Veolia Launches Free Digital Training Academy to Address U.S. Water Sector Workforce Crisis

Event summary

  • Veolia, WEF, and AWWA launched Veolia Workforce Academy North America, a free digital training program for water sector careers.
  • The initiative aims to address a shortage of 10,000 new workers annually due to retirements and infrastructure demands.
  • The program aligns with state certification requirements and is available at academy.veolia.us.
  • U.S. water sector workers earned a median pay of $58,260 in 2024, 17% higher than the national median.

The big picture

The U.S. water sector faces a critical workforce shortage, with over 1.7 million workers managing 150,000 systems and a looming 'silver tsunami' of retirements. Veolia's initiative aims to bridge this gap by providing free, accessible training to attract and upskill new workers. This move aligns with broader industry efforts to ensure the resilience and sustainability of water infrastructure amid aging workforces and increasing regulatory demands.

What we're watching

Adoption Pace
How quickly the program will attract and train new workers to fill critical gaps in the water sector.
Industry Impact
Whether the initiative can sustainably address the aging workforce and infrastructure challenges in the water sector.
Scalability
The pace at which the program can expand to meet the growing demand for skilled workers in the water sector.