Continuing to Serve: How to Recruit Retiring Military Personnel into the Water Sector

The water workforce is aging, and a significant number of water operators and managers are expected to retire in the next 10 years. Small water systems with limited staff may be especially hard hit by this “silver tsunami.” One way for water systems to fill these vacancies is to encourage workers in other sectors to move into drinking water mid-career. This webinar will focus on one group of potential mid-career transfers—men and women who are retiring from military service. One of RCAP’s veterans will share his experiences of making the shift from a military career into drinking water. The technical knowledge, project management, and personnel management skills learned in the military can be an ideal fit for drinking water systems, while the opportunity to serve, camaraderie of the drinking water sector, and organizational structure of utilities can make drinking water an ideal fit for veterans transitioning back to civilian life. The webinar will also describe the process of how retiring military personnel find new jobs and will offer practical advice for water systems to get their job postings in the hands of veterans.

The material in this webinar is best suited for individuals who operate, manage or own drinking water systems. All participants will receive a certificate of attendance.

The webinar is funded under a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and was conducted on February 18, 2021.