WHAT: In a new public/private partnership, young adults looking for a career path are being coached and prepared for hundreds of entry-level job openings in Maryland’s water industry. The organizer of the Baltimore City Water Industry Youth Career Mentoring Program is so confident that the first class of career seekers will find jobs that he has guaranteed placement once they complete training and a paid internship this summer.

WHO: The Baltimore City Mayor’s Office of Employment Development (MOED) and Department of Public Works (DPW) are partnering with the Chesapeake Water Environment Association. John Fletcher, Atlantic Regional Manager of Duke’s Root Control – a contractor in the area – is developing the program. Young adults age 17-24, with a diploma or GED, are eligible to participate. They are matched with career coaches who work in the water industry.

WHEN: Tuesday, May 12, at 8:30 a.m. the program participants will meet at the MOED office at 101 W. 24th Street to review the work they will be learning later in the day. At 9:45 a.m. the participants will be at the 5800 block of Kipling Court in Baltimore to see how crews handle root control in sanitary sewer lines. At 11 a.m. they will go to the 2500 block of Garret Avenue to see how crews re-line sanitary sewer lines to prevent leaks and damage.

WHY: Public agencies such as DPW have hundreds of entry-level jobs they cannot fill.  Private contractors also have openings but cannot find properly trained workers to fill the jobs. Meanwhile, hundreds of young men looking for work simply lack the connection to proper training, career coaching, and guidance. The Baltimore City Water Industry Youth Career Mentoring Program was started to match the needs of the employers and the potential employees to not just fill jobs, but to prepare young people for careers. It has attracted attention and help from Big Brothers Big Sisters, the North American Sewer Services Contractors, and water industry professionals in other cities.