New Atlanta Technical College program helps prevent future water problems in city

ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) – A glaring problem during Atlanta’s recent water woes was the lack of watershed personnel, particularly specialized workers who could have stepped in to speed the city’s return to normal .

City Councilman Antonio Lewis told Atlanta News First that at the city’s recent hiring event, only 39 people out of 500 who showed up were qualified for a job with the department.

Now, thanks to a partnership with Atlanta Technical College (ATC), the city is home to this crucial talent.

Over a seven-week period, which began May 20, eight current Atlanta Watershed employees will complete training and classes at ATC with the goal of gaining important skills and knowledge that could avoid problems such as the shutdown of water services which lasted for several days.

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“Talent shortages are real in the water and wastewater sector as well as most of our industries,” said ATC’s Dr. Lewis Burke, who helped create the program. “We have a challenge when it comes to career paths: on the one hand, individuals know the field, and then on the other hand, they are trained in the field. »

All eight participants are already employees of the watershed department and all their expenses are paid through the partnership. Through a blend of classroom instruction and hands-on learning, they will learn how to mitigate and resolve issues that could result from Atlanta’s aging water infrastructure.

“What kinds of technologies and skills are needed for this, how to solve water and wastewater problems,” Burke said. “Everything that is applicable to operation with new and old technologies.”

The added benefit of the partnership with ATC – which was in the works well before last week’s water main break – is that the talent they train will immediately return to their day jobs to put their new skills to use .

“The water and wastewater training that we provide is certainly a wake-up call to invest in people,” Burke said. “Knowledge and skills are as important as infrastructure and technology. »

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