Pennsylvania American Water Provides Award-winning Internship Experiences to Prepare Future Workforce for Industry Success

When it comes to the future well-being of our communities, preparing today’s youth is a top priority, according to Pennsylvania American Water, particularly when it comes to crucial services like water and wastewater. To address that need, the company offers various internships, including a new program for high school students, that increase awareness, provide real-world experience and attract industry talent.

“The future of our industry depends on investing in tomorrow’s leaders. That’s why we’re committed to building pathways of opportunity for interested students, so our workforce remains equipped to deliver the essential services our communities need,” said Pennsylvania American Water President Justin Ladner. “The internships we offer are an important component of that effort, building a future talent pipeline, increasing diversity and bringing new perspectives to the company while providing important real-life work experience to students who can truly benefit.”

Pennsylvania American Water’s well-established Future Wavemakers program has been offering college students valuable, on-the-job experience since 2022. This year through the program, the company welcomed 20 paid interns who spent the summer working in areas across the company, including engineering, water quality, water and wastewater operations, health and safety, external communications and customer service. In addition to their placement of focus, the interns are exposed to other areas of the company through cross-functional learning sessions, and their internship experience concludes with the creation and presentation of a capstone research project.

“Interning at Pennsylvania American Water was highly beneficial in providing hands-on experience that significantly enhanced my skills and knowledge,” said Future Wavemakers internship program participant Symya Lawrence. “It was truly a great experience that has prepared me well for my future!”

This year, the company also continued a multi-year partnership to promote diversity in the legal profession through participation in the Dauphin County Bar Association’s Capital Area Managing Partners (CAMP) 1L Internship Program. Designed to encourage first-year law students from diverse and underrepresented communities to consider Central Pennsylvania as a potential location to begin their legal careers, the paid-internship opportunity has participants in several sites throughout the region, including an intern being hosted by the legal team at Pennsylvania American Water.