Three Roundtables sessions, each of 30 minutes, about PoVE Water Scale-up project were organised during the EfVET conference by EfVET and FIRDA college in Rhodes (Greece), gathering over 30 participants from diferent European countries. Pilot PoVE Water Scale-up is a transnational project that draws on existing and emerging vocational competences and skills needs in the water sector. The goal was to introduce EfVET participants into the subject of the project: Centres of Vocational Excellence and virtual Platform.
PoVE Water Scale-up is a joint initiative of 8 VET schools, 7 Water industry professionals, 4 academic partners and 4 support partners in Europe and beyond to educate our VET students to become agile, digitally skilled and sustainable oriented water sector professionals that our future desperately needs. PoVE Water Scale up builds on the partnership that was initiated in the Pilot PoVE Water project.
PoVE Water scale-up operates in a society in transition, in which values such as sustainability, corporate responsibility and social value creation are becoming increasingly important.
This development goes hand in hand with the trends in the labour market. The sustainable availability of people and the utilisation and further development of available talent are becoming central.
In PoVE Water scale-up, we will work with this vision in mind, convinced that a new way of educating people is needed to make sure they are the agile and sustainable professionals that our society and the labour market needs.
In comparison to other sectors, European cooperation (on strategic level AND for vocational student exchanges) is even more pressing for the Water sector as the environment is changing in such a rapid way that knowledge exchange and sharing of experiences is crucial.
Local water-related issues do not come together spontaneously at EU level. There needs to be a solid infrastructure for EU cooperation to make sure it happens structural and well organised.
There are three main reasons why our project is needed:
- We need to deal with a rapidly changing world. Global warming has caused serious changes to the planet and are very often water related, such as rising sea levels and extreme weather events. But also think about an aging population and the effects on the labour market.
- There is a vast need for Vocational Excellence and excellent Water sector professionals. Vocational educated Water sector professionals are the operators in the field that work directly with water resources of Europe and have, when educated appropriately as circular economy ambassadors, the power to contribute directly to the transition towards a reformative growth model that gives back to the planet more than it takes.
- We need a central position for VET in Regional Innovation Ecosystems. When truly having VET in an operational position on board of the innovation ecosystems, they will act as an extra sensor for spotting opportunities for cooperation and solutions in Europe.
Also, we need for PoVE Water rapidly changing worls – Today’s VET students is tomorrow Water sector professional and therefor needs to be infused with the chaning way we need to deal with Water sector. Excellent and inclusive European VET is more than a response to developments and challenges that individuals and organisations face. Connecting to Water sector stakeholders is not just for the sake of updating the curricula that are being taught. VET can act as a nucleus that streamlines innovation. From its local basis and practical mindset, VET can like no other institution understand what it takes to achieve green and sustainable growth.
All those who attended the roundtables were invited to visit the website. The participants were impressed by the excellence of PoVE Water and they are looking forward to receiving updated materials and additional information.
The project created the infrastructure necessary to embed vocational excellence in the water sector in Europe.
Visit our website: https://www.povewater.eu/
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