Smart Ambassadors Training Programme Graduation

BABLE Smart Cities delivered a five part Smart Ambassador Training programme, providing attendees with key essentials to support them on their smart/digital journey covering the topics below;

1. Citizen participation & Living labs
   Co-creation for sharing best practices, engaging with stakeholders and the design and implementation of Living Labs all support your local ecosystem of innovation and growth
2. Smart places implementation strategies
   Making sure you have the steps in place to mobilize innovation across your local area to support your socio-economic ambitions
3. Smart solutions for climate action
   Best practice smart decarbonization solutions for energy, mobility, waste, industry, food; data-driven carbon management
4. Digitising public space
   Technology is changing how we interact with and manage public space. But how do we make sure that often disconnected investments in tech enable more people to enjoy your most important public asset:streets
5. Data enabled places
   Data strategies, governance and risk management support the decision-making process in a context where AI is reshaping our relationship to place. Exploring how places are getting the most value out of data

25 lucky individuals from almost every County in Wales completed the course, and have now been tasked with sharing a case study with the Smart Towns team showcasing ways using data / digital tools has supported their Towns. These will be shared on the Smart Towns website over the coming weeks!

Completing the Smart Ambassador Training Programme has been a really valuable experience. The access to tools and resources, combined with the expertise offered, was fantastic. The opportunity to connect with other areas across Wales and share best practices through these invaluable networks has broadened my perspectives on digital technology implementation. It has opened doors for cross-departmental collaboration and presented new opportunities I hadn't previously considered.

Since the training, I feel significantly more confident in my understanding of IoT and no longer feel intimidated by the technical aspects. For those starting their Smart journey, I would emphasise the importance of having a clear plan and strategic direction from the outset. Make the most of the support offered by the Smart Towns team and leverage their extensive network to help you on your journey"

Emily Dobson, Senior Regeneration Officer, Vale of Glamorgan

The recordings/presentations from the sessions will also be updated on this page shortly for anyone who didn’t get the opportunity to join.

The large majority of those who completed the session, also regularly attend the quarterly Smart Towns Networking sessions we hold online and it was noted this is a great place to share the highs and lows of Digital/Smart jourmeys, smart tools and sharing ideas to save costs and just have an informal chat with those in similar roles, If you’d like to come along, all sessions are listed on the Smart Towns Eventbrite page: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/trefi-smart-towns-cymru-33152432853

The Smart Towns Team are grateful to have been given the opportunity to work with the BABLE Smart Cities team, (Andrew and Peter) they were great at getting everything arranged beforehand and really did drive innovation and generate ideas within the groups – we look forward to potentially working with you again in the future.

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