Photos courtesy of Oakland County Water Resources Commissioner’s Office
The Oakland County Water Resources Commissioner’s Office, Pure Oakland Water, the Freshwater Forum at Cranbrook Institute of Science and Oakland Schools’ Career Readiness program partnered together to create an event that is one for the books—Blue Planet Jobs: Careers in Water.
On Monday, October 17, sophomore and junior high school students from several Oakland County schools arrived at Cranbrook Institute of Science in Bloomfield Hills to kick off the one-day event from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Students learned about careers in water from keynote speaker, Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy Director Liesl Clark as well as various other water industry professionals.
“Collaborating with Cranbrook Institute of Science and Oakland Schools to offer Oakland County students this one-of-a-kind event is terrific,” said Oakland County Water Resources Commissioner Jim Nash. “I often say it’s up to this generation to fix the environmental problems that my generation created and a career in water is an excellent opportunity to make a difference. We are looking forward to helping students explore all of the great career opportunities there are in this industry.”
Nash welcomed students to the Blue Planet Jobs event from Ferndale High School, Lapeer High School, Oakland Schools Technical Campus Northwest, Oakland Schools Technical Campus Southwest, Pontiac Academy for Excellence and introduced keynote speaker Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) Director Liesl Clark.
“Michigan is home to more than 20% of the world’s fresh surface water and 40 million people’s drinking water. That responsibility requires deep abiding commitment to protecting the source water—whether it be a
Great Lake, a stream, creek, pond or groundwater,” said Clark. “It was thrilling to see the enthusiasm from the future generation of high school students at the Blue Planet Jobs event who see climate and water as integral to our future.”
Students attended four, 25-minute hands-on and interactive sessions with industry professionals—from engineering and environmental science to nonprofit and skilled trades. Representatives from colleges and trade groups were available to speak to students about a wide variety of possibilities in the water industry.
“Through the Institute’s Freshwater Forum initiative, we are dedicated to educating and motivating youth about the benefits of having a healthy Great Lakes ecosystem,” said Michael D. Stafford, Ph.D., director of Cranbrook Institute of Science. “The Oakland County Water Resource Commissioner’s Office has been instrumental in promoting water stewardship in our community, and through this partnership with the Oakland Schools Career Readiness program, together, we can expand our reach, and even get students interested in pursuing water-related careers.”
The interactive sessions and presenters included:
• Civil Engineering: Real World Problem Solvers from Oakland County Water Resources Engineering Team
• Working in Water: Education and Community Opportunities to Protect Water Resources from Michigan State University Extension and the Clinton River Watershed Council
• Water Facility Operations: Catch the Wave from Bay College
• Closed Circuit TV Pipe Inspection: Camera Robots in the Sewer from Oakland County Water Resources Sewer Maintenance Team and Pipeline Management
“We always want to partner with schools, employers and organizations to provide students with opportunities to have meaningful interaction with professionals in various industries. Blue Planet Jobs is another example of this type of partnership,” said Jarrad Grandy, Oakland Schools executive director of student services. “Students will learn about the high-skill, high-wage and high-demand careers related to one of the Earth’s most precious natural resources: water. This authentic learning experience will help students to continue to refine their answers to three key questions that result in career readiness for students: 1) What problems do I like to work on?; 2) What am I good at doing?; 3) And will someone pay me to work on this?”
This event left students with the importance of the water industry, what it means to be a water professional, current labor and market trends, water industry career pathways, education requirements, industry technology advancement and so much more. Sponsors of the event were Pure Oakland Water, Bay College, Michigan State University Extension, Clinton River Watershed Council and Pipeline Management.
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