Lancaster University PGCert: Turning knowledge into real-world impact
CIWEM’s ‘Your Future‘ report, published in October 2025, reinforced wider industry concerns around future skills gaps in the water sector. It highlights the huge investment needed to develop new recruits and upskill existing practitioners in a rapidly changing world. Read on to find out how our commitment to organisational capacity building reflects our core value of sharing knowledge.
Empowering knowledge through partnership and training
At JBA, we support the transfer of skills by partnering with our clients and suppliers, underpinned by our comprehensive technical training course portfolio. Our flagship partnership with Lancaster University to deliver post-graduate training in Flood and Coastal Risk Management exemplifies our approach. JBA's experts bring industry insights and awareness of real-world issues, challenges and strategies into the learning experience, ensuring the programme combines the highest academic standards with the latest best practice tools and techniques.
Why this programme delivers real-world impact
Lancaster University is a collegiate, research-intensive university that is consistently ranked in the UK's 10 top ten. The university’s Lancaster Environment Centre (LEC) is one of the world’s largest centres for environmental research, with academic expertise spanning the natural and social sciences. LEC’s training programmes and research are focused on exploring and understanding the interface between the environment and society, particularly in the fields of flood and coastal risk management and sustainable water management.
The novel modular approach to teaching the PGCert programme in Flood and Coastal Risk Management is specifically designed to appeal to current or aspiring practitioners. To gain the 60 credits required for the Postgraduate Certificate, participants complete four (out of a possible eight) modules over two years, making it easy to combine with professional commitments.
Alongside new entrants to the sector, over 40 established practitioners have completed the programme to date, with the majority from governmental agencies, local authorities, water utilities or consultancies. Many delegates have had their costs covered through employer sponsorship, while others have received bursaries or chosen to self-fund. Some participants have gone on to complete additional modules to achieve a Postgraduate Diploma or Master’s degree.
Each year, we sponsor a number of our own colleagues to join the programme, and we also contribute to bursaries that support wider participation.
Programme highlights that drive real impact
The programme covers a broad range of specialist topics designed to equip practitioners with both theoretical knowledge and practical skills. Core areas include flood hydrology, river hydraulics, and advanced flood risk modelling, whilst also exploring flood forecasting and strategies for responding to extreme events, ensuring readiness for real-world challenges. The curriculum addresses integrated systems for sustainable surface water management, alongside approaches for managing coastal erosion and flood risk. Further modules focus on groundwater resources and protection, as well as sustainable floodplain management and restoration.
From September 2026, the programme will be known as the PGCert in Flood and Water Management, reflecting the programme's broader emphasis.
You can find out more about the PGCert and upcoming modules on our training pages.
