A Flow of Opportunities: The Unseen Potential in Water Careers

with 🎙️ Kendra Morris - President Northeast Region at Veolia North America

H2Oracle: h2oracle.dww.show

Main Idea: Kendra Morris (Veolia) serves as a key supporter and advocate for water professionals, ensuring they understand their critical role in public health and the economy through reliable water and wastewater services.

About Veolia: Veolia is a multinational company with a focus on providing integrated solutions across water management, waste management, and energy services. Operating globally, Veolia is dedicated to sustainable development and innovation in environmental services. They work with communities and industries to manage, optimize and sustainably use resources. Veolia's initiatives include improving access to water, recycling waste to create new materials, and contributing to the circular economy.

Unique Insights:

• The concept of a "silver tsunami" where imminent retirements could lead to a significant loss of institutional knowledge within the water industry.

• Veolia's approach to community integration by employing residents and thus building trust and enhancing the value of their work locally.

• The discrepancy between the financial attractiveness of the water sector jobs and the lack of awareness or interest in these roles.

Key Ideas:

• Role of a Champion: Kendra Morris describes her role as empowering Veolia's Northeast region employees to see the broader impact of their daily tasks on public health and local economies. She emphasizes the importance of morale and purpose in their roles.

• Workforce Development: Veolia is tackling the 'silver tsunami' of retiring workers by creating internship programs with technical high schools to cultivate a new generation of water professionals.

• Industry Awareness: Despite offering higher-than-average wages, the water sector struggles with awareness. Veolia, in particular, faces the challenge of making its brand and the opportunities within the water sector more known.

• Veolia Academy: Veolia's commitment to education is reflected in the Veolia Academy, which offers free online courses to anyone interested in water and wastewater professions, aiming to address the educational needs of the future workforce.

• Diversity and Inclusion: Kendra Morris outlines Veolia's efforts to promote diversity in the water workforce, including gender diversity and cultural inclusion, which are key to bringing different perspectives and strengthening the sector.

Summary: Kendra Morris explains her role at Veolia as a motivator for water professionals, helping them see the importance of their work in public health and economic development. She discusses the 'silver tsunami'—the mass retirement of skilled workers—and Veolia's response through educational programs like internships for high school seniors. Despite higher wages in the water sector, there's a lack of awareness about career opportunities, something Veolia aims to change through initiatives like Veolia Academy. She emphasizes the need for greater diversity in the workforce to improve performance and representation. The future success in the water industry, according to Morris, hinges on standardized data to inform operational decisions.

Links:

• Veolia North America

• Sciens Water

  
  

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