As part of the activities and goals of the work packages of the international ERASMUS+ project Skills4Water – Advancing the Integration of Soft Skills in Higher Education for Water, which aims to strengthen the integration of soft skills in higher education within the water sector, the University of Niš hosted the first training week of the Skills4Water Innovative Training Programme from March 12th to March 14th, 2024.

Gathering of the Consortium and Training Kickoff

This significant event brought together members of the consortium institutions implementing the Skills4Water project, including “Dunarea de Jos” University of Galati (UGAL), University of Cádiz (UCA), University of Niš (UNI), Accreditation Council for Entrepreneurial and Engaged Universities (ACEEU), and H2O-People B.V. Over three days of intensive training, participants had the opportunity to exchange knowledge and experiences and enhance their soft skills, which are crucial for the water sector.

Highlight of the Training: Multiplier Event

On the third day of the training, a multiplier event was organized under the theme “Added Benefits of European Projects for Soft Skill Development,” aiming to promote and strengthen the synergy of various international projects focused on green, soft, or safety skills. This event included three thematically connected round tables:

  1. Round Table 1: Advancing Soft-Skills in the Water Sector Across EU and Beyond
  • Moderator: Dr. Milan Gocić, GAF
  • Presented projects: SKILLS4Water, WATERLINE, iMERMAID, SMARTWB
  1. Round Table 2: Upscaling Green Skills Across Industries
  • Moderator: Dr. Tamara Rađenović, FZNR
  • Presented projects: CRCLEcon, USEIPM, ESSEFT
  1. Round Table 3: State and Trends of Work and Process Safety in the EU and Easiest Ways for Their Implementation in Serbia
  • Moderator: Dr. Dejan Vasović, FZNR
  • Presented projects: Safety4EU, SPIRES SAIS, DGTRANS, CSR in 4.0

These round tables provided a platform for deeper discussion on the importance of soft skills in various sectors and allowed participants to gain valuable insights and knowledge that will contribute to their professional development and improvement in the water sector.