ARLINGTON WATER UTILITIES
ARLINGTON WATER UTILITIES EXPANDS INTERNSHIP PROGRAM TO HELP JOB SEEKERS
A partnership between Arlington Water Utilities , ACH
Child and Family Services , and Workforce Solutions for Tarrant County began as a way to assist young adults that set to age-out of the foster care system with obtaining professional certifications and relevant job experience . A year later , it has evolved into a way to help an even wider range of young people and adults seeking new opportunities to find stable employment by gaining skills and experience .
As the program has continued to grow , the concept has remained the same – create a mutually beneficial relationship between the City of Arlington and job seekers . Arlington has received more than 7,648 hours of work from interns since the program began . Since wages for the internships are provided by Workforce Solutions for Tarrant County , that translates into a savings of $ 107,778 in labor costs .
Craig Gantt , Acting Assistant Director of Utilities and Operations in the water department , has worked for the City of Arlington for 23 years . Interns in the Workforce Solutions program report to him . He and others in management saw a need for the program . Seasoned employees retiring and a shortage of young adults entering the water utilities field have caused a gap in staffing , he says . “ I don ’ t believe that our message of the benefits or working in the water utilities industry is reaching Generation Z . We must tailor the message that you can participate in a fulfilling , wellpaying , lifelong career and perform a task that is vital for our survival without going to college . If we do not reach this demographic , it won ’ t bode well for our ability to ensure a bountiful supply of clean water for our future population ,” Gantt says .
On the other side of the employment issue , Lamonica Miles , Workforce Solutions Business Liaison , is the link between job candidates and prospective employers . She works to pair candidates looking for stable employment , and even those simply looking for a career change , with reputable companies and organizations .
Miles works with each individual to help them figure out what marketable job skills they have . She also uses software that screens the candidates for their general information and helps to give a generalized report of where the individual will succeed . Marc Thompson , Workforce Solutions Special Projects Coordinator , provides similar services for the job seekers who are transitioning from the ACH foster care program .
Lacey Douglas , Workforce Solutions Communications and Events Director , works on the communications side to recruit potential employers , plan job fairs , and connect candidates with career counselors to help them apply for jobs . Employers are looking to hire in Tarrant County , and job seekers are looking for their next career opportunity ,” according to Douglas . The organization knows this from the virtual job fairs they are hosting which are drawing in double and sometimes triple