A panel of water industry leaders spoke at the WEFTEC Global Center this week in New Orleans, addressing workforce development challenges in the sector. “It’s just like politics; it’s local, local, local,” began Dean Amhaus, president and CEO of the Water Council, a global hub dedicated to solving critical water challenges by driving innovation in freshwater technology and advancing water stewardship.
Acting locally could be partnering with a municipality or a university, but also visiting high schools to talk with kids about the careers that the water sector has to offer.
Karine Rougé (pictured), CEO for municipal water at Veolia North America, said the reason her company has put an emphasis on workforce development is a selfish one. Being able to offer clients the expertise of highly skilled employees is at the core of their success, she said. But the benefits run both ways, with the water industry offering certifications and development paths that will allow an employee to earn six figures in the course of his or her career.
Organizers of the discussion added Veolia regional manager Scott Beeney to the event so he could talk about the company’s programs for guiding young people into the industry.
Beeney started as an intern with Veolia. He said the experience changed his life, and there was a common theme among his cohorts in the internship program.
“We all said, ‘I wish I had known about this sooner,’” he said.
Since then, Beeney has been involved with several programs in the company that reach out to high school and college students about careers in the wastewater treatment industry.
“The plant tours are huge, because they see that you’re not really handling poop,” he said.
Young people are also intrigued by the compensation involved with many of the jobs in the sector. Beeney talked about a student he helped mentor who gained a certification that will allow him to oversee a wastewater plant—a job that will have the 23-year-old making $44 an hour.
Rouge said Veolia’s workforce outreach would not be possible without government partners like the city of Milwaukee and The Water Council, which recently signed a memorandum of understanding with Veolia to create a Water & Wastewater Workforce Center in Milwaukee.
Wednesday’s discussion also touched on efforts to advance the training of those who have already entered the workforce. Sébastien Rigal, the CEO and founder of Watura, a company that offers an e-learning platform for the water and sanitation sectors, said many of these workers aren’t inclined to sit in a conference room for half a day for continuing education. “That’s why Watura offers short, condensed videos that workers can view on their phones during a break,” he said.
Since starting in 2010, the company’s free online training platform has grown to include more than 200 courses available in French, Spanish and English and now has more than 10,000 active users. The company has also partnered with Water Professionals International to align its courses with the WPI’s certification exams and CEU requirements.
Rigal said leaders at water departments were initially hesitant to train their staff completely online, but the COVID pandemic changed that mindset.
“It saved us another 10 years toward showing these companies that you can train these workers online,” he said.
