Located in the northwest corner of the state, Superior, Wisc., is a hidden gem of natural beauty. It’s also a hidden gem for jobs. Superior and Duluth, Minn., form the Twin Ports, a major Great Lakes harbor that is part of the global transportation industry.
Through its Finding Work events, UW-Superior is educating its students and community members about water-focused jobs in the region. The events are supported by a grant from the Freshwater Collaborative of Wisconsin.
“The overarching goal of the grant is to make people more aware of career opportunities related to water, which is especially important in Superior,” says Alan Brew, outreach program manager for the Lake Superior Research Institute. “We want to keep students and community members in the region. There are so many opportunities, but they aren’t typical careers.”
To raise awareness, Brew and his colleagues are working with industry and government partners to offer educational events and to share career opportunities with students, as well as high school teachers and counselors.
Unique Career Paths
The Finding Work events also provide role models for students. For example, the April Diving In event included a career fair at Superior High School and an evening event at the Superior Public Library. Both featured three professional divers, each of whom works in a different area of diving and had a unique career path. One is a commercial diver and engineer, another is a research diver, and the third is a police officer who works on a multiagency dive team that includes the police, fire and sheriff’s departments.
The most recent event, in May, focused on careers in wastewater treatment and water resource recovery. It featured professionals from Duluth’s Resource Renew and the City of Superior’s Environmental Services Division, and it included a tour of Superior’s wastewater treatment plant.
“People from many backgrounds are finding careers in wastewater treatment plants, and more are need as operators retire,” says Brew, noting that jobs in water resource recovery include everyone from technicians who maintain equipment to engineers and chemists who test water and troubleshoot problems to educators who conduct community outreach.
High School Outreach
Last fall, the campus hosted a Transportation and Logistics Day during which area high school students participated in sessions about careers in the maritime, railway and trucking industries. The Twin Ports is the closest port for moving cargo from Europe to the upper Midwest. UW-Superior’s Transportation and Logistics degree taps into Superior’s location.
“Students see firsthand how cargo is moved throughout the world,” Brew says.
As part of the grant, a second Transportation and Logistics Day is being planned for this fall. Brew is also working with colleagues to develop a three-day high school camp focused on maritime careers for summer 2027. The grant is also helping faculty increase the number of freshwater field experiences they offer on Lake Superior using the Sadie Ann, an education and research vessel available to educators, researchers, organizations and businesses.