Andres, Howard Reflection First Year Of WWTW

“A little over a year ago, We Work The Waterways (WWTW), an educational outreach program of Inland Rivers, Ports & Terminals Inc. (IRPT), didn’t even exist. Now, with 2024 in the books, Errin Howard, who directs We Work The Waterways, and Aimee Andres, executive director of IRPT, are both amazed at the collective support that made 2024 a success for WWTW and eager to see continued growth in the year to come.

Howard, who previously led RiverWorks Discovery’s Who Works The Rivers educational program, left that post toward the end of 2023 and joined IRPT to launch a new outreach effort. Her first day with IRPT was December 18, 2023.

‘We didn’t even have a name or anything at that point,’ Howard said.

In those first few weeks, Howard worked hard communicating the move to partners and developing the mission and vision of the new program. IRPT’s board of directors met in mid-January and voted to make We Work The Waterways an official program of IRPT.

Within days, Howard and her army of WWTW supporters hosted the organization’s first two ‘industry interaction days,’ the first in partnership with schools in Zachary, La., and the second with the East Baton Rouge (La.) School System. Between the spring and fall semesters of 2024, WWTW held close to 20 industry interaction days, which seek to introduce high school students to career possibilities in the maritime industry and to build lasting connections between maritime industry leaders and educators.

‘We’ve had more than ever before,’ Howard said” …

Read the full article here! Story by Frank McCormack, The Waterways Journal.
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