Qualification, entrepreneurship and innovation in the Green Economy

The year 2023 has been declared the European Year of Capacities by the European institutions. Agbar's Water School launches a strategy for 2030 in line with the EU.

Having the necessary skills empowers people to successfully reorient and focus on changes in the labor market and in society, ensuring that no one is left behind and that the green and digital transition is socially just. With the aim of joining the skills drive in 2023, the Water School, Agbar's institution created to share and transfer knowledge on water and the environment, extends to all citizens of the European Union a set of actions that it will develop throughout the year: publication of articles, organization of lectures and new grants in the form of special rates for its higher education programs, among several initiatives.
The need for green skills is a key priority in addressing the current challenges of climate change, energy, universal access to water and the environment, and requires the implementation of VET and higher education measures related to the green economy, digitalization and entrepreneurship.
Having the qualified talent to meet the challenges of our society brings several benefits: improving and developing the knowledge and skills of professionals in a sustainable way, ensuring the employability of young professionals, and strengthening the competitiveness of companies in the green economy.

Strategic Vision 2030
New skills are the focus of the Water School's strategy, as they are key to attracting and retaining talent and promoting quality employment. In order to meet these challenges, the commitment with all the groups involved in the water sector must make it possible to move from collaborations based on isolated programs to public-private partnerships based on a shared and integrated sectoral vision of training and professional qualification.
This is what is being built up, for example, within the framework of the European project Three-level centers of professional excellenceThe project aims to promote a Multi-level Water Professional Excellence Environment, with VET centers and Universities. A union between Universitat Rovira i Virgili, l'Institut Pere Martell and Agbar to establish alliances between university education and professional education and thus contribute to the creation of an environment of professional excellence in the field of water.
Another example of educational innovation is the Water Challenge VET Labs project developed with Fundació Barcelona FP with the challenge How to improve water management?
To achieve this, the teams, composed of students from vocational schools in Denmark, Belgium and Spain, use methodologies such as CBL (challenge-based learning) and other innovative tools to find nature-based solutions for the urban drainage of an archetypal European city.

Master in Water Technology and Management
It is the reference program for water cycle management professionals.The program provides a comprehensive view of the program and equips companies, operators and regulators with the skills to make decisions aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), responding to the challenges and opportunities arising from the transformation of the production model based on trends such as digitization or the adoption of the circular economy. Since its creation, the program has been developed by the Water School and the Polytechnic University of Catalonia (UPC), and in its online mode the training itinerary offers to take modules independently, adapting the pace of study until the degree is obtained. Leveraging on its ten-year track record, the School projects itself as an institution at the service of the global concert for the achievement of the SDGs, facilitating a global and open view of the world, developing expert talent and training new generations of professionals to achieve the change of mentality that guarantees a sustainable future.

Artificial Intelligence and Sustainable Territories
Program for professionals responsible for visioning and promoting the development of solutions that incorporate Artificial Intelligence in a wide range of products and services that together with Fundació ValGRAI, the University of Valencia (UV), the University Institute for Water and Environmental Engineering Research (IIAMA)-Polytechnic University of Valencia (UPV), Hidraqua and Cetaqua contribute to the environmental improvement and management of territories in favor of the global agenda.

Management Development to lead the green transition
In the field of executive education, the third edition of the Postgraduate Program in Management Development in Sustainable Business is proposed, in collaboration with the UPF Barcelona School of Management (UPF-BSM). Due to the evident and accelerated environmental change, it is essential that executives have a deep understanding of this context and are able to promote business strategies and value propositions that contribute positively to the global agenda. The program also focuses on green entrepreneurship and on developing innovative activities that mitigate, reduce or eliminate environmental problems.