For the Employee: Building career equity through education

Building a resume today is about more than just adding jobs and skills. Employers are looking for individuals who demonstrate a hunger for learning and continue to grow by participating in continuing education opportunities. Online course certificates are quickly becoming a prerequisite on resumes whether or not they are recognized by an official accrediting institution. That’s because job seekers and talent managers increasingly recognize the value of these certificates as an alternative way to gain and demonstrate marketable skills.

Online certificates aren’t just for the exceptionally ambitious or resourceful job seekers. Google and other companies are starting to list online courses as recommended qualifications for technical roles, and the Department of Education is piloting a program to provide federal financial aid for online courses. As acceptance grows, online learning will prove essential to closing the skills gap.

For the Employer: Continuing education is a benefit you offer your employees where you get a benefit, too

Regulated industries, like the water and wastewater industries, hold licensees accountable for continuing their education. This is the responsibility of the operators — it is, after all, their license. As an employer, this is one of the most cost-effective benefits you can provide — in effect getting a direct return on your investment by improving the skills of your employee.  

Millennials are expected to change jobs 13 times over the course of their careers. In a job market that is already struggling to replace older operators, turnover crushes productivity and produces a constant headache for employers. At Water Otter we know that continual education is valuable not only for your operations, but is also a tangible benefit you provide to your employees, and we know that its greatest value comes from developing a culture where education is rewarded. To that end, we assist our members in incentivizing their employees to develop an “urge to learn” through the Water Otter rewards program. This is one way that Water Otter provides the most complete continuing education program in the industry — helping our members achieve success in their operations and their careers.