Candidates for certain municipal positions in fields such as wastewater, stormwater and geographic information systems are either required or encouraged to have advanced training and certifications. City officials say it's sometimes difficult to find and retain qualified candidates for these specialized positions.
Wastewater is a highly technical field that requires employees to have a variety of skill sets and education levels, according to Matt Brady, communications manager for the Charleston Water System. For instance, the system may need an engineer with a Professional Engineer license, but might also offer a job to an Engineer in Training who needs a certain number of years before he can sit for his PE exam, Brady said.
Finding qualified personnel can be difficult and often requires a search outside of the region for key positions. However, Brady said the human resources team does a good job of recruiting and placing job announcements in strategic and widely accessible places.
"They're also plugged in to state and national professional organizations where sought-after candidates often go to look for career moves," Brady said. "We also increase compensation when associates gain certain credentials that directly benefit them in their jobs."
Charleston Water has a U.S. Department of Labor certified apprenticeship program where the agency can take a relatively green associate and train him to the necessary level of professional knowledge. Some jobs require more extensive experience, education or certification, Brady said.
Technical colleges offer certain trainings and certifications. The Water Environment Association of SC also frequently offers training that can lead to certification. Charleston Water pays for that type of training and compensates employees accordingly once they get it, Brady said.
For associates seeking a two- or four-year college degree, Charleston Water offers an incentive package. For example, if an employee wants to go to the College of Charleston to finish up a biology degree, Charleston Water pays for tuition, books and administrative fees. It also offers a series of classes through its leadership academy. The instructors for these classes are experts in their field and contract instructors through the local technical college, Brady said.
The City of Rock Hill has not had any engineering vacancies in stormwater in more than four years. The majority of the staff has been in place for eight years or more, so the city has not been recruiting for positions lately, according to David Dickson, city engineer for Rock Hill's public works department.
"Talking to the consulting world in this area, it appears there is a shortage of (stormwater) engineering recruits, especially the seasoned recruits wanting to make a move," Dickson said.
"The consultants I have talked to are looking for the seasoned recruits who can jump right in and contribute, but they just are not out there right now. Even though there appears to be a small pool of engineering recruits, it appears being close to Charlotte is a benefit to the city, as they sometimes do inquire about moving from the private to public sector."
When Rock Hill does fill stormwater engineering positions, the city relies on the SC Association of Stormwater Managers; the Clemson T3S Certified Erosion Prevention and Sediment Control Inspector Program; Certified Stormwater Plan Reviewer courses; American Public Works Association; and other conferences for training as well as in-house training, Dickson added.
Stormwater engineers aren't the only specialized staff hires that are hard to come by.
It also can be difficult to find qualified GIS technicians and analysts, according to Lisa Holzberger, GIS coordinator for the City of Myrtle Beach. While the field still is not well known, it is gaining more attention.
"My hope is that our industry will begin to see more individuals interested in pursuing a career in GIS, especially with the launch of courses in the public schools," Holzberger said.
A new GIS course is now being offered at Horry-Georgetown Technical College within its Computer Technology-Emphasis Programming curriculum. Holzberger hopes the word will spread about the industry and the promising career it can offer.
The City of Myrtle Beach recently hired a part-time GIS technician to assist with various projects. Holzberger provided enough training to get him up to speed on daily GIS functions, such as editing and creating data and becoming familiar with the technology in use.
"Because of his strong analytical skills and a background in programming, he has been instrumental in applying the GIS technology to create mobile and web-based applications for use in various city departments," she said.
There are also Geographic Information Systems Professional certifications available, as well as college-level programs in GIS. On-the-job training and experience also are invaluable for those becoming proficient in GIS, Holzberger said.
Many people in the GIS industry working for governments train and specialize in specific uses, such as utilities, tax parcels, addressing or planning. Others have more generalized GIS training and must be able to quickly learn the details of various disciplines and how GIS can be applied to them, said Scott Bollhoefer, GIS analyst for the City of Gaffney.
"For these reasons, I believe that it can sometimes be challenging for government organizations to find GIS experts who are already fully trained in all of the disciplines required," he said.