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18 The Authority │ June had to be brought in and developed from the ground up. That is no longer our reality. If we keep doing this, we’ll have gaps in our workforce, young staff that move to greener pastures, older staff that retire, and a chasm in the middle. Organizations need to be much more intentional with creating more ramps for bringing staff into the fold, particularly when it comes to technical and operational roles. If a high-performing operator from a neighboring system is looking for a change, what are you offering beyond salary? A relatively new construct, originating in about 2015, is often referred to as the Guided Pathways Model. It has been widely used in career and technical education to connect K-12 schools, community and technical colleges, higher education, and employers. But its real value is now recognized inside organizations. At its core, a pathway approach means: • Training is continuous, not one-time, and is core to mission; • Skills are built in layers, not all at once; • Employees can move forward, laterally, or into new roles; and • Learning is tied directly to real work, not abstract content – andragogy not pedagogy. For water and wastewater authorities and utilities, this is not theoretical. It is operational. Why This Matters Now Organizations are facing a convergence of pressures that make traditional training models inadequate. We can all relate the rapid pivoting and re-pivoting of our industry over the last few years due to COVID-19, cybersecurity, and PFAS, to name a few. More broadly: • Workforce turnover and retirements are accelerating, with a large portion of the current workforce nearing retirement age, and with 30 to 50% headed out the door within the next five-years. • Regulatory complexity continues to increase, from PFAS to revised rules and reporting expectations. • Process control decisions can yield unintended consequences with competing regulatory interests, and operations now demand a more integrated knowledge base. • Technology adoption is changing daily operations, from SCADA to data analytics and cybersecurity. • System consolidation and growth require broader skill sets across fewer staff. • Decisions must be made faster, using more data, and with less opportunities and time for course corrections. Smart control systems and highly skilled operators are not luxuries anymore. At the same time, many organizations report that underperforming employees are not lacking technical ability. They can do the work. What they lack are the broader competencies that allow them to function effectively in modern work environments and be recognized as valuable team members. They often operate in silos, which creates real operational and compliance risk. What they lack are often referred to as 21 st Century Skills: • Communications • Critical Thinking • Adaptability • Teamwork • Decision-Making Under Pressure Continued on page 60. a Workforce PathWay is not a straight Line .