CAEL, MMSD Develop Career Pathways Maps To Fortify Water Sector Talent Pipeline in Milwaukee

As a coastal city along the largest freshwater system in the world, Milwaukee has long valued the water sector as a centerpiece of its economy. This legacy stretches from its historic brewing and tanning industries to the present-day clusters of industries and occupations that support its water resources. Today, new investments to optimize the sector are pouring into the region.

Notably, these prioritizations have highlighted the potential to expand workforce opportunities. As part of an effort made possible by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Fresh Coast Works Project, over the past year, CAEL and the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District (MMSD) have partnered to help strengthen the water sector talent pipeline by mapping eight career pathways.

Collaboration with the MMSD is one of several water-specific projects CAEL is supporting that are related by geography, scope, or both. CAEL’s recent work in the Milwaukee and Great Lakes regions also includes a partnership with Great Lakes ReNEW. “There is a national push to develop water sector talent pipelines, and how these jobs tie to inclusive access to rewarding, high-growth careers,” said Mohona Siddique, director of workforce and economic development initiatives for CAEL. “Our work in this region dovetails nicely with broader conversations around how creating greater efficiencies in this vital sector can help expand employment opportunities in the region.”

The career pathway mapping process included in-person discovery and validation sessions that CAEL faciliated with staff members from MMSD and Veolia Water Milwaukee, LLC, an MMSD contractor that operates and maintains its wastewater treatment system. This work allowed CAEL to complete a comprehensive ecosystem scan to identify competencies, critical occupations, and the interrelationships among them.

CAEL used these findings to delineate rewarding career paths, clarifying entry and transition points to facilitate navigation through employment, education, and training opportunities. “One of our key objectives was to provide a comprehensive resource benefiting hiring managers while laying the groundwork for enhanced alignment efforts, facilitating smoother career transitions, and establishing more accessible and efficient pathways for channeling talent into these opportunities,” said Laura Heller, senior director of initiatives at CAEL.

Creating clear pathways from entry-level to family-sustaining occupations supports CAEL’s focus on helping communities build and sustain a thriving workforce. By including clearly articulated opportunities for promotion and talent development from within, the pathways support sector retention as well as recruiting. Access to navigable pathways also empowers jobseekers to make sound choices about education and training through a better understanding of how they can be layered on previous experience and help advance their careers.

The career pathways partnership with CAEL is just the latest innovation at the MMSD. In fact, delegates from other cities are planning visits to Milwaukee to benefit from the many best practices the MMSD has modeled in the water sector. “We applaud and support efforts like the MMSD's to ensure that growth of sustainable jobs includes building and activating a workforce that reflects the communities it serves and that their experiences, education, training and employment provide the groundwork for a lifetime of satisfying career growth opportunities," said Earl Buford, CAEL president.

The finalized career pathways, which are detailed on MMSD's website, include:

• Laboratory Technician
• Monitoring/Sampling Technician
• Water Resources Technician
• Survey Technician
• Construction Inspector
• Wastewater Operator
• Plant Laborer Maintenance
• Instrument Technician