March 29, 2024
College students and professionals looking for a career in the water industry packed the room at El Camino College for the inaugural West Basin Municipal Water District (West Basin) “Discover a Career in Water Night.” This event opened the floodgate to allow eager students of all ages to learn about the vast array of job opportunities and receive an abundance of resources to fuel their interest in this field.
Click here for images from the event
Nearly 120 potential future water employees were welcomed by representatives from West Basin and 17 organizations including the cities of El Segundo, Lomita, Manhattan Beach, and Torrance, who fielded questions about different career pathways and provided answers that spurred in-depth discussions. Los Angeles County Waterworks, Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP), Metropolitan Water District, Water Replenishment District (WRD), Los Angeles County Sanitation Department (LACSD), and Golden State Water Company (GSWC) also engaged attendees as they networked from station to station. Simultaneously Veolia, Inframark, El Camino College, Los Angeles Trade Tech, the National Society of Black Engineers, Los Angeles Chapter (NSBE), Groundwater Resources Association of CA, and the California Water Environment Association (CWEA) provided operational, service-based, and educational insight into the water industry.
Steven Ortega, a curious and ambitious freshman at El Camino College, walked around the room asking questions at each booth. He was motivated by the potential of combining his interests with a stable career path saying, “We have the power to change a lot, and the impacts are so important. The water industry is massive and I know applying there will give me job security.”
West Basin General Manager E.J. Caldwell introduced the event, exalting the potential for growth in the water workforce on the eve of World Water Day. Caldwell also emphasized the diverse range of career opportunities available in the water industry like engineers, scientists, technical operations, divers, public relations, government policy, and many others that have the essential expertise and skills to maintain and provide vital resources to all our communities. This was followed by prompting participants to visit two technical demonstrations featuring WRD’s Hydrogeology and LACSD’s Sewer Science/Water Quality teams.
West Basin Division IV Director Scott Houston encouraged attendees by focusing on the importance of education and trade skills and highlighted available positions with LADWP, GSWC, LACSD, and the City of Lomita, while also inspiring guests to find their match by networking and engaging with employers at the event.
In addition to the networking opportunities, the night featured a resume review table staffed by West Basin’s Human Resources Department, skills matching and wastewater training with CWEA, and a series of Q&A sessions with the City of Lomita, Veolia, and engineers from both NSBE and West Basin.
West Basin Division II Director Gloria D. Gray closed the evening with an uplifting message to attendees, reassuring them that there are jobs in the water industry for everybody and employers are actively seeking a diverse pool of candidates with all types of backgrounds, education, and experience.
We encourage everyone to explore careers in the world of water by visiting the West Basin “Water Industry Careers” web page for scholarship opportunities, internships, links to job boards, and more.
