Apprenticeships & Internships

Apprentice Welding Piping Unit Hinds

Apprenticeship & Internship Programs

Opening Doors

The apprentice-to-employee pipeline is real at Metropolitan. Apprentices who complete Metropolitan’s four-and-a-half-year program (which includes a six-month probation period) earn a journey level certificate, 36 hours of college credit applicable toward an associate degree, and an offer of full-time employment at Metropolitan. The program, geared for mechanical and electrical operations technicians, uses a combination of on-the-job experiences, classroom instruction and home study. It is certified by the state of California and overseen by a joint group of Metropolitan managers and labor representatives. It’s considered to be a model apprenticeship program. The truth behind that statement is found in the stories of dozens of employees throughout the organization who began in the apprenticeship program and built on their careers at Metropolitan.

The Pre-Apprentice Program

The Apprenticeship Program

A six-month pre-apprentice training period must be completed to participate in the four-year Apprenticeship Program. Participants perform trade and non-trade duties in general maintenance and general labor. You might assist in operations and maintenance tasks at pumping plants, treatment plants and in the distribution system. You also may learn and use basic tools and techniques, or operate a motor vehicle that includes a pickup truck, forklift or other light equipment, as required.  

Training as an Apprentice

The four-year program is eight periods, each with a minimum of 910 hours, or about six months, of instruction and on-the-job training. Field training is with a journey-level employee who is a qualified apprenticeship instructor. For every hour of classroom study there are about two hours of home study completed on the apprentices’ own time, outside of work hours. Classroom training typically takes place at the Apprenticeship Training Center at Diamond Valley Lake, near the city of Hemet.

Apprentices are eligible for advancement with a pay increase at the end of each period providing they maintain a passing grade of 70 percent or higher on exams and meet the standards of performance in their field work.

Here's more information about Metropolitan's Apprenticeship Program. 

Training as an Apprentice

Here’s an Overview of Apprentice Work Scopes:

Install, maintain and repair mechanical equipment and piping systems related to water treatment plants, pumping plants and other facilities throughout the distribution system. This equipment includes pumps, valves, mechanical drives, water filtration systems and chemical feed systems.

 

List of Potential Work Locations

Install, maintain, troubleshoot and repair industrial electrical equipment and systems. This includes pumps, motors, motor controls, transformers, circuit breakers, electrically operated valves, switchgear, speed drives, programmable logic controllers, emergency generator systems, power system and lighting systems.

 

Metropolitan Coursework

Workers Working
Workers Positioning Structure
Workers Lowering Structure
Workers in Car Tunnel
Worker in Work Machine
Worker in Cage
Worker at Tunnel

An Insider’s View: Metropolitan’s Internship Program 

Metropolitan’s internship program is companywide. The experience is hands-on and multi-faceted.  Some of the tasks that interns might be involved with are: 

  • Participating on project teams
  • Assisting with planning, conducting studies and research, data acquisition
  • Preparing summary documents and reports
  • Collecting and analyzing statistical data, generating and maintaining records and report findings, and making recommendations
  • Helping to prepare educational materials, contribute to web and social media content, and archiving historical images 

Specialized Internships: A Co-Op Program with Engineering & Water Quality

Paid internships are designed to enhance students’ academic curriculum with hands-on experience and mentoring during their internship. Participants may work at Metropolitan’s downtown headquarters and other district sites. Interns will work full-time during the summer (144 hours/month), and part- time (up to 20 hours/week) during the academic year.

To ensure school credit is provided, Metropolitan partners with Cal Poly Pomona to administer these internships.

The application deadline for our internship positions from July 1, 2024 - March 28, 2025 has closed.

Questions: Email Linda Skinner

 

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The Co-op Internship Program is designed to enhance students' academic curriculum with hands-on experience and mentoring.  The program is a joint effort between the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, the Cal Poly Pomona Foundation, Inc. and Center for Community Engagement - Cal Poly Pomona.

Click here to apply for any available positions, follow the link and type MWD in the search field. 

 

To learn more, visit the Cal Poly Pomona webpage. You also can email for more information.