HOUSTON, Feb.1, 2007 - Veolia Water North America (Veolia Water) has opened a training center in Indianapolis, home to the nation's largest public-private partnership for water services, to prepare its North American work force to meet future water and wastewater industry demands.
The new Veolia Water Learning Center, located along the Indianapolis downtown canal walk, offers nearly 200 training courses and a library of e-learning courses to most effectively serve a national network of employees. Courses include instruction in technologies, safety, environmental regulatory compliance, leadership, finance, human resources and communications.
"Our new training center reinforces Veolia Water's complete commitment to operational and performance excellence, as well as our commitment to the long-term viability of our Indianapolis partnership," said Joe Burgess, president and CEO of Veolia Water North America. "The center centralizes some of the company's training resources and will help ensure that our employees continue to grow, learn new skills and information, and meet our customers' needs."
Globally, the Veolia Water Learning Center will join a network of 12 learning campuses worldwide, including facilities in Paris, Melbourne, Stockholm, Prague and Shanghai, serving the developmental needs of the employees of Veolia Environnement, Veolia Water's parent company. The new learning center will maintain collaborative relationships with Veolia Environnement's sister companies in transportation, environmental services and energy.
The U. S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates more than 60,000 water operator positions will become available by 2012. In Indianapolis alone, it is anticipated that nearly 60 percent of existing water treatment operators will be eligible for retirement within the next five years.
"Common curricula for training programs has been identified, and criteria has been established for an integrated learning management system," added William Roach, Veolia Water North America's vice president for training. "We have also begun work on establishing orientation and apprenticeship programs for new and existing Veolia employees."
Veolia Water North America is the leading provider of comprehensive water and wastewater services to municipal and industrial customers, providing services to approximately 14 million people in more than 600 communities. The company is part of Veolia Water, the No. 1 water company in the world, serving more than 108 million customers. Veolia Water is the water division of Veolia Environnement (NYSE:VE) and (Paris Bourse:VIE), the largest environmental services company in the world, with more than 270,000 employees in about 64 countries and annual revenues of $30 billion. Visit the company's Web site at www.veoliawaterna.com.
Important Disclaimer
Veolia Environnement is a corporation listed on the NYSE and Euronext Paris. This press release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the provisions of the U. S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance. Actual results may differ materially from the forward-looking statements as a result of a number of risks and uncertainties, many of which are outside our control, including but not limited to: the risk of suffering reduced profits or losses as a result of intense competition, the risk that changes in energy prices and taxes may reduce Veolia Environnement's profits, the risk that governmental authorities could terminate or modify some of Veolia Environnement's contracts, the risk that Veolia Environnement's compliance with environmental laws may become more costly in the future, the risk that currency exchange rate fluctuations may negatively affect Veolia Environnement's financial results and the price of its shares, the risk that Veolia Environnement may incur environmental liability in connection with its past, present and future operations, and the risks related to Veolia Environnement's relationship with Vivendi Universal, as well as the risks described in the documents Veolia Environnement has filed with the U. S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Veolia Environnement does not undertake, nor does it have, any obligation to provide updates or to revise any forward-looking statements. Investors and security holders may obtain a free copy of documents filed by Veolia Environnement with the U. S. Securities and Exchange Commission from Veolia Environnement.