Young people, work and life: promoting the career management Dr. eng. Steluţa NISIPEANU Scientific Secretary INCDPM

They are an inexhaustible source of creativity and dynamism, have the will to be implied in the life of the community they belong to, the wish to change the world and the belief that everything is possible. Actors, players and strategic catalysts, young people can contribute to the development and renewal of the human society. Young People

Young people – that segment of population between 14 and 35 years old, high school or university students, as well as those who did not have the chance of an education. Young people are one of the most precious resources of an economy, so they must be invested in. EU develops several communitary actions, projects and programmes to support young people.

Actions at EU level to protect the young people 1998 – The OSH Consultative Committee approved in Luxembourg the „Guiding principles” on the „education at early stages and the training strategy for the improvement of the working environment.

Actions at EU level to protect the young people March 2002 – Bilbao seminar. EASHW in cooperation with EC – first step in debating the integration aspects of OSH in educational policies and practices at EU level. „Increase the awareness and education at early stages” in the OSH area and develop the culture of risk prevention – key factor in maintaining and improving the work quality.

Actions at EU level to protect the young people 2002 – EEC – adopted in Brussels the communitary strategy for 2002 – 2006 OSH „Adaptation to changes in work and society – a new strategy of the European Community in the Safety and Health at Work area”

Actions at EU level to protect the young people 2003 – Rome – International Conference on SMEs „Education Integrating Safety and Health at Work – Tomorrow’s Workers” – the need to elaborate a strategy based on qualitative and quantitative objectives in order to prepare the young people for their professional life.

Actions at EU level to protect the young people March 2006 – Brussels – Final Declaration adopted at the spring summit of the European Council – Several directions of action as priorities for implementation by the end of 2007 in the context of partnership for economic growth and development of new quality workplaces for the young people.

Actions at EU level to protect the young people OSH integration in education – key component for the development of risk prevention culture by teaching safe life and work to children and young people in safe environment. EASHW supports the commission strategy and recommends that „OSH is a part of school curricula, especially to raise awareness on such aspects or to be used as topic in the professional training of the workers’ rights”

Actions at EU level to protect the young people April 1997 – Lisbon Convention – ratified in 1998 in Romania – Aim: acknowledgement of diplomas, non-discrimination, acknowledgement to facilitate entrance on the work market. „EU – the most competitive and dynamic economy in the world, based on knowledge, capable of a continuous economic growth that shall offer better work places and greater social cohesion”. The development of educational and training policies so that the European education and training systems become “a reference point worldwide in the quality area in the perspective of the year 2010”

Actions at EU level to protect the young people Bologna Process – C ommitment signed, up to the present, by 45 countries, including Romania, to reform the higher education system so that by 2010 the mobilities of the university environment develop in a European university plan.

Actions at national level Law no. 350 of 21 July 2006 „Law of Young People” The necessary legal framework to provide the proper conditions to integrate socially and professionally the young people in accordance with their needs and aspirations.

Actions at national level We have to work together in order to provide the young people a safe and healthy start in their professional life: Parents Employers Educators Authorities in the OSH area Political decision makers You, the young people

Actions at national level Special protection for young people under 18 If you are under 18 special protective measures are applied. You should especially not do activities which: Exceed your physical and mental capacities Imply exposure to toxic chemicals, radiations, excessive temperatures, noise and vibrations Accidents may occur due to your lack of training or insufficient attention paid to safety issues.

What must the young graduate know? “The well being” and the development of a solid foundation for the future are conditioned mainly by those work places that: correspond to the aims, interests and professional expectations; offer the possibility to use the knowledge and skills; allow the person to set priorities in carrying out the work tasks; set realistic professional aims and create the possibility of professional development; offer support, safety and guide at work.

What must the young graduate know? Each young person that seeks a work place must be informed on several essential issues for a successful job: knowledge on the work legislation in force employee’s rights and duties in accordance with the personal work contract report between personal competencies and the employer’s requirements/job standards.

Promoting the career management A good career management implies: knowledge on the career planning, finding an appropriate work place, capacity to adapt to new task or new work places, aptitudes of learning. All this represents a challenge for those involved in the educational guidance of young persons during the transition period to their professional life.

Promoting the career management The critical periods are: transition from the high school to a higher form of education, transition from the vocational education to the professional life. The development of the aptitudes for the career management tries to provide quality work places and prevent the psychological problems caused by lack of a job or a satisfactory job.

Professional project Systematic way of self implication and professional guidance of persons in order to find the most appropriate professional line and career success. Collect information on own competencies, knowledge and personal qualities, information that can be obtained with the help of specialized consultants in work psychology. Collect information on the social and economic environment Identification of possible professional lines and their comparison with the social and economic reality Choose a viable professional project Organise and put into practice the professional project

Social and professional integration The work integration has two components: assimilation of the young employee by the team and adaptation to the requirements of the team he/she is part of. getting to know the team by the young person and previous initiation on the complexity of tasks, and three stages: -adaptation to work: the young person what his/her duties are, -assimilation: he/she understands the necessity to adopt the appropriate behaviour, -identification with work: adhesion to the behaviour model.

Conclusions Young people at the beginning of their professional activity: can be exposed more to risks than their co-workers with longer working experience, as consequence of their lack of experience, training and risk awareness, have the right to a safe and healthy work, as well as the right to ask questions and be answered, point the issues that seem to lack safety, need good councelling, information, safe and healthy work places.

Conclusions We, the ones with work experience, have the duty to help them make an important step in the adult life – integration in profession.