Mayor Catherine E. Pugh and City Council President Bernard  C. “Jack” Young today joined Baltimore City Department of Public Works (DPW) and its partners, Chesapeake Water Environment Association (CWEA) and the Mayor’s Office of Employment Development (MOED), to congratulate the 2017 Water Mentoring Program graduates on completing this rigorous eight-month program. She also announced the rebranding of this ground-breaking 3-year-old City program to “Y-H20” — the Youth Water Mentoring Program, which will serve as a national model for other cities.

“Y-H20 is the same successful program, but is now better branded to be showcased as a national model for other cities to adopt and use.  The program has a new logo and shortened program title,” DPW Director Rudolph  S. Chow, P.E., said.  “We’ve shown the success of the program and how effectively it equips young workers with the key skills needed to fill entry-level positions in the water industry.” 

In the 2017 water mentoring program, 16 graduates successfully completed this visionary on-the-job training program. All of the 2017 participants are now employed full time with DPW and Baltimore County Department of Public Works.

Launched in the 2015, the Y-H20 program provides on-the-job-training and support from water industry veterans to equip the young workers with the skills needed to fill entry-level positions in the water industry. The result is a pipeline of future water industry workers.

“Baltimore City’s Y-H20 program has shown the success of the program and how effectively it equips young workers with the key skills needed to fill entry-level positions in the water industry,” DPW Director Chow said.

In addition to basic job readiness training, this eight-month program provides opportunities to explore careers in the water industry; worksite tours and job shadowing; connection with a career coach/mentor; a summer job at DPW; and opportunities to interview for full-time, entry-level positions with DPW or private companies.