Grand Rapids Community College, the city of Grand Rapids, and Bay College in Escanaba are teaming up for a project that builds a pipeline to careers in the water and wastewater industry.
The program is supported by a $500,000 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency grant. GRCC, the city of Grand Rapids, and Bay College will use the grant award to introduce middle and high school students and adult learners from neighborhoods with high unemployment to water and wastewater careers.
To learn more about the program visit GRCC Water & Wastewater Treatment Programs.
The program exposed individuals to the various water and wastewater careers at the Lake Michigan Filtration Plant and Water Resource Recovery Facility.
Each cohort is made up of six individuals eager to learn about the water and wastewater industry. The individuals work 24 hours a week for 52 weeks as Utility Aide Interns in their area of interest. This can include working with the Water/Wastewater Operators or Utility Maintenance Mechanics. The hourly wage for a Utility Aide Intern is $18.066/hour.
In addition to the internship, the Utility Aide Interns are required to complete online coursework through the Bay College Water Resource Management Program.
We are now taking applications for cohort 2024-2025 until July 23, 2024.
Interviews will be scheduled for the week of July 29 and internship start date is August 20, 2024.
Apply for the internship program here.
Download Flyer(PDF, 532KB)
Read about Daniel Martinez, Utility Aide Intern, and his experience in the program.
6th-9th grade campers discovered a world of opportunities in the water field during this three-day camp. Participants explored careers directly and indirectly related to the health and quality of their drinking water and environmental waters through hands-on activities, demonstrations, and presentations. Utilizing the Human Water Cycle framework, campers followed the journey of water from source to tap and back to the environment, exploring a myriad of careers behind every drop of clean water.
Day 1 at Clemente Park, exploring careers in Public Services through demonstrations and activities
Day 2: Source water exploration at Lake Michigan and drinking water treatment at LMFP
Day 3: Wastewater treatment and its return back to the environment
The Camps for 2024 are scheduled for July 23 - 25 and August 6-8.
Register for the 2024 Water Career Camp here.
Download Flyer(PDF, 8MB)
Thank you to all who attended the Water Pool-ooza events at the Lake Michigan Filtration Plant and Riverside Park.
258 people attended, and 40 community partners hosted a resource table – making the events a great success!
Thank you to our sponsors Fishbeck and Abonmarche.
We can’t wait to see you in 2025!