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Program Overview

With the increasing retirements of the “Baby Boomer” generation, the water and wastewater industries will begin to experience a shortage of educated professionals. In anticipation of this, and in order to avert such a crisis, Cleveland State University (CSU) has partnered with representatives from the Ohio section of the American Water Works Association (OAWWA) and the Northeast section of the Ohio Water Environment Association (OWEA) to develop a comprehensive workforce development program. The CSU Water Workforce Development program is comprised of multiple components that together provide a holistic experience for student interns and sponsoring organizations. The program’s four components are listed below. The internship component taps into all related major fields of study at CSU, including (but not limited to) Engineering, Law, Business, Environmental Studies, Urban Studies, Public Administration, and Environmental Sciences.

Four Components

• Internship Placement and Matching
• Program Advisory Committee
• Mentoring
• Project Development Process

Click here for details about these four components (PDF)

Purpose and Benefits of the Program

The purpose of this program is to address the gap between the increasing demand for water professionals and the current level of employees entering the workforce. CSU is assisting OWEA and OAWWA in efforts to attract new engineers, scientists and managers to meet the needs of the water industry. The program design facilitates interdisciplinary, experientially-based knowledge transfer to address immediate and long term industry needs.

Organizations in the water industry can participate in several ways: by hosting an internship for an undergraduate or graduate student; by becoming a mentor for a student interested in the water sector; by participating on our external advisory committee, and by working with a new student organization at CSU, the CSU Water Resource Professionals. Please consider entering your contact information (you can select which kind of involvement you prefer) through the industry portal on this page.

Students interested in a career in the water industry are encouraged to join the CSU Water Resource Professionals student organization or enter their information through the student portal above.

Please consider entering your contact information. We want to keep you updated on the events and opportunities through this new program.