New Wave of Workers

THE GARBAGE INDUSTRY IS constantly on the lookout for its next generation of workers. To aid in the search, the National Solid Wastes Management Association (NSWMA), Washington, D.C., has struck a deal with Majors Explored, a career guidance Web site. The NSWMA anticipates the arrangement could attract some students to the solid waste field by providing students with information about the waste industry.

The Majors Explored site (www.majorsexplored.com), which is operated by Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.-based 14 East Multimedia Group Inc., is currently under development, but eventually will highlight 25 disciplines. Students who are considering attending college or those who are at a university and are choosing a major could benefit from the site resources. Each discipline category will contain information about colleges that offer related majors and companies that are in the field, including a national trade organization.

The NSWMA's information will be in the “environmental science” category and should be on the site by Sept. 15, says Bruce Parker, CEO of the NSWMA. The site also will include a direct link to the NSWMA's Web site.

Parker says the NSWMA has two goals with the Web site deal. “One is to continue the work that we have been doing in building a positive image of the industry,” he says. “Secondly, we want to develop materials that will tell students that the waste industry is important and should be considered for professional opportunities.

“When most people think about the trash industry, they think about picking up garbage, but it is a much bigger industry,” Parker adds. “There is a lot of high technology, and it's becoming more sophisticated.”