Compliance under pressure: how Water Authority Vallei and Veluwe tackles the Woo

For many years, Water Authority Vallei and Veluwe has been responsible for clean and safe water. However, with a growing organisation and an increasing number of responsibilities in the areas of sustainability and energy transition, much is changing. Not everyone knows each other anymore, processes are becoming more complex, and knowledge sharing is more important than ever. How do you ensure that everyone stays engaged and prepared for what lies ahead?

Together with Roderick Moolenaars, Senior Policy Advisor Legal Affairs, we discuss how Water Authority Vallei and Veluwe is addressing this challenge and the role that customised e-learning plays in this process.

The Challenge: Awareness and Compliance with the Open Government Act

As a public sector organisation, Water Authority Vallei and Veluwe must comply with the Dutch Open Government Act (Wet open overheid – Woo). This legislation requires all communication to be transparent and retrievable upon request. This means that employees must be aware of what and how they communicate, and how information is correctly archived.

Two major challenges played a role in this:

• Awareness: Employees needed to realise that everything they communicate can be requested. This awareness had not yet been widely embedded within the organisation.
• Effective information management: Properly archiving communication is crucial. How do you ensure that information is stored correctly and can be easily retrieved?

An additional complication is that employees often work under time pressure. It can be tempting to respond quickly to an email, while it is sometimes better to pause, reflect, and consult colleagues. Clear, factual, and understandable communication is essential to prevent unclear information from leading to problems.

The Solution: A Customised E-Learning in Corporate Style

To raise awareness of the Open Government Act and teach employees how to manage information effectively, Water Authority Vallei and Veluwe looked for a learning solution that matched their daily work practice. The solution needed to be not only strong in content, but also recognisable and accessible for employees.

SkillsTown developed a customised e-learning programme that perfectly aligns with the water authority’s organisational culture. The training features familiar faces from within the organisation, ensuring it does not feel like a “standard YouTube experience.” This increases engagement and recognisability. In addition, the information is communicated in a clear and understandable way, so employees know exactly what is expected of them.

The Impact: Awareness and Transparency Across the Organisation

The SkillsTown e-learning programme has had an immediate and noticeable impact within the teams that have completed the module. Employees have become more aware of the consequences of their communication. They realise that everything they write or share can be formally requested. This awareness encourages them to communicate more consciously and carefully.

Information management has also improved. As a result of the training, employees think more carefully about how they store documents and correspondence, making them easier to retrieve. This contributes to transparent and efficient operations.

Developing the e-learning internally has also provided a valuable learning experience within the organisation:

“You don’t learn much from just consuming content, but when you develop an e-learning yourself, you learn a great deal about where your organisation stands. It is a warm and valuable process.”

“A major advantage of SkillsTown’s customised solution is its flexibility. We can continuously adapt and keep the e-learning up to date, and changes are easy to implement. Employees can quickly find the right information and store it easily.”

Roderick Moolenaars, Senior Policy Advisor Legal Affairs

Unique to Water Authority Vallei and Veluwe: Familiar Faces, Real Impact

What makes this solution particularly distinctive is its recognisability. The e-learning includes not only the logo of Water Authority Vallei and Veluwe, but also the faces of colleagues from within the organisation. This increases engagement and ensures that employees experience the training as something that truly belongs to them.

Another unique aspect is the internal ambassador role that emerges. Employees who actively contribute to the e-learning naturally grow into ambassadors for the topic. As a result, the message of the training is more widely embraced, and implementation has greater impact across the organisation.

The Results: Increased Awareness and More In-Depth Questions

Since the rollout of the e-learning programme, there has been a clear increase in awareness around the Open Government Act.

“Employees ask more questions about legal aspects—something that rarely happened before the training. Moreover, these questions are much more in-depth.”

Users experience the e-learning as accessible and enjoyable. The recognisable case studies and the involvement of colleagues make the learning journey approachable and relevant. The feeling that “this e-learning is truly ours” contributes to higher engagement.

The organisation also notices that discussions about Woo requests are more substantive and better prepared, which directly improves the quality of internal communication and archiving. SkillsTown’s ability to continuously update and adapt the e-learning has proven essential for maintaining this long-term learning effect.

A Future-Proof Learning Solution

Thanks to the collaboration with SkillsTown, Water Authority Vallei and Veluwe now has a sustainable, flexible, and effective e-learning solution. Employees are more aware of the Open Government Act, communication is more transparent, and information management has improved. It is a strong example of how customised learning leads to lasting organisational impact.