Current intern of the Winlock intern program for water distribution and wastewater James Agrens stands with graduating intern Heather Luurs.
When you think of the water you drink and the toilet you flush, you rarely think about the individuals who make sure that water is delivered to your home. The City of Winlock has offered an intern training program in the water distribution and wastewater program for several years. They have graduated another intern while hiring the next to fill the graduates place.
Heather Luurs, graduate of Winlock High School just completed her 960 hours of training for the City of Winlock. Heather started in April 2019, as an intern and she received her certification on June 22, 2020. Heather stated, "I applied for the internship because I wanted to try something different. I saw the article in the Lewis County News and I applied. I have learned a lot, I accomplished a year of volunteer work to improve myself in my career. I'm in the process of applying for jobs in water distribution and/or wastewater."
Luurs was not chosen the first time around, she stated "I interviewed twice for the position and I received word after the second time. I was accepted into the intern program."
Luurs is currently a caregiver when she is not working at the City of Winlock. She is the daughter of Alan and Michelle Luurs. Congratulations Heather, we look forward to hearing more from you.
As Heather graduated, James Agren was recently hired. James, who is a graduate of Yelm High School and Central Washington University (CWU), is the new intern for the City of Winlock. Agren received his Bachelor of Arts in Environmental Chemistry from CWU in 2013. "When I got out of college in 2013 I applied for internships, but the candidate pool was quite large," he said. "I applied 3 years ago and I have applied every year since. I finally got the internship in May of this year."
He has lived in Seattle and currently resides in Castle Rock. "Winlock is a cute small community, I appreciate how close it is to nature," Agren said.
Rodney Cecil, who is their supervisor stated, "Volunteers come in for 4 hours of training every day, 5 days a week. They have to study an additional 2 hours per day after work. It takes dedication and a sense of community to give 960 hours back to the city." Cecil continued, "A college in Oregon offers a two year program, but this program is shorter and not a cost to the intern for their education. Plus, the intern gets hands on training as well."
Cecil is proud of the program, "We are in our fourth year, we have graduated three interns through the program. We are taking applications throughout the year." If you are interested, please call Rodney Cecil at 360-520-5589. "It's a great program to get into to further your education in an industry that will pay well," Cecil said.
The intern program in Winlock has been a success, thank you to The City of Winlock for continuing with the program.