The professional degree is in the field of water treatment and production, more specifically focused on the operation and maintenance of equipment and facilities, to meet a need for skills and a lack of training for qualified technicians in this field.

The professional degree is in the field of water treatment and production, more specifically focused on the operation and maintenance of equipment and facilities, to meet a need for skills and a lack of training for qualified technicians in this field.

Educational goals :

• Knowing how to differentiate and understand the processing of treatment plants,
• Having benchmarks to ensure the suitability of the treatment system to be installed in relation to the required treatment objectives,
• To be critical of the day-to-day operation of a water treatment plant,
• To be able to analyze a malfunction on a processing line and identify its origin.

The ultimate goal is to train an apprentice in the operation and maintenance of various water treatment processes.

Training opportunities: 

This training program aligns with the institution's ambitions and thematic and pedagogical orientations because:

• It complements the training offer (in terms of recruitment and the needs of the region)
• It strengthens ties with the economic environment (industries, SMEs, Public inter-municipal cooperation establishments – EPCI…) and involves institutional and training partners (Ministry of Ecological Transition, Directorate of the Environment, Planning and Housing – DEAL, Water Authority, University of Limoges, Higher Institute of Technology of Diego, University of the Mascarenes)

Access to water and sanitation is a key focus of a co-development policy for the following reasons:

• significant needs to be met in the countries of the Indian Ocean region,
• possibility of mobilizing the engineering and know-how of operators from Réunion.

To address these disparities, the international community is mobilizing to provide solutions in terms of resources and awareness: modernization of water supply networks, creation of collective and individual treatment units with the support of large companies, mainly French.

For the past 10 years, Reunion Island has increased its water treatment capacity through the construction and rehabilitation of treatment units. In parallel, this increase in the capacity of the treatment facilities is also accompanied by an increase in the technical sophistication of the technologies used: micro and ultra-filtration, ozonation, UV, supervision, remote management, smart energy network – smart-grids...and to new environmental concerns: energy efficiency, alternative energies,...

For this reason, training profiles in the field of "water treatment" are more in demand and adapted to the management of treatment units.

The professional degree (BAC +3) aims to establish professional training in the Indian Ocean region in the field of sanitation and drinking water production, more specifically focused on treatment, operation and maintenance.

The professional Bachelor's degree complements the existing training offer in Reunion Island. Continuing studies in the Master's program in Risks and Environment is an option offered to students since 2023, in collaboration with partners such as: PIROI, the Water Authority, the Bureau of Geological and Mining Research – BRGM, Météo France, RUNEO, CISE….

Since 2020, the training spectrum in the field of water has given students the opportunity to have unique levels of competence, qualification and expertise in Reunion Island and which is shared with the country zones of the Indian Ocean zone (CB ERASMUS Project DEFI EAU 2023-2026).

Furthermore, in Réunion, professionals generally identify a lack of specialized skills in the water sector, particularly in the areas of drinking water and wastewater treatment, both in terms of management and organization. These skills fall under the fields of process engineering and chemical engineering.

Through the collective development of the skills of water stakeholders, the efficiency and performance of treatment facilities, this training contributes to environmental development in line with the regional desire to enhance natural heritage and improve water quality throughout the region.

To date, it is the only training program with this level of equivalent professional training qualification in the Indian Ocean region.

The training program focuses on water and its environmental impacts, which are fully aligned with the ecological transition. The various course units within the curriculum reinforce the objective of sustainable development through the management of water treatment and production systems in response to the variability of water quality.

The development of the training program relied on local academic partnerships, particularly with high schools (Lycée Saint Paul IV, Lycée Horizon, Lycée Roland Garros), to leverage the expertise of colleagues in specific fields such as hydraulics, maintenance, and electrical engineering. These partnerships also provided opportunities to share existing technical facilities across different sites.

The adopted educational model is based on a division of time between university and company, namely 2 weeks of training and 3 weeks in the company. This structure aims to balance theoretical instruction with substantial practical application.

The proportion of time spent in companies underscores the value placed on professional experience and interactions with the economic sector. It reflects a desire to closely integrate students into the realities and dynamics of the working world, particularly in fields related to water and the environment.

Collaboration with professionals, who are involved in internships, as tutors, and in teaching units, is a key component of this model. Professionals contribute to the teaching by providing their expertise and perspective on current industry issues. This aspect of the program aims to enrich theoretical training with practical knowledge and skills directly applicable in the workplace.

In summary, the training model emphasizes the importance of integrating students into the professional world and highlights the role of professionals as educational partners. This approach aims to effectively prepare students for the challenges and opportunities in the field of water treatment plant management.

Total hours worked: 520 hours

The teaching model consists of 7 modules made up of 20 constituent elements.

The internship and the supervised project each constitute a teaching unit. The 7 groups of teaching units consist of cross-cutting elements (economics and financial management, project management, health and safety), water quality and treatment (chemistry, treatment processes, purification), technologies (electricity/electrotechnics, water networks, mechanics and hydraulics), maintenance and process control (Computer-Aided Maintenance Management – CMMS, remote management and smart grids, metrology and data processing) and finally, the supervised project and the internship. The professional elements during the period in the company and the differentiated academic contributions offer a comprehensive and cross-disciplinary view of the field studied.

Ultimately, the valuable support of the business world considerably strengthens the skills-based approach and the multidisciplinary approach already present in the model.

The diversification of teaching methods is a major strength of this program. Instructors enrich the learning experience by recommending a variety of resources, such as specialized books, tutorials, and reference videos. This approach allows students to access a wide range of learning materials and fosters their autonomy in their learning. Finally, the teaching team employs various training and assessment methods to meet the diverse needs of students and stimulate their engagement. These include fieldwork, lectures, group work, and tutored projects.

The skills acquired during this training are in line with those of the RNCP record 

During the program, students complete a two-month internship within a company on a topic defined jointly by the company and the academic supervisor. In addition, students work on a supervised project throughout the year.

For continuing education trainees, in addition to national rights:

The training within the framework of work-study has a cost per work-study student of 7200 Euros.

BAC +2 in scientific and/or technical fields

The general criteria for reviewing the applications considered are:

• Academic skills and methodological achievements
• Motivation, knowledge of the training, coherence of the project

• L2 Physics, Mathematics, Chemistry
• BTS GEMEAU, Water Professions, Automation, Electrotechnics, Systems Maintenance

Admission to the Professional Bachelor's degree program takes place on the platform admission.univ-reunion.fr.

Baccalaureate + 2 or equivalent

The program is designed as a continuation of studies for students with a Bachelor's degree in Physics, Civil Engineering, and Chemistry, as well as those with a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering (BUT SEE). Within the BAC-3 and BAC+3 continuum, the program is suitable for students with a BTS in Water Professions and a BTS in Water Management and Control (GEMEAU), and to a lesser extent for students with a BTS in Systems Maintenance, Electrotechnics, and Automation.

12 seats

For admission to the Professional Bachelor's degree program, the schedule is determined by the institution. It is available on the website of the university website student services.

The success rate is 100%

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• Master's degree in Risks and Environment,
• Master of Science in Environmental Sciences

The sectors of activity and types of employment targeted by this training correspond to those listed in the RNCP record:

• Responsible for maintaining a processing or production unit
• Operator of a processing or production unit
• Technical manager for starting up a station
• Technical assistant at water production and treatment plants
• Sanitation network manager
• Drinking water station manager