Several Upper Cumberland Teachers were among the 16 who attended the two-day Cumberland River Compact water career retreat in Cookeville.
Communications Director Meagan Hall said the Compact’s vision is to have clean and abundant water throughout the Cumberland River basin. Hall said educating teachers on water careers can help teachers show students another career opportunity.
“In the water industry, so primarily folks that work in your water and wastewater facilities, there’s really a need for more future workers in that area,” Hall said. “And so, the goal of this retreat as well really was to highlight these careers in water for teachers so that they can bring awareness for those careers.”
Hall said the water industry is currently facing a “silver tsunami,” or a mass exodus of older workers from the profession. Hall said there have not been enough people to replace these workers.
Hall said this is a national problem that Tennessee is working to address. She said she hopes more awareness of water careers will encourage people of all ages, especially students, to become interested.
Education and Engagement division manager Catherine Price led the retreat. Price said the Compact wanted to host the retreat in Cookeville because of the area’s natural resources. She said classroom sessions were held at Tennessee Tech, but hands-on portions were a big part of the retreat.
“Many of the teachers went on a guided kayak trip to the base of Burgess Falls with local outfitter Cumberland Kayak,” Price said. “It was a really fun experience for people to get out on the water and really see what are we talking about when we talk about protecting and caring for water.”
Price said retreat attendees also got a first hand look at how water is distributed to homes and businesses with a tour of Cookeville’s wastewater treatment facility. Price said the tour demonstrated the science and technology that goes into making clean water.
Price said she hopes teachers gain a new perspective on how water works, as well as an appreciation for the importance of water careers.
Hall said most people have never seen how it works, so it may be difficult to envision a career in water. She said although she does not work in a wastewater facility, she thinks it can be a very interesting career choice.
“When I talk to people and ask them what brought them into this, they love the hands on component, the fact that they get to be, you know, running samples, working in a lab, being in a computer, being outside in their work day as well,” Hall said. “And a big thing for these folks is they feel good walking away, knowing that they’re providing clean water for their community.”
The Water Careers Retreat was held last week. Teachers from Fentress and Putnam County were among the participants.
