When interviewing treatment operators for stories for this magazine, I usually ask, “How did you get involved in this profession?”
Surprisingly often, the answer is some variation on, “I needed a job.” Sure, many people choose the clean-water business out of pure interest, or out of a passion to do good for the environment.
Many others — some of whom “grow up” to be outstanding operators and leaders — come into the profession almost by chance, often intending to use it as a bridge to something else. But then they take an interest. They stay. And they make it a career.
And maybe right there is a partial answer to the challenge the industry faces in recruiting new people to replace the many veterans planning to retire in the coming years. In a word: Internships.
Can you say ‘intern’?
Internships are common in just about every industry. They’re offered to high school, technical college or university students as part of their preparation for careers. No doubt even some clean-water agencies offer them.
Why are internships potentially more valuable for clean-water professions than for others? Because young people don’t gravitate toward wastewater treatment the way they do toward electronics, computer programming, engineering, banking, graphic design, journalism.
In fact, let’s face it: to many young people (people of any age, for that matter), wastewater treatment sounds boring, demeaning, even repulsive. Of course, it actually is none of those, as people who try it soon discover. So why not let more young folks try it?
Brandon Johnson of New Braunfels (Texas) Utilities, subject of this month’s “In My Words” feature, is an example of a young person who tried it. He didn’t start with an internship — he moved right into an entry-level job after high school. He started out just needing a job. Now he’s happily building a career.
The doorway in
Traditional recruitment tools — talking to guidance counselors, exhibiting at job fairs, conducting tours for high school and college classes — are fine as far as they go. But they rarely go far enough. How about offering internships, real hands-on work for a summer, to kids who simply “need a job”?
These days especially, many students need jobs. A treatment plant that advertised for summer internships would almost surely get an abundance of inquiries, especially with a well-worded solicitation. So you take in the applications. You screen for those who seem inclined toward a profession that involves science, math, and mechanical and technical aptitude. And you choose the best candidate.
You end up not just telling or showing a young person. You end up letting them live the experience long enough for genuine interest to take hold.
Costs and benefits
I can hear it already: There’s no money in the budget for another person. And what would an intern do besides get in the way?
First of all, internships don’t cost a lot. High school or college students on summer or part-time jobs work for low pay, especially when they know they’re gaining experience that will give them an advantage in the job market. And as for daily tasks, how many treatment plants have the staff to get at all the little things that need doing? An extra pair of hands surely wouldn’t hurt.
What’s more, it can be satisfying to staff members to teach a young person the ropes. Acting as mentors helps reaffirm their convictions about the profession. And the enthusiasm of a young, curious person has a way of rubbing off.
So, what about it? Is it time for the clean-water industry to create, collectively across the country, thousands of summer or evening/weekend jobs for energetic young people looking for work and career direction?
Maybe it’s too late to get organized enough to offer that internship this summer. But what about next year? From where I sit, internships look like an excellent way to bring high-quality people into the clean-water business.
