This is how Omgevingsdienst Midden- en West-Brabant prepares for the Environment Act

Due to the corona crisis, organizations were suddenly required to start working online in March 2020. However, the collaboration with SkillsTown started for the Omgevingsdienst Midden- en West-Brabant (OMWB) back in February. They saw the value of online learning even without a pandemic. In this article, Erik van de Polder, Strategic HR Advisor at OMWB, talks about how he is working with SkillsTown to get his organization learning.

Being prepared for the Environment Act

In 2023, the Environment Act will go into effect. In it, the government combines and modernizes the laws for the living environment. This will make it easier to start spatial projects, for example housing on old industrial sites or the construction of wind farms. As an environment service, OMWB must be well prepared for this. Employees must know exactly what the Environment Act entails and how they can put it into practice. Erik says: "We find it very important that everyone in our organization has the same basis in terms of knowledge of the Environment Act. It is something that everyone within our organization is going to have to deal with."

"The online training offerings on the Environment Act are nicely curated and there is a good balance between knowledge and inspiration."

The online training offerings around the Environment Act

SkillsTown offers an extensive online training program on the new Environment Act. This prepares employees of provinces, municipalities, environmental services, water boards, safety regions, GGDs and Rijkswaterstaat for what lies ahead. Topics covered include communication, collaboration, decentralized rules, environmental vision and project procedure. This comprehensive offering was one of the reasons for OMWB to start SkillsTown. Erik explains, "The package is nicely put together and there is a good balance between knowledge and inspiration. It is not only dry material, but there are also good examples. This makes it evocative of what it can look like later."

Learning at your own pace

Why online learning works so well for OMWB employees is because they can do it at their own pace. Erik explains: "We have 350 employees. If you want all employees to take a course physically, that's a huge operation. The online platform is a great way to let people gain knowledge, at the time they want to. It creates autonomy. They can decide when to pick it up and how fast they go through the material. Through the tests, we can check what employees have learned from it."

"I am very impressed with the content of all the other modules, for example in the area of sustainable employability and vitality. "

Of interest to every organization

OMWB is currently only using the environment package, but Erik says enthusiastically, "I am very impressed with the content of all the other modules, for example in the area of sustainable employability and vitality. When I see what else SkillsTown has to offer, it is interesting for all organizations." Erik is therefore very pleased with the short lines of communication with SkillsTown: "I have fine contact with Gijs, account manager at SkillsTown. Together we are looking at where even more opportunities lie for Omgevingsdienst Midden- en West-Brabant.