WASHINGTON–(BUSINESS WIRE)–As part of an ongoing commitment to strengthen the talent pipeline for the water and wastewater industry, Veolia is partnering with the National Youth Employers Association (NYEC) to create a multi-city strategy to expand the employment pipeline, strengthen training partnerships and increase youth awareness of in-demand water and wastewater jobs. America needs more people to use its water and wastewater systems for a growing population amid a changing environment, and the Veolia-NYEC partnership is designed to meet this urgent national need.
A new workforce development partnership between Veolia and NYEC will help students find the jobs they need in the critical water industry.
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In the coming year, both organizations will work with local organizations, community partners and national labor leaders to build critical talent pipelines based on real labor market demand. This effort will serve as a model for workforce development industry-wide, showing how employers can meet critical hiring needs while opening doors for young people seeking high-demand, high-impact jobs.
Filling the Talent Pool
“Veolia has long recognized the need to partner with talented professionals as they begin to explore their career paths,” said Karine Rougé, Executive Vice President of Strategic Transformations for Veolia North America. “With so many companies looking for passionate employees, partnering with an organization like the National Youth Employment Coalition helps a company like Veolia improve our workforce development efforts while raising our voice in the competition for attention among young adults who are exploring future careers.”
The Veolia-NYEC partnership helps remove barriers that have historically limited access to stable, high-quality jobs for young people who are willing to work but don’t have clear pathways. It provides a dedicated service to underserved youth who are in the early years of high school and college graduation but are disengaged from school and work. This program taps into an important and often overlooked talent pool that has the potential to strengthen both communities and key industries such as the water sector, while helping young people achieve their potential to find sustainable, sustainable jobs that provide environmental protection for their communities.
By partnering with this talent pool, Veolia and NYEC can address the growing workforce needs of the water industry with motivated, diverse talent with innovative ideas and digital native technology skills – ensuring a stable, experienced and rooted workforce for the future.
Pressure on the water sector
This partnership comes at a critical time. With a “silver tsunami” accelerating retirements in the water sector, many employers across the country are facing severe labor shortages that threaten the long-term reliability of critical services. NYEC’s national network of over 200 affiliated labor unions, combined with its deep understanding of youth talent development and employer needs, makes it a key strategic partner to help Veolia build the next generation of water and waste professionals.
To help companies respond to workforce challenges at the national level, NYEC launched the Young Employers Council – an employer-led initiative designed to align real-time workforce needs with partners serving young people effectively. As industry partners are deeply committed to recruiting young talent across key and emerging sectors, Veolia is partnering on this initiative with Alpha Drones USA – a new aviation technology and training company. Together, they are helping to create an integrated private sector organization focused on preparing the next generation of skilled workers.
“NYEC is a very trusted organization in the many communities we already serve,” said Scott Beeney, Veolia Workforce Development and Community Engagement Leader. “They are connecting young people of all economic backgrounds who demonstrate leadership potential for rewarding, life-changing careers.” The water industry requires multi-stakeholder collaboration to ensure public health and environmental protection. It can be rewarding, and anyone who has worked with NYEC has demonstrated a willingness to meet that challenge.
Feeding Pipes
Veolia and NYEC have teamed up for Youth Days in Washington, DCwhere 130 young leaders, experts and partners from across the nation met at the end of 2025 on Capitol Hill and visited with representatives of 85 legislative offices from 27 different countries to advocate for strengthening education and work paths for young people.
Building at this rate, Veolia recently hosted the inaugural Council of New Employers Champion Roundtable at its Washington, DC office. The conference brought together employers in health care, manufacturing, aviation, retail and other high-demand industries to explore shared workforce challenges, find opportunities to expand early career pipelines and plan initiatives to collaborate with NYEC’s community network of youth-serving organizations. The Roundtable marked the first in a series of employer-led discussions that will inform the Council’s priorities and guide future partnerships and programs across the country.
“The response from our employer partners has been incredible,” shelp Dr. Mary Ann (Mimi) Haley, NYEC Executive Director. “What we’re seeing is a real desire by companies that want to go beyond immediate recruitment efforts and be part of a coordinated strategy that connects young people to meaningful, long-term jobs. This council gives them the space and structure to do that together.”
Veolia and NYEC are currently developing a a multi-city plan to expand employment pipelines, strengthen training partnerships and increase youth awareness of in-demand water and wastewater jobs. In the coming year, both organizations will work with local organizations, community partners and national labor leaders to build critical talent pipelines based on real labor market demand.
REASONS VEOLIA
Veolia, a global leader in environmental services, works every day to build environmental protection for the health of society and the competitiveness of industries and regions. With 215,000 employees across five continents, they work closely with local communities, and thanks to the latest technology, the group cleans pollution, reduces carbon emissions, and recycles resources with concrete solutions that combine its knowledge in water and water technology, waste – including hazardous waste management, and local energy. By 2025, the Veolia group served 110 million people with drinking water and 97 million with sewage, generated 45 million megawatts of power, and treated 64 million tons of waste. Veolia Environnement (Paris Euronext: VIE, Fortune 500, SBF 120) has generated consolidated revenues of €44.4 billion in 2025.
In North America, Veolia is a leading provider of environmental services with more than 10,000 employees working in more than 350 locations. It is the largest US water treatment company and technology provider as well as a leader in waste treatment and hazardous pollution. It is uniquely positioned in the American market with a leadership role in water quality improvement and waste removal providing a full range of water, waste and energy management services, including water and waste treatment, commercial and hazardous waste collection and disposal, energy analysis and resource recovery.
www.veolia.com – www.veolinorthamerica.com
ABOUT THE NATIONAL YOUTH EMPLOYMENT COALITION
With nearly five decades as one of the nation’s leading intermediaries, NYEC connects employers with reliable sources of youth talent and works with communities across the country to build clear, experience-based pathways to in-demand jobs. Companies looking to strengthen their early career pipeline, explore skills-based hiring, or engage in new employee engagement initiatives are invited to join NYEC’s New Employer Council.
www.nyec.org
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