Systemic human capital development and modernisation of Ukraine’s water sector

About

Rebuilt water and wastewater infrastructure only delivers results when there are people to operate, maintain and finance it. The war has drained the sector’s workforce, while donor training remains fragmented and lacks common qualification standards.

NUWA was created by the sector itself as a single coordination point for training across utilities, hromadas and international partners. We identify real capacity gaps, prioritise frontline and de-occupied communities, and match needs with partner programmes.

Founders and legal status

• Association “Ukrvodokanalekologia” — the national association of Ukraine’s water and wastewater utilities

• Lviv Ecological Foundation (NGO)

Registered on 22 April 2026, EDRPOU 46369870. Non-profit. Governed by a General Assembly, a Supervisory Board and a Director. Annual independent audit; procurement and conflict-of-interest policies in place.

Learning tracks: from the pump to the city council

• Tier 1. Operators and technicians — e.g. occupational safety, modern pumping equipment, water treatment and wastewater technologies, chemical dosing, SCADA basics

• Tier 2. Engineers and middle management — e.g. hydraulic modelling, GIS, non-revenue water management (IWA water balance), ISO 50001 energy management

• Tier 3. Utility executives — e.g. crisis leadership, asset management, business continuity planning, financial planning, investment readiness, EU water directives, ISO 9001 quality management

• Tier 4. Local self-government — e.g. integrated water resources management, tariff setting, the DREAM platform, preparing grant and investment applications

The list of topics is not exhaustive. We design programmes with our partners around the needs of each utility or community. See current courses on the Training Map, or send a request for a new topic using the form in the Contacts section.

NUWA is preparing for accreditation as a qualification centre with the National Qualifications Agency (CMU Resolution No. 986).

How we teach

• Train-the-Trainers School. 65 national trainers drawn from operating utilities, trained to World Water Academy standards, with placements in the Netherlands and Poland.

• NUWA online platform. Micro-learning, webinars and digital certificates, so critical staff learn without leaving critical facilities. Online and blended courses run on the Edu4Bis platform (https://edu4bis.com): a personal trainee dashboard, lectures available for repeated viewing, online testing and certification, and progress monitoring by the utility's training coordinator.

• Hands-on practice at utilities. Simulations and placements at leading utilities. A Lviv Training Centre is in preparation jointly with Lviv City Council and Lvivvodokanal.

Every programme is evaluated with the Kirkpatrick Model, from trainee satisfaction to results at the utility. At full operation: up to 1,800 person-courses a year.

Milestones

• November 2025 — memorandum signed in Warsaw (Association “Ukrvodokanalekologia”, Lviv City Council, Lvivvodokanal)

• April 2026 — state registration of NUWA

• 2026 — NUWA joins WaterWorX Phase 2 (National Training Centre)

• 2026–2027 — design of the Lviv Training Centre

For partners

NUWA does not replace partners’ instruments; it adds a coordination layer on top of them. Partners gain a verified map of utility needs, a network of certified national trainers and donor-grade reporting.

Ways to cooperate:

• co-funding of specialised technical modules

• grant support for the Train-the-Trainers School and the online platform

• integration of your programmes and in-kind expertise into the NUWA platform

Partners are invited to join the Partners’ Advisory Council as observers. Policies and reports are available on request.