Review Gold Open Access 2025

Using Pilot Plants as a Didactic Resource to Facilitate the Acquisition of Technical Competences in the Urban Water Cycle in Vocational and Higher Education

Water (Switzerland)
Journal · Vol. 17 · Issue 5 · Art. 675
Abstract

The technical training associated with urban water cycle management has a markedly multidisciplinary character. In Spain, training in this field to cover the different professional profiles involved in urban water management ranges from specific intermediate and higher Vocational Education and Training Programmes to related subjects included in various university degrees, as well as specialised master’s degrees in a very specific discipline involved in water management. Paradoxically, the companies in the sector are finding it difficult to find intermediate and higher technicians with training in line with their current needs to meet the challenges they must face in order to manage the sewerage and supply networks as efficiently as possible. It is necessary to incorporate, in Vocational Education centres, innovative methods and means that facilitate the acquisition of the skills required by key sectors for sustainability, such as urban water management. The incorporation of resources that help students to understand complex concepts in this field through the operation of pilot-scale equipment and installations that simulate those they will encounter in their professional performance can be of great value in facilitating the acquisition of the desired competences. In this work, a bibliographical review of the use of pilot plants for teaching purposes, in relation to technical aspects involved in the field of urban water management circumscribed to urban supply and sanitation networks, is carried out in order to assess the degree of their implementation as a training resource, which aspects are most frequently addressed, and the contribution they make to the improvement of teaching–learning processes. © 2025 by the authors.

Keywords

Author Keywords

Vocational training didactic resource fluid mechanics hydraulics pilot plant pumps sewage networks supply networks teaching–learning test bench

Index Keywords

Teaching Personnel training higher education training Apprentices Students Vocational education Vocational training educational attainment Teaching-learning Hydraulic machinery Hydraulics Sewage Urban planning Water resources Didactic resources Sewage network Supply networks Technical competence Test-bench Urban water management Urban waters fluid mechanics hydrological cycle pump sanitation sewage treatment water supply Spain
Author Affiliations
Institute of Water and Environmental Sciences, Universitat d'Alacant, Alicante, Alicante, Spain
🇪🇸 IES BEATRIU FAJARDO DE MENDOZA, Benidorm, Spain
Funding & Acknowledgements
No funding information
References 10 References
1 Xvii National Study on Drinking Water Supply and Sanitation in Spain, (2022)
2 Perte De Digitalizacion Del Ciclo Del Agua Descriptive Report Spain, (2022)
3 Observatory of Vocational Training in Spain Report 2024
4 Study of Training Needs in the Water Sector in Spain, (2020)
5 Changes in Professional Profiles and Vocational Training Needs in Spain Perspective 2030, (2022)
6 Challenges of the Urban Water Sector Decisive Factors, (2024)
7 Water Technology Strategy for the Period 20202022, (2020)
8 Value of Water Towards A Water Smart Society, (2026)
9 Recovery Transformation and Resilience Plan Componente 20 Plan Estrategico De Impulso A La Formacion Profesional, (2023)
10 Nexo Rev Cient, (2008)
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