Members of Pittsburgh Water's Customer Service department are all smiles celebrating 2024

The extent to which our more than 400 dedicated employees feel supported, engaged, and fulfilled at work has a direct impact on our ability to meet our goals and serve our customers. We strive to create a workplace culture that supports our employees in their professional development, fosters and preserves a culture of diversity, equity, and inclusion, and reflects and provides opportunities to the communities we serve.

Last year, we welcomed 65 new employees and promoted 53 internal employees, indicative of our commitment to helping our employees grow. We also attended 29 recruitment events to help build out our talent pipeline for the upcoming years.

Thanks to consistent leadership development and the fostering of strong manager-employee relationships, we reduced our turnover rate from 2023. Relatedly, we significantly reduced our vacancy rate by 5.7% compared to last year.

Pittsburgh Water is dedicated to developing our current employees and creating a diverse pipeline of future employees through community partnerships and workforce development initiatives.

In 2024, we continued to establish partnerships with local universities, technical colleges, and K-12 programs in and around Allegheny County to showcase the career opportunities available in water and public service sectors through our "Careers in Water" initiative. Engaging activities, including Water Treatment Plant tours, workshops, and job shadowing opportunities are an integral part of these initiatives.

To promote equitable workforce development, Pittsburgh Water participates in the US Water Alliance's Taskforce Toward a Strong and Equitable Workforce, collaborating with partners like the Riverside Center for Innovation, Landforce, Partner4Work, the City of Pittsburgh, and Upstream Pittsburgh. We're also committed to the principles outlined in Pittsburgh's Good Job Principles.

In the spring of 2025, with the support of the International Union of Operating Engineers, Local 95, we will resend our application for a state-approved apprenticeship program for Stationary Engineers to the Pennsylvania Apprenticeship and Training Council (PATC) Board. If approved, this will be the first apprenticeship program at Pittsburgh Water.

We are actively developing our workforce by building authentic partnerships with community organizations and educational institutions. Our goal is to create entry points and establish effective workforce development programs. Additionally, we aim to educate and encourage members of underrepresented communities to pursue careers in the water utility industry.