Building capacity of young water professionals through action research and transdisciplinary approaches

Water management has become quite complex due to population pressure, climate change, and urbanization. Future young water professionals (YWPs) need to be capable of working with real-world situations, and they need to be suitably trained so that they can effectively communicate with decision-makers and enable innovative ideas to be adopted in policy development and actions on the ground. To get the ideas converted into actions, we need not only YWPs who are well-trained in water science and engineering but also in social, economic, governance, policy, and other related aspects. This special issue is devoted to the India YWP training program, led by Western Sydney University and the Australia India Water Centre (AIWC), aimed at developing a cohort of skilled YWPs and nurturing the next generation of water leaders in support of India's water reform agenda and the National Water Mission. The program engaged 20 YWPs, consisting of equal gender representation, selected by the Ministry of Jal Shakti from various water management agencies and departments across India. In this special issue, there are six articles that cover the design and implementation of YWP training programs, the mentoring of YWPs within the training program, a reflection on transdisciplinary learning, and two example SUIPs. Together, these articles provide details on how to design and implement an innovative YWP training program, what works well and what can be done better, and what YWPs can get out of the program in terms of working on a client-based, real-world project. Overall, well-designed transdisciplinary training can help YWPs bring new thinking and leadership to tackle future water challenges, including water governance, stakeholder involvement, critical thinking, problem analysis, and effective communication in various situations. Furthermore, such training can help YWPs develop their vision and capacity for more effective planning, design, implementation, and management of water projects and initiatives.