9.3. SR 03-18-2019 EGty1� ,.,�� Request for Action
River
To Item Number
Mayor and City Council 9.3
Agenda Section Meeting Date Prepared by
Work Session March 18, 2019 Justin Femrite, P.E.,Public Works Director
Item Description Reviewed by
Public Works Apprenticeship Program Cal Portner, City Administrator
Reviewed by
Action Requested
Consensus to finalize program,position descriptions and advertise for apprentice positions.
Background/Discussion
The Public Works Department is proposing a new apprenticeship program to train entry level workers
while filling some of our labor gaps. The idea comes after evaluation of department labor needs and
ongoing attempts to recruit qualified and properly-trained personnel to fill our maintenance operator
positions. These positions would rotate between all public works divisions filling in to cover labor
shortages all while gaining experience and training through their tenure.
Our division managers all report staff levels fall short of meeting our labor needs at different times of the
year. While our crews do a great job completing our mission critical duties,we are falling behind on a
number of preventative maintenance tasks. We are proposing this program to solve this short-term
challenge in order to not create more costly problems in the future. A program like this further allows us
to train,potential future full-time workers, the right way while learning their work ethic and fit for our
organization. Essentially we would like to create a"bench" of potential candidates for future public works
operator vacancies.
The ideal candidate for our Public Works Apprenticeship Program would be a high school graduate.
These candidates may not understand what public works is or what they may want in a long-term, full-
time career. It would be our hope to give them a full range of experience and exposure to all divisions to
determine their strengths and aspirations. In providing this we are filling the need of an industry by
training new public works professionals to take our place in the future.
Financial Impact
It is proposed to implement this program without increase to any of the approved budgets. We propose
to cover the costs for the apprentice program with existing budgeted dollars for the long-term, unfilled
Street Maintenance Operator II position, an unfilled Wastewater Operator position, and the use of
budgeted money for some of our seasonal help.
Attachments
■ None
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