“What I do, I understand.”

Interview with Jérôme Manente, Coordinator of the Skillscenter at LSC360, and Steve Barzacca, Head of Coordination, Management, and the Skillscenter Division at LSC360

“What I do, I understand.”

The LSC360 Skillscenter was born from a simple conviction: in professions that are constantly evolving, the transfer of skills cannot be limited to theory. The Skillscenter was designed to act as a concrete and immersive learning space. It supports both LSC360 employees and external stakeholders with training in safety, health, engineering, urban development, and environment—linked to practical application and the major challenges of the future.

Why is skills development especially important today in the fields of engineering, environment, and safety?

Steve Barzacca: The two greatest challenges we face today are, first, the constantly changing regulations that require trainers and learners to always stay up to date, and second, the growing importance of artificial intelligence in our daily lives. There is no need to be afraid of it, but it is important to keep learning how to use this tool as efficiently as possible.

Jérôme Manente: I would like to add that in our fields—which involve not only technical but also social aspects—a lack of skills can have serious consequences: economic losses, environmental damage, and sometimes even grave human consequences. Skills development is therefore a true lever for safety, quality, performance, and innovation.

You rely on a very practical and immersive approach. How does learning through experience change skill acquisition?

JM: Immersion is central for us because we are convinced that knowledge is not only transmitted by listening, but through practical experience. There is a reason for the saying: “What I hear, I forget; what I see, I remember; what I do, I understand.” Those who have the opportunity to try things, make mistakes, and try again without being judged, learn better and more sustainably.

To enable this immersion, we focus especially on playful schooling and new interactive teaching tools. For example, we use augmented reality headsets to place participants in a realistic 3D environment where they can move around and interact with realistic scenarios.

SB: We are convinced that experience is crucial and that theory and practice must go hand in hand. We build our training on this because we notice that engineers and architects often lack enough practical experience after graduation to apply what they have learned—even if they have acquired a lot of knowledge.

What differentiates training at the Skillscenter from training at other programs?

JM: Our trainers play a key role. They themselves undergo special training (PIC-F), where they learn to design learning paths that facilitate knowledge transfer. A dynamic training is no coincidence: it requires commitment and a willingness to share knowledge. Our trainers see themselves as facilitators: they offer engaging, practice-oriented training directly connected to professional daily life. Nearly everyone that is currently employed at LSC360, is an experts in their field, and share their knowledge with passion.

At the Skillscenter, you experience an active experience. You don’t just sit and listen for hours, but you actively participate, exchange ideas, think along, try things out, in order to understand better.

We reverse the classic training logic: goals do not come first, but the skills of the participants. Each person goes through their own learning journey: we start with what they already know, assess, compare practices, and then move to implementation.

You describe skills development as a lever for safety, quality, performance, and innovation. Can you elaborate?

JM: Continuing education today is no longer just a legal obligation, but a real strategic investment. Developing skills enables companies to improve in all the mentioned areas—safety, quality, performance, innovation—adapt to changes in their industry and attract new talent.

SB: From my perspective, continuing education is also preparation for the future in a world that is changing very quickly with new regulations, artificial intelligence and much more. Continuing education allows you to stay up to date and be a step ahead of others. It is therefore a real performance driver.

You train both your employees and clients. How does this dual perspective influence your training concepts?

SB: Our trainers work in the field every day and can share their knowledge and experience, anticipating future needs and problems clients may face. But it also works the other way around: the training brings us valuable feedback from practice—participants share their challenges and successes, which helps us further improve the training.

JM: This dual dynamic is particularly important to us. It gives us direct insight into real needs that emerge from practices. Because we ourselves face the operational realities of these professions every day, we can develop very pragmatic, credible, and immediately applicable content.

We offer both standard and customized training. This allows us to anticipate demand and share every development. It creates agility and authenticity in our continuing education.

In your opinion, what will evolving education look like in your fields tomorrow? What role does the Skillscenter want to play?

JM: Chalkboards and PowerPoint are increasingly giving way to new technical and technological learning methods that involve learners more and more in real situations they will encounter in the future. For example, we use augmented reality headsets and a mobile unit that lets us bring the Skillscenter to our clients for the best training conditions. Continuing education will therefore become ever more immersive, individualized, and digital—and at the same time, paradoxically, more human.

Technical tools will continue to evolve, especially with artificial intelligence, but humans will always remain at the center of it all. A trainer who can show emotion and empathy is crucial for learning. Good knowledge transfer and understanding of a situation also depend on smiling, voice intonation, gestures, or the right pace of speech.

SB: As Jérôme already said, we will focus on all new technical possibilities that support our training in the future. But we will always need trainers with practical experience. And we will need exchange because it helps maintain attention and deepen learning. Artificial intelligence cannot do that.

Even though we increasingly offer online training today due to its flexibility where participants don’t have to travel or sit in traffic, face-to-face training remains important because it enables interaction that could not be possible online. That is why, in my opinion, it is much more effective. This trend will also shape the Skillscenter.

Article published in Neomag #79