Oregon community boosts water workforce through in-house training

Rudy Mendoza never really thought about the water that runs through his home in Hillsboro, Oregon – until he enrolled in the city’s Operator-in-Training internship program for water and public works operators. Now he thinks about water all day long as a certified water operator.

Mendoza (pictured right) was one of the first trainees to enter the program, after he served eight years in the U.S. Marine Corps, completed a college degree, and worked in an office environment. He grew up in Hillsboro and decided to pursue work in public service in 2022 after the COVID-19 pandemic.

“When I start my mornings and I open that first tap of water, I get a sense of pride knowing I play a part in making that happen,” he said.

Another graduate from the program is Jacob Medel Soriano (pictured left), who became an intern after a 20-year career in another field. He and his family immigrated to the United States from Mexico when he was 13, and he has made a home in Hillsboro with his wife and four children.

“After I heard I could get paid while I train, I said, ‘sign me up!’” he said. “We learned about everything it takes to treat, store and serve the water. I like the energy of the people that I work with. The Water Department has a great team all around, and we deliver a fundamental service that is providing dependable drinking water for our community.”

Creating opportunities for residents 

The internship program is open to residents of Hillsboro, a city of around 100,000 people located in the west Portland metropolitan area. The program’s goal is to establish a diverse workforce for essential positions and is targeted to members of historically marginalized communities. The earn-as-you-learn approach helps qualified candidates overcome the high cost of training and certification.

Participants learn about water treatment, distribution, and wastewater system operations, while earning credits and hours toward Oregon Health Authority Drinking Water Operator Certification and a Department of Environmental Quality Wastewater Certification.

Mendoza and Soriano take pride in their work as water operators and appreciate the generous wages and benefits.

“It’s a great feeling to represent the City of Hillsboro as a Latino,” said Mendoza. “This position gives me the job satisfaction I was looking for and I take pride in being able to tell others about my path to get here.”

Partnering to expand opportunities

To build on the success of its operator-in-training concept, the City of Hillsboro is collaborating with several other communities and utilities in the region to possibly expand the program into Portland, Eugene, Lake Oswego, Forest Grove and others. 

“We would provide the training and share our interns with other utilities,” said Chris Wilson, senior program manager with the City of Hillsboro. “We recently applied for a $1.5 million grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to help fund this new program, which we’re calling the Hired to Operate Program, or H2O Program.”

Information and photos for this article were provided by the City of Hillsboro, Oregon. More details are included in videos for English and Spanish speakers.