Partnering with Schools to Encourage Diverse Student Interest in the Field Services Industry

Good talent can be hard to find, and that is especially true in specialized industries like drilling, remediation, and technical services. At Cascade, we’ve taken a highly proactive approach to ensure the sustainability of talent within our industry and maintain a healthy labor pool.  However, that labor pool doesn’t always tend to produce a very diverse mix of candidates. We combat this issue through active involvement in the communities in which we operate, getting students and other potential candidates excited about the work we do.

At West Chester University, Cascade recently partnered with the Midwest Geoscience Group to present a sonic drilling demonstration as part of a workshop titled, Managing the Complexities and Uncertainties of Soil Sequences.  Participants traveled from across the United States and Canada to attend this event, where they experienced a healthy mix of classroom instruction related to hydrogeology, practical field applications, with the opportunity to witness sample collection first-hand and examine a saprolite soil sample.

During the on-site portion of the workshop, Cascade collected core samples and installed a groundwater monitoring well that will enable students of future generations to examine and monitor hydraulic properties and groundwater movement at this unique site.  The event not only engaged current students in Cascade’s fieldwork, but it ensured future students have the capability to conduct real-world research that could have a meaningful, long-lasting impact.

In this video, you’ll meet Isabella – a graduate student at West Chester University.  As she mentions, Isabella and other graduate students were exposed to unique sampling that other professional geologists - who have been in the field for 30+ years - had never before seen.  

You’ll also meet Jennifer – a graduate student at West Chester University.  You can hear the excitement in her voice as she explains that many students in the program aren’t working out in the field and have never had the chance to see the process from start to finish.  Having this first-hand knowledge and understanding of the process will help students better grasp the concepts they’re studying and, in the future, launch their careers.

At Cascade Environmental, we know learning is continuous, and we understand the importance of investing in long-term learning to grow our diverse labor pool.  Through our partnerships with universities and vocational schools, we have seen that it is possible to show diverse groups of students that the drilling and technical services industry offers viable career options.  

Interested in learning more about careers at Cascade? Or would you like to learn more about becoming a university/trade school partner with Cascade? Reach out to Jessica Alexander, Talent Acquisition Manager, at [email protected] today.