Next up on Tap Talk, we are welcoming Shannan Walton, the National Rural Water Association‘s Director of Workforce Development, to the show. At NRWA, Shannan has been integral in running the organization’s successful NRWA Apprenticeship Program for training new operators across the country. Listen to her conversation with Steve and Jennifer to learn all about the history, development, and the future of this program, as well as Shannan’s thoughts on what else we can do to bring young people into the water industry.
Topics Discussed
- Meet Shannan Walton | LinkedIn
- Shannan’s Water Hero: All of the dedicated state program coordinators that make the national apprenticeship program so successful!
- What is the NRWA Operator Apprenticeship Program?
- How did the program get started and what were the early challenges in getting it off the ground?
- How many state rural water associations participate, and what are the differences in the ways they run the program?
- Why is it important that apprentices are learning the same core material nationwide?
- The impact of the program: How many people have enrolled and completed it?
- What do employers like about the program?
- How has the program impacted very small water systems in particular?
- How does someone get started in the apprenticeship program?
- What else can we do to grow the industry?
- Connect with the National Rural Water Association
“If we don’t start changing things, all of us are going to be hurting. I love water. I love to drink it straight out of the tap. I just want the future of America to be able to have faith in our drinking water.”Shannan Walton
Go Further
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About the Guest
Shannan Walton joined the National Rural Water Association in 2018, and has been involved in registered apprenticeship work for more than 22 years on both the state and national levels of training. Prior to entering the water industry, Shannan served as the State Director of the Office of Apprenticeship in the US Department of Labor in Oklahoma. At NRWA, she provides technical assistance to state associations, coordinates multiple projects, oversees the state apprenticeship program coordinators, writes regular grant reports, and much more.