Help, my water expert is retiring!

During the KNW Spring Congress on June 21, Wateropleidingen organized the workshop “Help, my water expert is retiring!” Gabriëlle Knufman and Bram Ooms engaged with participants about knowledge retention in the water sector. How do we address the urgent challenges associated with an aging workforce and the rapid turnover of employees in the sector?

The Challenges

During the workshop, we extensively discussed the problem of aging in the water sector. Many experienced water professionals are about to retire, leading to a significant outflow of knowledge. Younger employees often struggle to find their place within organizations or quickly choose another job, and the busy day-to-day operations leave little room for effective knowledge retention and transfer.

The Knowledge Cycle

The knowledge cycle of the water professional, as presented by Knufman and Ooms during the workshop, consists of three main components:

1. gathering knowledge: The process by which new employees acquire knowledge within the organization.
2. retaining knowledge: The process of continuously documenting this knowledge so that it is not lost.
3. transferring knowledge: The passing on of knowledge to new and less experienced employees.

Solutions and Collaboration

Collaboration and co-creation within the water sector are crucial to addressing knowledge challenges. Wateropleidingen plays an important role by continuing to share practical and current water knowledge and serving as a development partner for knowledge issues in the sector. With more than 250 instructors from various sectors, including water boards, drinking water companies, and universities, Wateropleidingen provides knowledge transfer tailored to the needs of the sector.

During the workshop, participants broke into small groups to discuss how knowledge is gathered, retained, and transferred within their own organizations. These sessions yielded valuable insights into what initiatives exist and what works and doesn’t work. Various ideas emerged on how these processes can be improved. The results of the workshop were documented by De Betekenaar in a visual report.

Operation Strong Water

We concluded the workshop with a call to action: together we must ensure that crucial knowledge within the water sector is retained.

The insights from this workshop have been documented and will be further disseminated through Operation Strong Water, an initiative from KNW, RIONED, and Wateropleidingen, so that the entire sector can benefit from the knowledge gained.