About Wetskills
The Wetskills Foundation
The Wetskills Water Challenge is a two-weeks pressure-cooker programme for students and young professionals with a passion for water from all over the world. They meet in a country and work in transdisciplinary and transcultural teams at water-related topics. The main challenge: develop as a team your own innovative and out-of-the-box solution for water challenges in a changing world.
Connecting People In The Water Sector
The study cases are provided and formed by study case owners, companies and organisations with a dedicated challenge in a local situation. These concepts are presented during the formal event through an ice-breakking and energizing session, when the cooperation between the Dutch water sector and the partner-country is showed and positioned. It provides a base to integrate different generations, water challenges, disciplines and cultures.
The programme
The Wetskills Water Challenge is a two week programme, consisting of some blocks:
- 1-2 days: Teambuilding activities (water-related excursions, cultural sites)
- 1 day: Official kick-off, called: BrainHurricane (Meet&Greet with case owners, speed-date with experts, brainstorming)
- 6-7 days: Working days (Connection with case owners, literature study, discussion, teamwork, meeting experts, optional: field trip and some free time)
- 1 day: Training & Mentoring (Training Pitch & Poster, Plan of Action discussion)
- 2 days: Preparation (Feedback round with all participants, polishing posters and Pitch practice sessions)
- 1-2 days: Finals (Wetskills Finals, awarding ceremony, participating in final events such as water conferences, delegations)
- 0,5 day: Farewell (lunch or dinner, check-out)
Challenges and the case owners
The study cases are provided and formed by study case owners: companies and organisations with a dedicated water challenge. Each case owner has its own team. This team is challenged to find an out-of-the-box concept/idea to the challenge, which is focused on the local situation. The case owners heavily involved in the elaboration of the case: first during the formulation and secondly during the Wetskills event (live and/or on a distance by Skype/phone/e-mail). The most feasible ideas will go to the WetsNext programme for follow-up
The main criteria
The jury, existing on a diverse group of experts, will judge the teams on the following criteria:
- Out-of-the-box: creativity and innovation
- Technical feasibility
- Economic attractively: business model on short & long term
- Social and environmental context
- Quality of the presented Pitch & Poster
How It Works
1
Water event
2
Universities
Wetskills connects with universities all over the world. These universities have the possibility to network with local water companies, government and other universities.
3
Organisations
Organisations provide an inspiring Water Challenge for a team of Students and Young Professionals. They thereby promote their company and connect with young talent.
4
Participants
Students from these universities join the Wetskills Events and work in a team to solve the water issues in the cases provided by organisations.
Events Since 2010
This networking and knowledge exchange event has been organised in more than ten countries all over the world. Since 2010, Wetskills attracted more than 250 participants from more than 50 international universities and organisations in one of the fifteen Wetskills events in China, Indonesia, Oman, Israel, Egypt, Morocco, South Africa (2x), Mozambique, Romania (2x), The Netherlands (2x), United States and Canada.
350
Participants
17
Wetskills Events
12
Countries
75
Universities & Organisations
Developed bottom-up by enthusiastic water professionals.
Our team consists of 14 water professionals who are closely involved and passionate about their profession and the world of Wetskills.
Join Wetskills
Participant
As Wetskills participant, you will experience real-life cooperation in transcultural teams. It will create or expand your first international network, based on: intercultural teamwork, mutual acceptance, out-of-the-box ideas, comfort zone challenges and knowledge/expertise exchange.
Organization
As Case owner (organizations with a water challenge), you will get your own international team with enthusiastic and transcultural students and young professionals. Your team will come with a creative solution for the implementation of your challenge in the local situation.
University
As local partner-university (or universities), you have the possibility to network with local water companies, government and universities, but international ones as well. This new learning experience method is energizing for your students.
Participant
As Wetskills participant, you will experience real-life cooperation in transcultural teams. It will create or expand your first international network, based on: intercultural teamwork, mutual acceptance, out-of-the-box ideas, comfort zone challenges and knowledge/expertise exchange.
Organization
As Case owner (organizations with a water challenge), you will get your own international team with enthusiastic and transcultural students and young professionals. Your team will come with a creative solution for the implementation of your challenge in the local situation.
University
As local partner-university (or universities), you have the possibility to network with local water companies, government and universities, but international ones as well. This new learning experience method is energizing for your students.
Do you have any questions? Don’t hesitate to ask!
