Corporate Partner Profile: American Water
There aren’t too many companies who can say they’re responsible for the most precious resource on earth. But American Water can.
American Water is the nation’s largest and most geographically diverse publicly traded water and wastewater services company. For more than 130 years, it has been providing safe, clean, affordable and reliable water services to customers and communities. The American Water team of over 6,900 employees is a blend of scientists, engineers, technicians, environmentalists, innovators and protectors — all coming together for one purpose: to keep life flowing.
Through its participation as a gold-level member in CCI’s Corporate Partners Program, American Water hopes to highlight and bring awareness to the expert technical work being developed by its team.
Prior to signing on as a Corporate Partner, American Water had participated in Drexel’s cooperative education program for over three years. Drexel students who work with the company have the opportunity to explore many aspects of the business, including technology and innovation, accounting, finance, engineering and more. Students who hold co-op positions with American Water should expect to develop their hard skills (including Python, Java, IOS, Android and Mulesoft) as well as their soft skills. The company looks for students who are action-oriented, positive and agile.
American Water has also demonstrated its dedication to supporting the technology community in Philadelphia by serving as a prize sponsor at Philly Codefest, CCI’s annual 36-hour software and hardware hackathon.
American Water’s Technology & Innovation center has what leaders describe as a “Google-like” culture, meaning their team is collaborative and high-energy, and works in a playful environment. In addition to the work they do as employees, team members also volunteer their time to protect the environment and the world’s most precious resource, water. The company has a robust platform for employee development including tuition reimbursement, mentoring, job shadowing and virtual classes. The Technology & Innovation team is also developing a comprehensive rotational program intended to provide career growth and develop diverse skills.
“We invent the future through persistent innovation,” says Radha Swaminathan, chief Technology & Innovation officer.
Looking forward to the future, American Water anticipates critical talent needs in the areas of AI and machine learning, programming and engineering, software development, product architecture and management.
Though technology trends will continue to shift and change, the need for safe, reliable sources of water is constant. The availability and security of clean water is a technological challenge that requires employees who can think outside the box, develop and engineer critical applications, interact with customers and solve their problems on the first request, and ensure the safety of workers in all areas. American Water hopes its partnership will help influence curriculum at Drexel to prepare a workforce of skilled technical talent who is prepared to meet these challenges.
To learn more about American Water, please visit www.amwater.com.