After Napavine High School senior Case Van Kooten signed a youth trade apprenticeship agreement with Walsh Trucking Co. back in May, two more Lewis County youths officially signed agreements and entered trade apprenticeships on Thursday, Aug. 21, inside the Napavine High School library.
They were Napavine High School senior Kaitlyn Aschenbrenner and Onalaska High School senior Hope Slaven, both signing apprenticeship contracts with Evergreen Rural Water of Washington for water operator apprenticeships.
Aschenbrenner will complete her apprenticeship with the Napavine Public Works Department, while Slaven will train alongside the staff of Lewis County Water District 2 in Onalaska.
With college tuition prices continuing to remain high — as average in-state tuition this year at four-year public universities is $11,610 according to collegeboard.org research — many high school students around the country have been pursuing other career options, including trade apprenticeships.
According to Evergreen Rural Water Apprenticeship Supervisor Ernie Klimek, once Aschenbrenner and Slaven complete their training, they will both be qualified for entry level positions in municipality water and wastewater departments making good money.
“I got apprentices up at Silver Lake Water (and Sewer District), and I know it’s up at Everett, but they’re starting out at $75,000,” Klimek said.
The opportunity to start at that kind of salary was a motivation for Aschenbrenner.
“I’ve never really wanted to go to college,” Aschenbrenner said. “This is an easier route to get a career started.”
On the other hand, while still wanting to complete the apprenticeship and work in the water industry, Slaven does still intend to pursue an associate degree and eventually go to a four-year university.
“But, I just thought it was a great opportunity. The school came up to me saying, ‘Hey, I know you’ve been looking for a job for the summer,’” Slaven said. “I saw it and was like, ‘Why hasn’t anybody else done this? Other people in my school should do this as well.’”
According to Klimek, there is currently a nationwide shortage of water and wastewater technicians as many in the industry are retiring — meaning there are plenty of employment opportunities.
“Our apprentices are filling in spots,” Klimek said.
He added Evergreen Rural Water currently has a total of 30 apprentices either in their first year of training or employed in their second year already statewide, with 15 having just graduated from the program and another seven due to join next week.
This is happening throughout other trade industries as well, which is why Napavine High School Career and Technical Education Director David Rutherford has been advocating for more students to enter apprenticeships.
And it’s not just the water and trucking industries offering apprenticeships to high school students, as the energy sector is now getting involved too, helping fund water apprenticeships.
“I worked with the TransAlta Coal Transition Board … They cut us a check for $30,000 dollars,” Rutherford said.
The $30,000 grant covers the costs of the training and certification process.
“We actually have enough to do quite a few more students, so I’m hoping we get some more,” Rutherford added. “... They believe this is an important thing.”
While most might only think of city workers when it comes to water and wastewater technicians, many power plants and production mills also require certified technicians.
Evergreen Rural Water of Washington is a nonprofit founded in 1994 aimed at providing the best training for water and wastewater professionals in the state.
It receives funding from U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and U.S. Department of Agriculture rural development grants and contracts. according to its website. For more information, visit https://erwow.org/.
For more information on apprenticeship opportunities for high school students in Lewis County, email Rutherford at drutherford@napavineschools.org.
