Education on Standardization

Introduction

Standards permeate our everyday lives. Any product and service we use is built on the basis of one or many standards. Be it a simple coffee machine or a complex energy plant, “there is a standard for that!”. More importantly, standards help build a safer and more sustainable and resilient planet Earth. This is why it is so important to make sure that new generations are aware of what standards and regulations are and how they can be used to meet global goals and targets.

In focus

The Focal Point network of experts on Education on Standardization  has continued to explore labour market requirements regarding new skills and competences of graduates, notably with a presentation from Linguaphone of France at its May 2023 meeting.

Key deliverables

Symbol & Title	Issued date	ENG	FRA	RUS
ECE/STAND/17/Rev.4 page 16 Recommendation I on Methodological studies and education	1970	PDF
ECE/TRADE/C/WP.6/2012/7 Recommendation I on Education on standards-related issues	2012	PDF	PDF	PDF
ECE/TRADE/C/WP.6/2012/6 Concept note for the Workshop on “Introducing standards-related issues in educational curricula”, including a proposed model programme on standardization	2012	PDF	PDF	PDF
International Trade, standards and regulation module		PDF		PDF
Module  on the benefits of standardization to society				PDF
Management system standards				PDF
ECE/CTCS/WP.6/2022/7 Annex II "Module on standards-related environmental issues"	2022	PDF	PDF	PDF
ECE/TRADE/440 Bringing Standardization in University Curricula: Making the Case	2018	PDF

Other resources

The following is a non-exhaustive list of resources on the topic which have been identified by the working party. Other resources can be added if pertinent; please contact the secretariat. This list does not constitute an endorsement of any kind and is presented for information.

Author	Title	Issued date	Organization	Link
Swiss Association for Standardization (SNV)	Overview in "Benefits of standardization to society"		SNV	Link
International Organization for Standardization (ISO)	ISO Management system standards		ISO	Link
Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC)	Education Guide 3 on "Standardization: Fundamentals, Impact, and Business Strategy"		APEC	PDF

History

In 1970, the UNECE Government Officials Responsible for Standardization Policies, the predecessor of WP. 6, developed Recommendation I that urged governments to include standardization in the curricula of educational institutions.

Under traditional educational approaches standards are considered highly technical and of interest to engineers only. Within an increasingly globalized economy, knowledge of safety requirements and standards applied in international markets is one of the key factors of success or falure of companies seeking to enter foreign markets. Labor markets are beginning to seek experts with standards related competencies who understand how standards and regulations could complicate approaching foreign markets.

WP.6 recommends Governments to encourage education establishments to introduce standardization into their curricula and particularly within universities for students studying law, economics and management. 

WP.6 established the initiative on Education on standardization (START-Ed) at its twenty-second session in November 2012. This initiative groups together experts from academia to promote good practices and to share national experience.

START-ED Group elaborated a model programme on education on standardization and relevant teaching materials; a number of universities in the UNECE region already used these tools and have started teaching standardization to their students.

Impact

Text forthcoming

Events

Official meetings of the initiative of education on standardization (START-Ed)

• Eighth meeting, 26 May 2023, virtual meeting
• Seventh meeting, 7 June 2022, virtual meeting
• Sixth meeting, 23 November 2021, from 16:30hrs, fully virtual meeting
• Fifth meeting, 2 November 2020, virtual WebEx teleconference
• Fourth meeting, 21 November 2019, Geneva, Switzerland [Meeting minutes - part of WP.6 annual session report, Agenda Item 9, paras 60 to 76)
• Third meeting, 3 November 2015, Geneva, Switzerland [Meeting minutes]
• Second meeting, 26, November 2014, Geneva, Switzerland [Meeting minutes]
• First meeting, 20 November 2013, Geneva, Switzerland [Meeting minutes]

Other events related to education on standardization organized by WP.6

• Report of the Working Party on Regulatory Cooperation and Standardization Policies on its twenty-ninth session, Panel: “Teaching a new generation of standards settlers: innovative approaches” and Panel “Education on standards for sustainable development”, ECE/CTCS/WP.6/2019/2 ENG, FRA, RUS
• Report of the Working Party on Regulatory Cooperation and Standardization Policies on its Workshop on "Introducing Standards-related issues into Education Curricula" held as part of its twenty-second session
• Report of the Working Party on Regulatory Cooperation and Standardization Policies on its twenty-second session (paras 27 to 80).

Policies and procedures

Symbol & Title	Issued date	ENG	FRE	RUS
ECE/TRADE/2012/2 Report of the Working Party on Regulatory Cooperation and Standardization Policies on its twenty-second session (paragraph 80)	2012	PDF	PDF	PDF

Books / brochures

Author	Title	Issued date	Organization/ Publisher	Link
	A World Built on Standards: A Textbook for Higher Education	2015	Danish Standards Foundation	Link
Newell Hampson-Jones	Higher Education and Standardization: Knowledge Management between Generations	2011	British Standards Institution	Link
	ECE/TRADE/C/CEFACT/2018/6 White Paper on Paperless Trade	2018	UNECE – UN/CEFACT	ENG FRE RUS
Nizar Abdelkafi, Rudi Bekkers, Raffaela Bolla, Alejandro Rodriguez-Ascaso, Michelle Wetterwald	Understanding ICT Standardization: Principles and Practices	2021	ETSI	PDF Slides
Editors: Samuel O. Idowu,  Henk J. de Vries,  Ivana Mijatovic,  Donggeun Choi	Knowledge and Education About Standardisation	2020	Springer Nature Switzerland AG	Link