Creating a Diverse Water Sector Workforce in Milwaukee

When Milwaukee’s Water Equity Taskforce found that employees of the water sector in the region didn’t reflect the diversity of the community and that structural barriers prevented equitable representation, participating organizations took action. 

They used the Milwaukee Water Equity Roadmap and needs assessment reports — the culmination of the taskforce’s work from 2018 to 2020 — to guide the city’s water sector in its efforts to attract and retain a workforce that represents the diversity of the community. Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District (MMSD) is one of the taskforce members that is excited by the opportunities the taskforce’s initial work created.

“MMSD is very proud of the progress made to promote a more equitable, diverse workforce in the water sector in the Milwaukee region,” said Kevin Shafer, MMSD’s executive director. “Along with our partners, we have taken great strides. However, more work lies ahead. Continuing to be more inclusive, equitable and diverse, benefits everyone in the region and will help to provide family-supporting jobs to all our constituents.”

As the Great Lakes region continues to tackle the cleanup and restoration of local waters, many communities have advocated for local workers, businesses, and community members to participate in the so-called restoration economy.

The goal of Milwaukee’s taskforce, which was part of a seven-city taskforce convened by US Water Alliance around developing equitable water policies and practices, was to expand workforce opportunities tied to the water sector. MMSD’s website says it wanted to “better understand the factors that limit entry into the water workforce for members of historically marginalized communities and define actions that can be taken to remove those barriers.”

The need to cultivate a ready workforce now is especially important as about one-third of the country’s water sector workforce will be eligible to retire within the next 10 years, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.

Milwaukee’s Water Equity Taskforce comprised a variety of organizations: Century City Triangle Neighborhood Association, Cream City Conservation Corps, Employ Milwaukee, Greater Milwaukee Foundation, Groundwork Milwaukee, JobsWork MKE, Milwaukee Area Technical College, Milwaukee County, Milwaukee Water Commons, and Milwaukee Water Works. A long-term version of the taskforce was recently chartered. Its core planning members are MMSD, Milwaukee Water Works, Milwaukee Water Commons, JobsWork MKE, and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. Along with other workforce and educational partners, members are chipping away at the report’s recommendations and seeing results.

Increasing Equity and Diversity

Milwaukee has experienced a substantial shift in its racial and ethnic makeup in recent decades, but the taskforce found that water sector employment hadn’t caught up. It found that, in 1980, Milwaukee’s residents were 71% white, 23% African American and 4% Latinx. By 2015, the population shifted to 36% white, 39% African American and 18% Latinx.

In 2022 — the first year that MMSD tracked progress of all its workforce development programs — 200 people engaged in career awareness, exploration and training programs with 58% identifying as Black, Indigenous or People of Color (BIPOC). Meanwhile, 28% of hours worked on capital projects with a local workforce requirement were performed by BIPOC and 42% of hours worked by apprentices on such projects.

Creating a Ready Workforce

As recommended in the reports, the taskforce is addressing the disconnect between training programs and industry needs, and increasing awareness of jobs in the sector through several initiatives.

Jobs fairs, job placement specialists, and apprenticeships help achieve these goals.

Pete Coffaro, MMSD’s director of community outreach and business engagement, said Milwaukee’s water sector has about 1,400 job opportunities annually, spanning 17 types of positions. These jobs can include wastewater operator, water tech, environmental engineer, plumber, lab worker, construction worker and landscaper.

“They’re usually higher paying jobs, offer family-sustaining benefits and usually are not going away,” he said. “So they really represent what could be a transformational job for many folks, but those opportunities aren’t known to many people.”

Other initiatives focus on reaching individuals at a younger age. Kids and teens can learn about potential career paths in the water industry through educational programs, internships, and learning series.

Looking Ahead

Thanks to discoveries from the initial taskforce’s work, partners continue to expand their career awareness efforts. 

“Because we were able to articulate what the problems are and some of the things we want to do, we’ve been able to leverage federal funding,” Coffaro said.

In spring 2023, MMSD won a $1 million workforce development grant from the U.S. Department of Labor. Funding what MMSD calls the Fresh Coast Works Project, that money is helping MMSD and its largest contractor, Veolia Water Milwaukee, work toward their shared goal of increasing the diversity of the area’s water sector workforce through a variety of initiatives.

MMSD leadership is optimistic and energized by what the taskforce started and what’s to come. But for Coffaro, Sasso and Shafer, the most powerful outcome has been the partnerships with community members, and the trust and relationships they’ve built.

“The community has said they don’t know what we do and or know how to learn about those jobs,” Coffaro said, “and that’s what we’re trying to tackle.”