Declaration aims to put work experience on European agenda

Over one hundred influential delegates from organisations across Europe, including employers, universities, and key stakeholders such as the National Council for Work Experience (NCWE), have signed a declaration committed to making work experience a priority for employers and HEIs across Europe.



This is the first time that such a significant number of experts have come together, not only to discuss the issues of work experience, but agree a plan of what needs to be done and pledge to work together to ensure it is implemented.

The declaration was signed at the íEuropean Work Experience 2005í conference held in Brighton last week organised by the Careers Research and Advisory Centre (CRAC) as part of the European Framework for Work Experience (EFWE) project. EFWE aims to raise the profile of work experience and develop standards to encourage employers, governments and education establishments across Europe to embed it into policy development and practice.

To this end, a new standard was also launched at the conference, which will help students understand what employers are looking for and better articulate their experience.

Keynote speakers Sarah Churchman, Director of Student Recruitment and Diversity, PwC and Carlo Scatoli, Co-ordinator of the Europass Initiative, Directorate General for Education and Culture emphasised the importance of well-structured and well-supported work experience, which the Brighton Declaration has at its heart. The 110 expert delegates are calling on the EU, governments, employers, trade unions, the voluntary sector, students and others to:

acknowledge the need for the development of work experience programmes that are structured and supported to enable the development of transferable and professional employability skills by the participants.

promote the idea and benefits of a period of work experience as part of formal learning.

recognise and value every type of work experience as valid (including: part-time, voluntary, unpaid, curricular, extra-curricular, formal and informal)

set up systems for accrediting the learning and development achieved during work experience

ensure that all work experience schemes and materials take full account of the need for equal opportunities and the health and safety of participants

provide a range of support (including: materials, systems, programmes, advice, insurance and funding) for those undertaking and providing work experience

encourage more organisations and employers to offer high quality, relevant and structured work experience opportunities, sharing the benefits with participants

set up a networking body for work experience to champion, coordinate and develop work experience within and across countries and involving all stakeholders (representatives of employers, trades unions, educators, individual beneficiaries, voluntary organisations)

fund coordination, promotion, research, development and evaluation of work experience

include promotion and implementation of work experience in the priorities for programmes relating to education, VET and the labour market.

The delegates plan to put the above declaration into place over the coming 12 months using targeted communications to ensure it is high on the agenda for the start of the academic year.

The EFWE Partnership, comprised of leading organisations from the UK, Germany, Spain, Romania, Finland and Belgium, will also task themselves with ensuring that all those involved in setting up or participating in work experience are given the necessary encouragement and support with implementation.

Liz Rhodes, director of NCWE, commented:

ìThe benefits of work experience for everyone involved, be it the students, employers or wider business sector and economy, make coming together to push work experience forward on the agenda a logical step. Iím confident that the involvement of key employers in particular, will encourage others to give work experience the priority it deserves and help communicate the importance of setting up well structured, relevant placements for businesses and students alike.î

Shaharazad Abuel-Ealeh, Head of External Affairs, Careers Research and Advisory Centre (CRAC), added:

In todayís competitive environment, work experience doesnít just promise to help students stand out from the crowd, it can inject new life into a business through the exchange of ideas and added support, and help answer future recruitment quandaries. Itís encouraging to see so many influential people lending their support to this issue.