2023-06-29 12:24:00
Little known and yet oh so important, the profession of fountain worker is currently plagued by a shortage of manpower. Fortunately, training has been relaunched by FOREM (the Walloon office for vocational training and employment) and several private companies in Wallonia in order to hire 30 additional standpipe workers. However, the work is not lacking. Last year, 25 people were hired.
A former laborer in construction, Benjamin has started a career change. After 4 months of training, he is now hired. “It’s a dynamic job, it’s never the same thing. (…) I had to learn everything, I didn’t know the job at all“, he explains.
Whether in freezing weather or in the rain, repairs can’t wait. The Walloon water company alone lacks 30 standpipe operators, not counting private companies. “The shortage, how does it translate? Today, we have 10 teams working in the water business. If we had 15, we might give them work. Our contracts are renewed for 3 years, we have business to spare. So yes, we are looking for labour, but we don’t have it. If we had these arms, we might obviously take other markets“, specifies Grégory Cambier, director of human resources – Wanty.
It should be noted that the SWDE manages 39,000 km of water pipes, with a network that requires maintenance and modernization. Benoit Moulin, spokesperson for the Walloon water company, explains: “We also insist on saying that it’s a job that makes sense, because if we invest a lot every year in the renewal of the network, and we do need hands to make it happen, it’s good to guarantee long-term accessibility to water for everyone in the Walloon region“.
Training begins in mid-September. First in Frameries, then Verviers and Dinant, with a key contract.
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