Future Skills: what is needed for the UK Water Sector
This Dash explores how we translate research into practical knowledge for the UK water sector.
This includes supporting water companies, regulators, educators and future professionals to make informed decisions about water quality, resource and infrastructure resilience, and environmental sustainability.
Robust decision making within the UK water industry is becoming increasingly complex, with growing pressures from climate change, pollution, ageing infrastructure, biodiversity targets, and evolving regulation.
However, there is often a gap between awareness of new research and how this can inform resilience in the industry, by building new skills and access to knowledge across the industry.
We will explore new ways to establish regular dialogues about research and internal and external industry challenges that are inclusive, and support strategic and operational decision making and education across the water sector; a skills gap analysis will be conducted.
Linking research with real-world challenges, from catchment management and wastewater treatment to nature recovery and climate resilience, will help build scientific literacy, future skills, and collaborative learning pathways.
This approach supports:
- Workforce development and professional training
- Stronger links between industry and universities
- More confident, evidence-based decision making across the sector
By improving how research is translated into practice, we strengthen the UK water industry’s ability to manage risks collaboratively, sustainably, and with greater public trust.