20 Apr 2011
At a landmark conference in Brussels Framework Agreement on Education, Training and Lifelong Learning, which took place on Friday 15 April 2011, The European Chemical Employers Group (ECEG) and the European Mine, Chemical and Energy Workers’ Federation (EMCEF) signed a ground-breaking agreement on job competences and training covering the chemical sector in all 27 European Union countries.
The agreement will see European take up of the
Cogent Gold Standard, a competency framework for job roles in the process
industries which sets the skills benchmark for world class performance. Cogent,
the UK Skills Council for the chemical industry, developed the standard with
cross-industry input.
The agreement the first of its type in the chemical
industry and only the second across all European sectors related to training,
education and lifelong learning - is a strong example of how the trade unions
and employers in the chemical sector have worked to help businesses and
workforces through the global economic crisis and build a platform for
sustainable growth.
Future needs for good training and skilled employees
in times of demographic changes and an ageing workforce was one of the drivers
in the negotiation of this agreement. Anticipating demographic risks and
preparing to tackle this challenge is a key issue for the future of a
sustainable European chemical industry.
Reinhard Reibsch, Secretary
General of EMCEF said, “This agreement is a further sign of the importance
that a well qualified workforce plays for science-based production and the
chemical industry as a whole.”
Simon Marsh, Employment and
Communications Director of the CIA and Chair of ECEG said, “The agreement
will help to deliver a commitment to a Gold Standard level of competence across
Europe.”
John Holton, Cogent Strategy Director, who attended the
meeting, added, “The value of the Cogent Gold Standard was instantly
apparent; management competency for a first line supervisor was identified as a
skills gap by many countries and they are now planning training programmes to
close this gap.”
The EU Directorate has suggested that the group now
consider establishing a European Skills Council for the Chemical sector
following the successful work to date.
More about the Gold
Standard
Using the Gold Standard framework employers can be
confident employees' skills are being developed to an industry standard, leading
to improved productivity and enhanced performance. Each Gold Standard job role
describes and maps the competencies required. The framework covers a wide range
of roles from Level 2 to professional status, across four areas of
competence:
- Technical Competence
- Compliance
- Business Improvement
- Functional and Behavioural
Companies who have made a commitment to progressing through the Gold Standard
are invited to place their logo on Cogent's website 'Roll of Honour' to showcase
their commitment to world class skills.
www.cogent-ssc.com/Gold_Standard/Show-Your-Commitment/index.php
About
the agreement
The Gold Standard agreement was negotiated by
Simon Marsh and Alan McGuckin of Unite the Union and represents a major step
forward in establishing European competency standards. The 27 countries of the
European Union will initially use the Gold Standard competency framework for
process operator and first line supervisor job roles in the chemical sector,
moving onto other roles in due course. This will ensure that individuals
undertake training and qualifications that provide them with the right skills
and competence for the job.
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