Wateropleidingen celebrates 30th year anniversary

Wateropleidingen is a well-known name in the water sector in the Netherlands. Since 1994, the institute has offered a wide range of courses for water professionals.

Director Gabriëlle Knufman and Gerhard van den Top from the Supervisory Board enthusiastically share their thoughts on this milestone. The importance of the courses and training programs is reflected in the experiences of Hilde Niezen, Director of RIONED, and Erik Wagener, Executive Secretary of the Amstel, Gooi, and Vecht Water Authority and former director of the Dutch Flood Protection Program.

Gabriëlle Knufman, Director of Wateropleidingen

Driven by a commitment to lifelong professional development

Gabriëlle Knufman has been the director of Wateropleidingen since 2021. She proudly shares insights about the extensive and dynamic range of training programs and the growing number of tailor-made programs and co-creations.

“In 2023, our 275 freelance instructors delivered around 318 courses,” Knufman says. “Our programs range from individual masterclasses to year-long courses. The number of participants, including employees from water authorities, drinking water companies, and consultancy firms, reached 3,598 in 2023. They choose from our public offerings or enroll in customized training programs requested by their organizations. For certain positions at water authorities or drinking water companies, some of our courses are required.”

Knufman, with a background in international law, found herself, by chance, in a role providing training for military personnel at a NATO headquarters. Back in the Netherlands, she obtained her teaching certification and advanced through various roles in maritime education, eventually becoming director of the Nautical College in Den Helder. “Being the director of Wateropleidingen now feels like a perfect fit,” she says. “I’m at ease with the concept of lifelong professional development and have a passion for water.”

Key themes

The course offerings at Wateropleidingen focus on essential themes, such as water safety, drinking water, wastewater treatment, water management, climate adaptation, and urban water. “One concern within the sector that also affects us,” she says, “is the aging workforce. New, younger talent in our team of trainers is certainly welcome.”

“What many people don’t know,” Knufman adds, “is that we were founded by the water sector as a non-profit organization. We don’t receive any maintenance funding, so our programs need to be self-sustaining.”

World Water Academy

Internationally, Wateropleidingen operates as World Water Academy. We contribute internationally to advancing knowledge and skills in the water sector. Knufman says, “Projects we undertake in collaboration with partners focus on sustainable capacity building. The strength of Dutch water expertise—practical, current, and immediately applicable—resonates in every country.”

Tailor-Made Services and Co-creations

Knufman has noticed a growing demand for tailored training programs. “This leads to inspiring co-creations, such as with the consultancy firm Sweco. Their Drinking Water Engineering team expanded with junior engineers and career-switchers. To bring their knowledge up to date, we developed a training program that contributes to structural knowledge retention.”

In partnership with the Aa en Maas Water Authority, Wateropleidingen developed training courses for treatment professionals titled “Cleaner Effluent” and “Energy-Efficient Wastewater Treatment.” Knufman notes, “Both programs, launching this fall, are aligned with practical applications. Water authorities must meet the requirements of the European Water Framework Directive (WFD) and the new European Urban Waste Water Directive, meaning effluent quality must continually improve. Additionally, they aim to be fully energy-neutral by 2030.”

Another new initiative is the extensive training program that Wateropleidingen is developing with Twynstra Gudde for the project teams of the Dutch Flood Protection Program (HWBP). “This is a significant project that we’re very proud of.”

Broader Perspective

Knufman emphasizes that major societal issues, such as the impacts of climate change, require a united water sector. “We must shift to systems thinking: thinking and working from a broader perspective. Wateropleidingen plays a key role in addressing these challenges by strengthening the capabilities of water professionals as a knowledge hub.”

Gerhard van den Top, Chair of the Supervisory Board

Learning Together Towards the Future

Gerhard van den Top was the Dijkgraaf of the Amstel, Gooi, and Vecht Water Authority when he became Chair of the Supervisory Board at Wateropleidingen in 2021. Now as Mayor of Hilversum, he continues in this role. “I believe in lifelong learning,” he says. “We’re never done learning, especially within the water sector.”

“Besides themes like climate and sustainability, water management in our country is shaped by new societal demands regarding water quality, resource reuse, data, privacy, and more. Meanwhile, the sector is evolving rapidly, making innovation and learning continuously essential—even in a country with such a strong international water reputation. What I love about Wateropleidingen is that participants are taught by experienced practitioners and subject matter experts.”

Supportive Role

Van den Top explains that the role of Wateropleidingen’s Supervisory Board is not so much directive as it is supportive: “We help ensure the continuity and development of our organization by contributing to strategy discussions. We offer expertise in finance, education, and communication. As Chair, I bring my governance experience and perspective, always focused on listening to the management team and employees, as they’re the ones implementing the strategy.”

Trends

Van den Top also notes that the Board doesn’t decide on the course offerings but instead identifies trends alongside staff and management. “For instance, asset management for dikes and pumping stations is becoming more data-driven, and we respond to that. But for other hot topics like AI and privacy, we consider if these themes are relevant enough for us or better suited to specialized training providers.”

Course Towards the Future

Another topic is capacity. Van den Top notes, “There’s increasing demand for tailor-made services. Wateropleidingen needs to make strategic choices: should we offer fewer standard programs? Should we grow or partner with other providers? While Dutch water professionals will remain our primary focus, as the Board, we also want to make room to explore new paths. We learn together through experimentation, helping the Board and management shape a path forward.”

Hilde Niezen, Director of Stichting RIONED

Happy with Personal Collaboration

Hilde Niezen has led Stichting RIONED since 2021. “Our collaboration with Wateropleidingen goes back a long way,” she says.

“Wateropleidingen is now 30 years old, and we’re 38,” explains Niezen. “As the authority for urban water management, we conduct research and document knowledge, but training is a profession in itself. That’s why we began collaborating with Wateropleidingen in 1995. By 2017, we transferred our last course to them.”

Starting with the BOR Course

Their partnership began in 1995 with the Basic Sewerage Course (BOR). “This course is very well-known in our sector,” Niezen notes. “Everyone in urban water management at a municipality has taken it. Wateropleidingen develops the BOR course independently, using our Urban Water knowledge bank, and this year, it was updated to reflect the latest developments.”

Audio-Visual Content

Niezen is proud of the collaboration, which extends to both content and format. “For a long time, municipalities relied on our paper binders, which often ended up on shelves. Now, much of our knowledge bank is accessible digitally, including videos we’ve made with Wateropleidingen to present material in an engaging way, such as demonstrations of specific tasks.”

Broader Perspective

Niezen is also enthusiastic about working directly with Gabriëlle Knufman. “Gabriëlle started in 2021, just a few months after I did. That shared beginning created a bond that still benefits us today. For instance, Operation Strong Water. Together with Monique Bekkenutte of KNW, we launched this initiative during RIONED Day last February to tackle the capacity shortage in our sector. We’re analyzing the scale of this problem at municipalities and consulting firms and creating a platform to showcase the exciting and important work in the water sector. By working together, we achieve more.”

Erik Wagener

HWBP Training to the Next Level

Since its start in 2014, the Dutch Flood Protection Program (HWBP) has closely collaborated with Wateropleidingen. Erik Wagener, HWBP Director until June and now Secretary-Director at the Amstel, Gooi, and Vecht Water Authority, explains why.

HWBP ensures that the 21 water boards and Rijkswaterstaat meet the new water safety standards for primary water defenses by 2050. “It’s a massive task,” Wagener explains, “requiring project teams with the right skills. Wateropleidingen supports this by developing training programs covering topics like dike reinforcement techniques.”

Dike Breach

Water safety is never guaranteed, as Wagener experienced in 2003 as the water and environment director for the Province of Utrecht. “I’d only been in the position for two weeks when the Wilnis dike broke,” he recalls. Drawn to the water sector, he continued his career at the Drents Overijsselse Delta Water Authority and HWBP.

More than Just Training

“I’m very pleased that Wateropleidingen and Twynstra Gudde won the tender for the new HWBP training program at the end of 2023,” Wagener continues. “Wateropleidingen is much more than a training provider; they turn practical questions into entirely new training solutions and now have a strong coordinating role within HWBP.”

Knowledge Sharing Leads to More Knowledge Sharing

The new training program, running until 2028, is funded by all water boards and available at hwbp.trainingscatalogus.nl. It includes modules on project management, environmental management, and contracting. Wagener says, “Participants gain new knowledge, and we also see peer groups that continue meeting afterward, creating networks of dedicated water professionals who share knowledge and experience long after the training ends.”

At Amstel, Gooi, and Vecht

The Amstel, Gooi, and Vecht Water Authority also has strong ties to Wateropleidingen. Wagener explains, “We have a framework contract for customized training, and several colleagues serve as instructors at Wateropleidingen. This spirit of mutual support through knowledge sharing is something I deeply appreciate about our sector—it helps us advance together in the major challenges we face.”

Source: Waterforum, by Dorien ter Veld