Pasadena Water and Power Conservation Projects Supporting Workforce Development

Pasadena Water and Power’s Water Conservation section has partnered with the City’s Department of Housing to provide water conservation program training to trainees in the Maintenance Assistance, Solutions and Hiring (MASH) program.

During their time with PWP, trainees are placed in two-year cross-training positions and gain the skills to assist them in their pursuit of permanent careers.

“Jeffrey Kightlinger, interim general manager of Pasadena Water and Power and the department are committed to advancing workforce development, providing green jobs training, and preparing the utility workforce of tomorrow,” according to memo released by the City.

The cross-training prepares trainees to enter the water utility workforce by teaching them to read meters, conduct water surveys, leak inspections and irrigation checkups, improve the water efficiency of landscapes at City facilities, install greywater systems, permeable pavements, and rainwater capture systems, restore native habitats, and more.

Trainees also rotate through different programs in which they are exposed to various positions available in the water division, and receive hands-on training supporting utility planners, construction crews, conservation teams, and meter reading crews.

Trainees provide valuable support for water conservation projects and programs to help the City achieve water reduction goals while they gain valuable knowledge, training and skills. Trainees helped complete over 160 irrigation check-ups and installed 600 drip kits for the community, processed 4,000 water waste reports, helped complete nine community gardens at City facilities and retrofit 57 landscapes for low-income customers in Pasadena.

Through this partnership, all of the cross-trainees that served in the PWP Water Conservation section went on to secure full-time positions in the public and private sector including the utility industry. PWP offers robust programs to support customers and encourage water conservation. For more information on PWP’s conservation programs and rebates, visit https://www.PWPweb.com/SaveWater, or call 626-744-4005.