Rethinking asset management workforce training through design thinking and new technologies

Engineers and architects are tasked with handling the intricate dynamics of designing and managing the built environment in an era marked by increasing societal demands and rapid technological advancements. Modern asset management requires multifaceted expertise, up-to-date skills, and frame training activities crucial for the workforce. This article explores the transformative approach based on design thinking adopted in the Politecnico di Torino third-level course to address the challenge of generating robust, innovative solutions in this field. Using collaborative techniques such as Problem tree diagrams, Stakeholder maps, Analogies mapping, SCAMPER lists and prototypes, the PhD students experienced the alternating use of the diverging and converging phases of the creative process. The exercise involved a role-play method to test a design idea of a digital application for staff training, considering the distinctly cultural nature of the problem. This approach enabled rapid and tangible feedback on the solution s effectiveness, contributing to its improvement and greater alignment with the concrete needs of the stakeholders. As a result of the more inclusive, user-centred and iterative outcome observed, the framework will be replicated in the context of the RETURN project involving key representatives of the asset management workforce of critical infrastructures. Implementing active and experiential methodologies at the university will be central in shaping new generations oriented towards problem-solving and multidisciplinary exchange.