European Standards Organisations adopt new strategy for education about standardization

The CEN-CENELEC-ETSI Joint Presidents Group recently endorsed a joint strategy called the 'Masterplan on Education about Standardization'. By implementing this strategy, the European Standards Organisations hope to ensure that knowledge about standards and standardization will be included in a wide range of education and training curricula across Europe. Having a good understanding of standards and standardization can be useful for people involved in all kinds of professional activities – from construction and engineering to marketing or public procurement. Raising the level of awareness and knowledge about standardization is important both for the professional development of individuals and for the economic prosperity of Europe as a whole. A number of valuable initiatives to foster education about standardization have already been developed and launched in several European countries. However, a significant scaling-up is required. Education and training providers, as well as policy-makers, need to be made aware about the benefits of integrating relevant information and knowledge regarding standards and standardization in their curricula. CEN, CENELEC and ETSI, the three European Standards Organisations (ESOs), are committed to promoting and supporting education about standardization. The 'Masterplan on Education about Standardization' defines a framework for action with European-level leadership, initiatives and vision. The strategy will be implemented under the guidance of a European Stakeholder Steering Group, including high-level experts representing different stakeholders. It is also seen as necessary that national structures should be set-up to promote education about standardization in each country. In order to coordinate and support the implementation of the Masterplan, three Task Forces will be set-up under the umbrella of the CEN-CENELEC-ETSI Joint Working Group on Education about Standardization. All CEN and CENELEC members are being invited to nominate staff members or other experts who could participate in each of these Task Forces. The first Task Force (Consultation and Partnering) will define and implement tailored approaches to key stakeholders such as business. The second (Repository) will look at further developing the online library of education and training materials. The third (National Structures) will identify and analyse examples of good practices, and define an approach to setting up suitable structures at national level. For more information on the European Standards Organisations’ activities in relation to Education about Standardization, please see the CEN¬CENELEC website. www.cencenelec.eu „The Masterplan on Education about Standardization can be found on the homepage of the CEN-CENELEC-ETSI Joint Working Group on Education about Standardization).