Thematic Areas - Education

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.

The UNECE WP.6 elaborated a “model programme” on standardization containing a minimum set of issues to give a student a general understanding of the major standardization, regulatory and related issues relevant to the activities of business and of regulatory and administrative authorities. (UNECE model programme on Standardization (ENG, FRE and RUS))

UNECE WP.6 role in education on standards-related issues

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.

To revise the text of Recommendation the discussions were held at the UNECE Workshop on “Introducing Standards-related issues in Educational Curricula” which took place on 8 November 2012 in Geneva in the framework of the WP.6 22nd annual session. More than 80 delegates and experts from about 20 countries and around 10 international and regional organizations representing academia, standards bodies, ministries of education and business adopted a new version of Recommendation I (“Education on standards-related issues”) (ENG, FRE, RUS) and agreed on the importance of promoting and teaching standardization through elaborating coordinated approaches and building on existing national best practices. The group of experts (START-Ed Initiative was created to advance the work on the subject.

UNECE WP.6 education related deliverables and tools

• Bringing Standardization in University Curricula: Making the Case
• UNECE model educational programme on standardization (ENG, FRE, RUS)
• Educational modules under UNECE model educational programme on standardization:
  • International trade (ENG  RUS) - module 11
  • The benefits of standardization to society (RUS) - module 2
  • Management system standards (RUS) - module 10

Self-learning Resources

• E-courses
  Course "Standardisation in Companies and Market" (English). To register and to take course follow the link.
  Simulation exercise “Setting Standards”, to register and to take course.
  Online learning portal StandardsLearn.org
• Books and brochures
  A World Built on Standards A Textbook for Higher Education
  Higher Education and Standardization
  IFAN guide - Education and Training about Standardization Different needs for different roles
  Teaching Standards, Good practices for collaboration between National Standards Bodies and Universities
• Repositories
  ISO repository of teaching materials
  ISO case studies on the benefits of standardization
  CEN/CENELEC Repository of education material
  PASC repository of APEC Education Guideline
  APEC Textbook for Higher Education

Training offered by national standardization institutions

• Belgium
  Bureau for Standardisation
• France
  Association Française de Normalisation
• Italy
  Ente Nazionale Italiano di Unificazione
• Netherlands
  Netherlands Standardization Institute
• ETSI
  Understanding ICT standardization 

Programmes and Courses offered by universities

• Belarus
  Belarusian National Technical University, Various degree programmes at Department of Standardization, metrology and information systems
• Bulgaria
  Technical University, Sofia, Various courses for Master in Technical Legislation and Quality Management
• France
  University of Technology of Compiègne, Various courses for specialized master program Quality Manager: From Strategy to Operations
• Germany
  Technical University of Berlin, Course “Strategic Standardization”
• Japan
  Tokyo Institute of Technology , Course “Standardization Strategy for Global Business” , Course “Global Business Strategy and Standardization & Intellectual Property” 
• Kazakhstan
  Satbayev Kazakh National Technical University, Master in Standardization and Certification University
  Manash Kozybayev North Kazakhstan State University, Bachelor of engineering and technology in the specialty "Standardization, Metrology and Certification
• Portugal
  Polytechnic of Porto, Master in Instrumentation and Metrology
• Russia
  Academy of Standardization, Certification and Metrology, Various Programs Metrology 
  Peoples' Friendship University of Russia, Bachelor degree in "Standardization and Metrology"
  Tomsk Polytechnic University, >Course “Metrology, Standardization and Certification”
• Switzerland
  University of Geneva-ISO, Master in Standardization, Social regulation and Sustainable development
• United Kingdom
  Coventry University, Various courses as well as a foundation degree programme
• Ukraine
  Lviv Polytechnic National University, Bachelor in Metrology, Standardization and Certification
  KROK, Master in Quality, Standardization and Certification
• United States
  George Washington University, Course “Global Connections: Standards in Technology, Business & Public Policy”
  Rochester Institute of Technology, Course “Mechanical & Electrical Controls & Standards”
  University of Colorado,Course “Advanced Topics in Quality Systems/Engineering”

*The list has been compiled by the Secretariat and offers some examples of courses and programmes on standardization.
It does not claim to be exhaustive. Member States and Universities are welcome to contact the secretariat to suggest corrections and/or additions.