Crafting Effective Training at Veolia's Life Science Centre of Excellence

At the Veolia Life Science Centre of Excellence (VLCE), our commitment to continuous learning isn’t just a promise - it’s the engine that drives quality, innovation, and trust in everything we do. As Training Partner, I get to be part of something deeply rewarding: shaping the knowledge and confidence of the people behind Veolia’s exceptional service delivery.

From hands-on technicians to emerging experts, our goal is to ensure every person who comes through the Centre leaves more capable, more empowered, and more connected to the critical role they play.

Designing with Purpose: Backwards Design in Action
Every training course we deliver starts with a single question: What do we want our learners to walk away with? Using a “backwards design” approach, we begin by clearly defining the desired outcomes, then build the syllabus, content and delivery methods around those objectives. It’s an intentional and strategic way to ensure everything we teach is relevant, focused and rooted in real-world needs.
Of course, it’s not something we do in isolation. Our work is powered by collaboration- particularly with subject matter experts (SMEs) who bring vast technical experience and deep operational insights. These are people who’ve been in the field, faced the challenges and know what excellence looks like. Their contributions are key to making our content not just informative, but truly engaging.
When learners are actively involved - rather than passively absorbing slides - they retain more, build confidence and are better prepared to apply their knowledge in the field. That’s the real measure of success.


Ensuring Relevance, Engagement and Rigour
Every module we deliver is carefully curated with input from Veolia’s wider network of technical experts. These are people who live and breathe our technologies - and their feedback is invaluable. Our programmes are also part of a City & Guilds Assured framework, which means our content and delivery processes are regularly audited to meet high industry standards. That accountability pushes us to always be better.
We take care to make each session practical and relevant. From real-life case studies to scenario-based problem solving, our training is designed to reflect the complexity and nuance of what our learners will face in the field.


Tool, Formats and Flexibility
Training today has to meet learners where they are. That’s why we use a blended approach, combining:
         - In-person sessions at our purpose-built training facility
         - Access to a dedicated training skid for hands-on learning
         - E-learning modules for flexible, remote access
This setup allows us to support both local and international colleagues, regardless of geography. Of course, it’s not without its challenges - like translating materials into eight different languages or aligning content across multiple business units - but these are challenges worth tackling. They reflect the global reach and impact of what we do.


Driving Impact
There’s nothing quite like the moment a trainee earns their City & Guilds Digital Badge - especially after completing a hands-on session in the Centre. We regularly hear from learners who not only feel more skilled, but also more motivated and proud of their development journey.
Since our launch in June 2024, we’ve trained over 50 Service Technicians and welcomed more than 600 visitors through our doors. These aren’t just numbers - they’re people who go back into the field with sharper skills, a stronger sense of purpose and a clearer connection to Veolia’s commitment to excellence.


Why This Matters to Our Customers
At its core, the VLCE is an investment in people - and that’s what makes it so powerful. Our training programmes are about more than just knowledge transfer. They’re about building a consistent standard of excellence across our teams globally.
When our service technicians are trained to the highest standard, that quality and consistency is passed directly on to our customers - especially in the life sciences sector, where precision, compliance and trust are absolutely critical.
Simply put, better-trained people deliver better outcomes. It’s that straightforward.


The Centre as a Strategic Asset
The VLCE has become a true hub of learning and engagement, giving us a competitive edge as a business. The Centre isn’t just about internal development - it’s a signal to the industry that Veolia is serious about investing in knowledge, capability and long-term partnership with our clients.
We regularly collaborate with Learning & Development teams across the business and our reputation is growing beyond borders. Hosting trainees from all over the world is one of the most exciting parts of my role - it keeps us sharp, humble and globally connected.


Looking Ahead
There’s so much to look forward to. I’m excited to see our training portfolio continue to grow, to welcome even more international visitors and to explore deeper partnerships across teams and departments.
We’re committed to innovation—whether that means expanding our digital tools, measuring the long-term impact of our programmes, or continuously raising the bar for what great training looks like.
Our ambition is clear: to be recognised as the gold standard in life science water treatment training. And every time a learner walks out of the VLCE more confident than when they arrived, we take another step toward that goal.


Interested in Learning More About Our Life Science Centre of Excellence?
Visit our website to discover more or contact us today to discuss how we can support your specific business needs.