Coming on board as the interim third-party manager of the City of Jackson’s water system, Ted Henifin knew he would need to think upstream about the water workforce pipeline. Henifin saw the water system was severely understaffed and struggled with hiring due to a lack of qualified candidates.
To help address this challenge, JXN Water has created the JXN Water Scholarship Fund at the Community Foundation for Mississippi. The scholarship is designed for JPS high school seniors interested in pursuing a degree in a STEM discipline that could lead to a career in water and wastewater operations and management.
“This scholarship will help ensure there will be more properly trained persons to fill those positions in the future,” Henifin said.
CFM recently joined leaders from Jacobs Solutions, the contractor managing the city’s water treatment plants, and Hinds Community College to announce the new fund. Jacobs Solutions has already put support behind the scholarship fund, noting this effort will help create a long-term sustainable solution for the workforce they are seeking.
“To create a long-term and sustainable behavioral shift, we must engage, educate and embed those traits early in our future generations, so they are inspired to do things better,” said Steve Demetriou, Jacobs Executive Chair. “At Jacobs, STEAM, and sustainability are at the heart of our business – we are united in growing our global approach to STEAM to create inclusive education opportunities and support greater social value, inclusion, diversity, and equality.”
Throughout Jackson’s 2022 water crisis and beyond, CFM has served as a hub for philanthropic giving. The Foundation has connected individuals, businesses and foundations across the country to ways they could make a meaningful impact, including long-term, sustainable solutions. Donations to the JXN Water Scholarship Fund can be made with the Community Foundation for Mississippi here. Scholarship criteria, deadlines and application will be available later this spring.