VET – the power behind innovation

Looking back at our side-event during the Wetsus Congress 2025

On Wednesday, October 8, CIV Water and PoVE Water, together with the Water4All Partnership, organized the event “VET – the power behind innovation” as part of the Wetsus Congress in Leeuwarden. This interactive hybrid session focused on one central question:

How can vocational education and training (VET) strengthen innovation in the water sector?

The morning opened with moderator Laura Roebroeck (Wij zijn Katapult), who guided the audience through an interactive introduction on the role of vocational education in the water sector. This was followed by an engaging keynote by Doeke Schippers (Vitens) about Vitens’ Living Lab concept, where vocational professionals play a crucial role in testing and applying new innovations. His presentation highlighted how essential skilled professionals are for successful innovation—without well-trained experts, ideas remain theoretical.

During the panel discussion, representatives from education, government, and industry shared their insights:

• Uchechi Obinna (Centre of Expertise Water Technology – CEW)

• Marianne Poelman (Municipality of Súdwest-Fryslân)

• Pieter Hoekstra (CIV Water)

  
  

They discussed how collaboration across different educational levels and organizations can contribute to a future-proof water sector. The audience was actively engaged through questions and an interactive word cloud.

Finally, Laura Roebroeck presented the initiative De Groene Werelden, developed by Groenpact, which demonstrates how the image of the green and blue sectors can be strengthened to inspire more students and professionals to pursue a career in these vital fields.

It was a valuable session full of knowledge sharing, inspiration, and insightful questions from the audience—a great example of how education and practice can reinforce each other to accelerate innovation.

A special word of thanks to all speakers, panelists, and participants for their contribution!

Watch the livestream here: