Emerging Professionals FAQs

The IEC YP Programme is a stepping stone to help young experts and leaders become more involved in the standardization and conformity assessment work of the IEC.

Involvement in the IEC National Committee and participation in the IEC YP workshop are the beginning of the YP journey and an entry point into a network that can last many years.

Yes. We encourage SMEs to send their employees to participate in the YP Programme because this will help these companies gain valuable insights in the importance of IEC work for an SME.

There is no application fee. When you are selected by your NSAI to participate in the YP workshop, the IEC cover accommodation for the workshop’s duration.

NSAI will also cover your visa costs (if necessary), your flights and any vouched expenses in line with NSAI's T&C. This will be advised to the successful representative.

You can find all the information about the IEC YP workshop here.

The IEC YPs are considered regular experts when it comes to participating in the technical work of the IEC. Therefore, to participate in IEC work, YPs need to get involved at the national level and be selected by their NC as an expert to represent their country.

Make sure you have completed your YP tab in the Expert Management System (EMS);

Make sure you have registered in the Meeting Registration System (MRS) for:

1. YP workshop
2. YP welcome gathering (if you are able to attend)
3. Standardization Management Board (SMB) or Conformity Assessment Board (CAB) as an observer
4. Technical meeting as an observer (ask YP Coordinator)
5. The interactive session you have chosen
6. YP industry visit (if you are able to attend)
7. IEC General Meeting opening ceremony
8. Other meetings or events that you would like to attend (please note that these need to take place outside the mandatory parts of the YP workshop)

Make sure you have completed the YP online pre-workshop training course

Visa: make sure you have your visa if you need one

Travel: we recommend you book your flights as much in advance as possible

Hotel: as an IEC YP you have five nights’ accommodation organized and paid for by the IEC.

You do not need to book hotel accommodation for these five nights. If you need to book extra nights of accommodation before or after the workshop dates you will need to do so by contacting the Host Committee or YP Coordinator. These additional nights of accommodation will be at your own expense.

IEC YP leaders are the ambassadors of the IEC YP Programme within the IEC community, which encompasses close to twenty thousand experts working in the field of electrotechnology.  Over the course of the year following the YP workshop, YP leaders will lead and help engage YPs in relevant projects. 

The whole IEC community is informed about the election of the new YP leaders which gives you added visibility. New YP leaders are also able to attend the IEC YP workshop the following year. All of this provides significant networking opportunities at the global level.

The tasks of a YP leader are as follows:

• Sharing latest IEC YP Programme information with other YPs
• Collecting feedback from YPs
• Working on projects to help develop the IEC YP Programme and engage YPs through these projects
• Providing input for the YP workshop the following year

How much you get out of the role depends on your investment and your expectations. YP leaders of previous years estimate that their role requires approximately one day/month of their time. 

YP leaders are voted into their positions by their peers during the YP workshop. If you are interested in becoming a YP leader, you should contact the YP Coordinator before or at the beginning of the workshop to express your interest and motivation for the role.

You will then need to convince the other YPs to vote for you at the YP workshop. Three YP leaders are elected each year, one per region: Africa & Europe (region 1); Asia & the Middle East (region 2); Americas & Oceania (region 3).

Yes, you can participate in the YP workshop a second time, but the decision to be selected for a second YP workshop is in the hands of your National Committee. Therefore, you need to speak with your NC about the possibility of attending a second time.

Another option is to be elected as one of the three IEC YP leaders since they are automatically invited to the workshop the following year.

With the support of the IEC YP leaders, each IEC YP is contacted after the workshop and asked to identify a project in a working group (WG), the project team (PT), maintenance team (MT), or another technical group that is of interest to the YP and her/his organization. Then, the IEC YP Programme coordinates with the YP’s NC to see what opportunities are available and what next steps can be taken.

Also, from time to time, opportunities to participate in the SMB and CAB are available for YPs. These opportunities are communicated to all IEC YPs who then need to apply for selection into these groups.

YP leaders also engage their peers in projects such as developing material which is useful for the YPs or presentations in universities about the IEC, or other activities in their own country through the NC.