I- Overview of the Symposium Work-related identities are currently undergoing significant transformation partly in response to structural changes such as globalisation, modernisation, technological innovation, increasing demand for flexibility and mobility and changing patterns of work organisation and related learning. In this context, the symposium is intended to address the issue of how working individuals perceive and react to these changes through the dynamics of occupational identity formation and development in the European labour market and its implications for their work performance and socio- professional promotion in particular and the concept of work in general. It draws upon the final results of a three-year collective work (2000-2003) on: "Vocational Identity, Flexibility and Mobility in the European labour Market (FAME) undertaken, within the framework of the 5FP of the European Commission, by a consortium of seven European countries: Czech republic, Estonia, France, Germany, Greece, Spain and the UK. The overall aim of the investigation includes: First, the investigation and analysis of the phenomenon of traditional vocational identity in the seven European countries concerned, including the identification and analysis of recent changes in their formation and adaptation to the requirement of change. Secondly, the extraction of the "critical features" for the social construct of a European concept of work, and then making policy recommendation on how to promote them on national and European levels. The field investigation was conducted on the basis of face-to-face semi-directive interviews with employers and employees within sectors representing different types of change in the workplace and work-related forms of interactivity, flexibility, mobility, learning and of identification. These sectors are basically: " The metal industry whose traditionally strong occupational identities have been challenged by the important technical and organisational changes during the last three decades. " Health care as a representative of the traditional service sector with formalised and regulated patterns of work-related identities. " The telecommunication/IT sector which is characterised by the emergence of a new generation of occupational identities capable of internalising change and transferring it directly and indirectly to the rest of sectors of within the economy as a whole. In the light of the qualitative analysis of the key findings concerning these sectors within the consortium of the concerned partner countries, it is important to underline some of the overall interconnected trends and implications: " Work-related identities are increasingly becoming individualistic, uncertain and market oriented, leading to the dilution of traditional dimension of attachment to a particular job/profession or a corporate identity. " An increasing move towards the "user-provider" concept of work where the emerging forms of work organisation, self-employment/entrepreneurs/self- management of employment and employability are blurring the traditional distinction between employers and employees. " Promotional mobility is increasingly reduced and supplanted by horizontal mobility and a combination of functional and time flexibility, leading to an increasing demand for the development of polyvalence and transversality through the instrumental use of CVT, transparency and recognition of work-related experiential learning. Double polarisation in the learning and training process: polarisation concerning the learning provided (just in time CVT provision) and polarisation in the access to it (in favour of already qualified employees). Symposium Papers Paper 1: Dr Alan Brown Strategic action by employees building work-related identities in engineering Abstract: One major aim of the FAME project was to investigate how employees respond towards changes in their working environment and working lives, caused for example by increasing demands for flexibility and mobility, and new occupational profiles. This paper highlights individuals' strategies for coping with these changes and how they affect their work identities. The focus is upon the strategic actions of those working in metal work and engineering based upon the 'strategic biographies' of individuals. Our interviews highlighted that the relationship between individuals and their occupational roles could be represented in terms of their patterns of strategic action across a range of structural, cultural and social contexts. Individuals developed characteristic repertoires of strategic action and these included identification; long-term adjustment; short-term adjustment; adopting a strategic career perspective; and re-definition. Those using re-defining strategies operated at the cutting edge of norms and expectations of employers, colleagues and others, typically leading their peers in some respect. A second form of re-definition occurred when an individual sought to change their occupation and/or employer, because they wanted (or saw themselves forced) to change direction. A model of how individuals respond to the challenge of how they relate to work over time was produced. Paper 2: Simone Kirpal Occupational identity-related issues of the nursing profession in four European countries (Estonia, France, Germany and the UK) Abstract: Due to socio-demographic shifts, the health care sectors in most European countries are challenged to respond to the increasing demand for flexible, well-qualified medical staff by at the same time coming to terms with new efficiency criteria and rationalisation. This paper is looking at the formation of work-related identities of health care professionals across four European countries (Estonia, France, Germany and the UK) with a particular emphasis on the nursing profession. It will discuss some of the most critical conflicts health care professionals are exposed to today; that is a) new role models and profiles of the profession; b) skills development and the tension between developing advanced technical and social skills at the same time; and c) the conflict between horizontal mobility and 'making a career in nursing' and the role of continuous professional development. Nurses today develop their identity between increasing pressure for efficiency and performance and a highly idealised 'caring mission' that should be patient-centred and of high quality. Since for the foreseeable future the supply of 'natural carers', with highly developed cognitive and technical skills, wishing to work in nursing or the professions allied to medicine, is likely to be less than the demand the paper will also give recommendations about how the nursing profession can be strengthened and supported in the future. Paper 3: Dr M'Hamed Dif: Towards a "negotiator-network/mobility" mode of socialisation at work within the telecommunication sector in Europe. Abstract: The telecommunication sector is taking the lead within the dynamics of occupational identity transformation with an important restructuring spill-over effect on the rest of the sectors in Europe. During the last decade, it has undergone an accelerated structural change such as liberalisation of the market, innovation and the emergence of converging technologies due to significant developments in the product market accompanied by an increasing demand of individuals and firms for more overall "integrated telecom solutions and services". All these changes have lead to an important change in work organisation, qualification requirements and profiles and in the mode of socialisation at workplace. The traditional profession-based "corporatist/careerist" model of occupational identities (generally observed the level of national large companies which were in a monopolistic position) is declining and leaving the place to the emerging "negotiator-network/mobility" mode of socialisation at work. The latter is based on a high level of work-related learning, interactivity, flexibility and mobility with openness to change and strong identification with the quality of products and services provided to customers. It is mainly taken in charge by a new generation of telecom workers viewed as "neo-careerists" (redefinition strategists and new- comers), more proactive, mobile and flexible in the construction of their occupational identities and their project-based work in accordance with the emerging "user- provider" concept of work (where the traditional distinction between employer-employee are, more or less, blurred). On the basis of a qualitative analysis of the results obtained at the level of the telecommunication sector, the paper will be a investigation into the nature, direction and implications of this change, through three basic sections. The first section will be an introduction of the contextual background requirements for change, taken from employers' perspective. The second section will be an examination of the employees' response and mode of socialisation at work. The last section will be for some overall conclusions and policy recommendations on national and European levels. Paper 4 Loogma, K, Ümarik, M, Vilu, R. "Construction of work identities in the IT sector" Abstract The process of construction of the work related identities under the contemporary labour market demands (quality, flexibility, mobility) and meanings specialists in the IT sector themselves attribute to different aspects of working life in this process have been the main research question here. The present article concentrates on work identity construction in the IT sector in four partner countries: United Kingdom, Germany, Estonia and the Czech Republic and comprises both employers' and employees' perspective. The qualitative research approach has been implemented with multiple data collection methods including individual semi-structured interviews, focus group discussions. The five main empirical patterns of identification- flexibility around the core element of work identity in the sector - the deep technical interest in information technology - will be described and explored. It seems that the ability for self-directed learning and development of competences has become a central skill and communication skills still have the central role getting more flexibility being at the same time still the main skill gap. The requirements of high flexibility and mobility have many consequences on different levels. As the IT as a field of activity seems to be the main area most of "IT people" tend to stay in the identification with particular company/employer and occupation is rather weak. For IT specialists demand for flexibility and mobility is both the source of work satisfaction and stress. The latter seems to be one of most serious problems we can see in the sector together with inability to of balancing work and private life.