The Texas State Technical College and The Dwyer Group, which licenses the Mr. Rooter franchise, have joined together to set up a two-week continuing education program in service plumbing at Texas State's Waco campus. While the program is open to men and women, its main focus is to recruit and educate women for a career in the plumbing industry.
The pilot program ran Aug. 13-23, with nine female enrollees sponsored by the Heart of Texas Workforce, an organization that helps women off the welfare rolls. Attendees were given classroom instruction, as well as hands-on training, on the basics of sewer and drain cleaning. They also learned about plumbing codes.