MHS Tanner Henry Signs With Kentucky Rural Water Association and Receives TRANE Scholarship

Murray, Ky., May 29, 2024----Tanner Henry, Murray High School 2024 graduate signed a letter of intent to participate in the Kentucky Rural Water Association (KRWA) Apprenticeship Program to become a Water Operation Specialist, while receiving $1,000 from TRANE, a global climate innovator, and building technology and energy solutions company providing individualized, right-sized, and forward-looking solutions for commercial and industrial applications. Through TRANE’s close partnership with KRWA sponsorships for conference trainings, Women in Water, and the Apprenticeship Program are made possible. Henry is the first individual to receive $1,000 from TRANE, who works with these utilities to fund much needed infrastructure upgrades through energy and operational savings. Through TRANE’s $5,000 sponsorship five individuals receive $1,000 each that will off-set the full tuition.

Anthony Wright, TRANE Comprehensive Solutions Account Executive, said Trane is passionate about this industry and the opportunity presented itself, it was one they accepted with no hesitation.   “Over the years, we have seen many operators with lifetimes of knowledge move into retirement and the industry struggling to keep up with the demand of qualified operators.  We are so excited to see Tanner Henry pursue this career. He is well deserving of this sponsorship, and we can’t wait to see him shine and contribute to our communities by helping provide families and businesses with clean water,” Wright said.

“The industry of water and wastewater is something many don’t think about but is extremely important to our everyday lives and for the environment we live in,” added Casey Borst, TRANE Executive Project Developer.

Kentucky Rural Water Association offers two apprenticeship programs that started in the fall of 2019. This exciting new venture is in response to the growing demand for skilled operators as more and more operators are reaching retirement age. Both the water and wastewater operations specialist programs will be two years long. Applications will be accepted year-round; therefore, an apprentice can enter the program at any point. The apprenticeship program is superior to traditional “on-the-job-training” by supplementing experience with structured educational goals. The students receive additional mentoring throughout the two-year program where their progress is tracked and benchmarked. The combination of experience coupled with a planned education curriculum accelerates the apprentice to fill operator positions at all levels of system classification. The apprenticeship program will create another pipeline to replace Kentucky’s aging workforce.

“We are also honored to be included in the signing of Tanner’s letter of intent to participate in the program and his honors award ceremony where we presented him with this sponsorship,” Borst said.

For more information on the program visit:  Apprenticeship - Kentucky Rural Water Association (krwa.org), and Energy Services (trane.com)