Founded in 1951, Birmingham Water Works serves nearly 770,000 people in Jefferson, Shelby, Blount, St. Clair, and Walker counties. Since 2023, it has provided internships to Birmingham Promise students, hosting five high school seniors every spring.
“This gives us an opportunity to engage in the community and show our support to the city of Birmingham,” said Jeremy D. Ervin, who is the workforce development administrator for Birmingham Water Works and a graduate of Birmingham City Schools. “There were a lot of people who poured into me when I was in high school, but nothing like this where students can get real-life work experiences.”
Birmingham Water Works wants to make sure its interns get that real-life experience in areas ranging from customer service to compliance and beyond. “These kids are super smart,” Ervin said. “By the time the students complete their internship with us, we want them to go into the workforce prepared, not only with the core competencies but for the work itself.”
However, soft skills are a key focus. Once a week, interns email Ervin to share what they’ve learned. It’s not just a feel-good exercise, but one that gives Birmingham Water Works a chance to assess and hone students’ workplace communications skills, which will help them succeed in any career.
“We especially love when the interns come back to pursue additional opportunities with us, including Birmingham Promise students who have come back to work summers as college interns,” Ervin said. “We see this as a potential recruiting pipeline for us. Our interns can become great ambassadors for the work we do.”
