avk-esg-2024-25 - Flipbook - Page 40
Training and skills
development
We strive to foster a learning culture by making
it easy for our employees to update their
knowledge and strengthen their competencies.
This ensures that they feel well-equipped to
perform their job and act in line with the values
of the AVK Group. To support this, we have an
e-learning platform for employees.
Our e-learning platform is an increasingly
important part of employee training. It is
integrated into the onboarding process for
new hires as well as ongoing training for
existing employees. In addition, it provides a
management platform to deliver online training
to a broad group of employees. This includes
mandatory courses such as the AVK Group
Code of Conduct and IT security, which all
employees with PC access must complete.
As highlighted in the section on occupational
health and safety, all manufacturing employees
are required to complete safety training to
prevent workplace accidents.
In 2025, we launched a new internal
leadership development programme “AVK
Future Leadership” aimed at preparing a new
generation of leaders to meet the challenges
of the future. The programme is built on
“The AVK Way of Leadership” and will serve
as a foundation for our ongoing work with
succession planning, leadership development,
talent management, and recruitment.
and trends within the water industry. Likewise,
we always strive to have trainees and student
workers among our employees.
Since 2019, AVK Holding has participated in
the Danish nationwide campaign “Girls’ Day
in Science”, now “Science Day”, which aims
to inspire more young people to choose an
education in the field of science, technology,
engineering, or mathematics (STEM education)
and ensure more diversity in education choices
and in Danish workplaces. As part of the
campaign, we invite local students to a one-day
event at the AVK Academy & Visitor Centre to
spark their interest in our industry and introduce
them to a variety of job opportunities.
Bachelor of Business and Water Technology
The water industry is experiencing a growing
demand for sales professionals and advisors
with expertise in both business and the latest
water technology. For years, AVK Holding
has advocated for a more business-oriented
education that highlights the opportunities
within the water industry and emphasises
understanding the various business cases
surrounding water’s journey through society.
We aim to inspire young people to take an
interest in good water infrastructure and
contribute to the changes needed for better and
more efficient water management.
Additionally, new managers in the Group
participate in an in-depth introduction course
to provide a thorough insight into AVK and our
expectations to them as managers.
In collaboration with Aarhus Water and
Aarhus Business Academy, we have been
actively involved in the development of the
new bachelor’s degree Business and Water
Technology in Denmark, from the initial concept
to ministerial approval. In August 2024, the
programme welcomed its second cohort of
students.
Educating the next generation
We do not only focus on the education of our
employees. We believe it is our responsibility
to educate the next generation of employees
and partners and to create a forum where we
can share the latest knowledge, technologies,
Advanced Water Cycle Management Course
Since 2019, AVK Holding has participated in
the summer school course “Advanced Water
Cycle Management” alongside other companies
and utilities from Eastern Jutland, Denmark,
all of which contribute their knowledge and
40 | AVK Group Sustainability report 2024/2025
expertise. This is a two-week international
course designed to upgrade the students’ skills
and knowledge about the water cycle and get
familiar with Danish innovations within water
distribution, wastewater management, resource
recovery, and water resource management.
The course is organised by the Centre for Water
Technology at Aarhus University, Denmark,
and counts for 5 ECTS credits. This year, 45
participants from all over the world participated.
Diversity
At AVK, we recruit and appoint managers based
on the principle of selecting the most qualified
candidate for the role. However, the technical
and industrial nature of our industry has
historically been male-dominated, resulting in
a gender imbalance both at management level
and among employees overall. Recognising this,
we are committed to making our company more
appealing to women and promoting greater
gender diversity.
At the same time, we will improve our diversity
data. Initially, our measurements will focus
primarily on the gender composition of the
management team. However, we will adopt a
broader understanding of diversity that include
age, seniority, nationality, and other relevant
parameters for which we will begin data
collection.
For more information on gender balance in
management, please see the “Report on
inequal gender representation in management”
in the section on “Policies and ESG reporting”.
