Yvonne Tucker, Village of Penn Yan - Her Take on the Apprenticeship Program

Yvonne Tucker embodies the core values of her utility.

Yvonne Tucker is a wastewater operator at the Village of Penn Yan, New York. With her mother's encouragement, she accepted her first job at the City of Watertown at the age of 20 and never looked back. During her career, she's held a number of unique roles, including working as a wastewater technician for the New York Rural Water Association (NYRWA), training operators as an adjunct professor, managing a wastewater treatment plant on an Air Force base in Portugal, and managing wastewater in the British Virgin Islands. Now, her career has come full circle as she is back at a local utility to settle down. Through all of her experiences in the industry, Tucker has put an emphasis on teaching others.

"Throughout my entire career, I have been mentoring and helping people," Tucker said. "It's paying it forward."

With her experience with NYRWA, Tucker knew about the Apprenticeship Program and reached out when the Village of Penn Yan was undergoing a workforce transition due to retirements. Three new hires at the utility are currently participating in the program.

"I'm a huge believer in the Apprenticeship Program," Tucker said. "It ensures that these new people on the job get a broad spectrum of experience. It gives your employees the opportunity to have the well-rounded experience and training to create a more professional employee, and there is no price for that. How can you pass that up?"

Tucker encourages all utilities to take advantage of the Apprenticeship Program. "I've had some very good mentors throughout my career who shared their experiences and knowledge," Tucker said. "I feel that is how we should all be, willing to share our experience and knowledge with others, and becoming a mentor accomplishes that."