Aqua Publica Europea was delighted to participate and contribute to the First Town Hall meeting of the European Water Academy (EUWA), led by the European Commission, held today on 18 March and attended by more than 150 stakeholders.

As one of the partner organisations, APE emphasised the importance of EUWA in supporting training and capacity building in the water sector through a demand-driven approach.

In their evolution from “service providers” to “resource managers”, public water utilities will have to recruit, retrain and integrate a much broader range of professional profiles: the demand for high-quality and targeted training will therefore grow. While specific needs vary across national and local contexts, through its ‘network of networks’ approach EUWA can play a catalytic role and ensure high standards across Europe.

But public water operators are not merely passive recipients. Many of our members have already established strong partnerships with universities, as well as with training institutions, to develop dedicated educational programmes.

APE will work to feed EUWA with both the needs and the initiatives of its members, to ensure that the water sector remains equipped with the capacity to address the challenges of today and tomorrow.