Water and wastewater utilities are responsible for some of the most essential work in every community. Yet the people who keep these systems operating safely and reliably often work behind the scenes. Customers turn on a faucet, businesses open their doors and communities grow—usually without thinking about the trained professionals making it all possible.
That quiet success is something to celebrate. It also presents a workforce challenge. If people do not see the work, they may never recognize the meaningful careers available in the water industry.
In his Water Online article, Building A Better Water Workforce Starts With People, Not Positions, Kevin Westerling reflects on ideas presented by Brian Gongol at AWWA’s ACE26. Westerling’s central message is clear: attracting, developing and retaining the next generation of water professionals requires more than filling vacancies. It requires creating workplaces where people can learn, contribute and envision a future.
Show Employees a Career, Not a Dead End
Westerling highlights one of Gongol’s most direct observations: “The water sector cannot afford to offer dead-end jobs.”
That idea should influence how utilities recruit from the very beginning. Today’s prospective employees want more than a list of duties. They want to understand what they can learn, how they can advance and why their work matters.
A new operator may begin with limited experience, but with mentoring, continuing education and hands-on opportunities, that person can develop into a certified operator, supervisor or future utility leader. Creating that path helps an employee grow while building valuable knowledge and leadership capacity within the organization.
PeopleService puts this principle in action. Consulting and developing junior staff can help a community continue functioning effectively while giving operators the experience and guidance needed to test for higher certifications. Periodic workshops for water and wastewater professionals provide additional opportunities to earn certification credit, strengthen skills and learn alongside others in the industry.
These are not simply training activities. They are investments in people—and in the future reliability of the utilities they serve.
Make Safety Part of the Employee Experience
Professional development also means providing employees with the knowledge, systems and tools to work safely.
That responsibility continues to expand. Today’s utility professionals must understand traditional water and wastewater operations while also confronting emerging risks involving cybersecurity, remote access, SCADA systems and increasingly sophisticated threats to critical infrastructure.
Utilities can support their employees by assessing vulnerabilities, securing remote access with multi-factor authentication, updating network devices, improving threat detection, maintaining reliable backups and reviewing physical and digital security.
Safety also includes reducing exposure to electrical hazards. Permanently installed ampere readers, for example, allow technicians to obtain current-draw readings from outside the arc-flash boundary while a panel remains closed. Connecting that technology to a SCADA system can make remote monitoring possible as well.
When an organization makes this kind of investment, it communicates something important to employees: Your safety matters. We want you to have the right tools, and we want you to go home safely every day.
Build a Reputation That Attracts People
As Westerling explains, utilities should think about their reputations not only among customers, but also among current and future employees.
Community outreach, school partnerships, internships, facility tours and professional workshops can introduce people to water careers they may never have considered. These efforts help potential employees see the technical opportunities, stability and public purpose within the field.
Technology can strengthen that image. GIS mapping, digitized records, modern billing platforms, secure SCADA systems and remote monitoring demonstrate that today’s water workforce is not stuck in the past. It combines public service with data, engineering, technology, problem-solving and human judgment.
Culture Is Built Through Everyday Actions
Not every utility can compete on salary alone. It can compete through culture.
Employees notice whether leaders listen to their concerns, recognize good work, support certification and provide opportunities to contribute ideas. They notice whether experienced professionals share what they know and whether new employees are treated as future experts rather than temporary replacements.
As Westerling notes, culture is less about the words displayed on a wall than what employees experience each day.
The word “people” is in the PeopleService name for a reason. For nearly 40 years, care for the people we work with—and the people we serve together—has shaped the way we do business. That means sharing knowledge, strengthening local teams and listening closely to what is working and what is not.
There is no single solution to the water workforce challenge. Progress comes through many deliberate actions: one workshop, one mentoring relationship, one safety improvement and one career opportunity at a time.
Build the people, and they will build a stronger utility.
Source inspiration: Kevin Westerling, “Building A Better Water Workforce Starts With People, Not Positions,” Water Online; featuring Brian Gongol’s Ten Steps to Building a 21st Century Water Workforce.