and employment pathway program, designed to expand nationwide access to water sector careers while creating skilled jobs and strengthening the U.S. water sector.

Veolia Workforce Academy North America, which is open today at academy.veolia.us, removes barriers to entry for people to learn technical skills and prepare for the state certifications necessary to enter and advance a career in the industry.

Water utilities in the United States are facing a generational risk and need to find thousands of new workers quickly to manage and maintain critical infrastructure and ensure communities have access to high-quality water and services. At the same time, the water sector needs to develop higher-level skills and a more technologically savvy workforce to operate the next generation of water and wastewater systems. This represents over 10,000 new workers every year just to keep pace with experienced workers retiring from the sector.

Across the United States, an estimated 1.7 million people supply the human effort necessary to run more than 150,000 water and wastewater systems, which are grappling with a “silver tsunami” – a wave of looming retirements that threatens their operational capabilities and the vital functions they serve for millions of people. At the same time, states protect their water resources by requiring water and wastewater workers to earn operating licenses from regulators, based on a combination of mandatory training, job experience and/or examinations. Veolia Workforce Academy North America’s online coursework aligns with these requirements so aspiring workers can land their first job in the industry.

• Water jobs pay well: Workers in the American water sector earned a median pay of $58,260 per year in 2024, which is 17% higher than the national median for all jobs, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

• Water jobs are resilient: According to economic research from the Value of Water Campaign, the national unemployment rate neared 10% during the Great Recession but never rose above 5% in the water sector. The total water workforce has grown 28% since 2014, nearly double the rate of national workforce growth.

• The water workforce is aging: As of 2021, more than 30% of America’s water workers are age 55 or older, but only 4.5% are age 24 or younger, according to the Brookings Institution.

Water systems need help: Fewer than 60% of American water executives say workforce training is fully funded at their utility, according to AWWA’s annual State of the Water Industry report, creating strong demand for a skills program to fill that gap.

This training available at academy.veolia.us is a partnership between Veolia, which provides water, wastewater and related services to more than 18 million people in the United States; the American Water Works Association (AWWA), which represents 50,000 members and more than 4,300 water and wastewater utilities in North America; and the Water Environment Federation (WEF). It unites training curricula developed by both WEF and AWWA and makes them available in a simple and accessible format.

“WEF is working to attract and develop a diverse and passionate water workforce, and is proud to partner with Veolia and AWWA to expand access to free online education for water professionals,” said Ralph Exton, Executive Director, Water Environment Federation. “Coming together on this series of courses allows us to empower more operators with the skills they need today. Attracting people to the water sector and helping to train and strengthen the water workforce are critical parts of our work leading the transformation to a circular water economy.”

“Securing the future water workforce is job number one," said David LaFrance, CEO of the American Water Works Association. “We can't deliver safe, reliable water and protect the environment without a trained and committed water workforce. AWWA's Water 2050 initiative sees partnerships exactly like this one with Veolia and WEF as key to building talent pipelines and assuring a sustainable water future.”