Building Future-Ready Water Professionals: A Standardized Soft Skills Framework

The SKILLS4Water project has developed a comprehensive framework to integrate essential soft skills into higher education curricula for water management. Based on extensive stakeholder consultation and curriculum analysis across three European universities, the framework targets six key soft skills—responsibility, motivation, teamwork, communication, problem-solving, and flexibility/adaptability—identified as critical for the water sector’s evolving needs.

Structured around the European Qualifications Framework (EQF), the framework defines progressive learning outcomes for bachelor (BSc), master (MSc), and doctoral (PhD) levels. Each skill is mapped with expected knowledge, related cognitive and practical abilities, and competencies for autonomous application. The framework is designed to be adaptable, allowing institutions to tailor implementation based on course structure, teaching methods, and student engagement.

This deliverable (D2.2) lays the foundation for future activities in the SKILLS4Water project, including classroom integration, training programme design, and practical guidance development. It supports the creation of a resilient, skilled workforce capable of addressing complex water challenges and driving innovation across Europe’s water sector.

D2.2 Standardized Framework for Integrating soft skills into HEI Curricula for Water Management