Students take work to Geneva

A group of Cardiff Business School undergraduate students were invited to the International Labour Organisation (ILO) in Geneva recently, to present the findings of a research study into decent work.

The 18 students were invited to the ILO following a visit to Cardiff by John Myers, the ILO Team Leader for Public and Private Services Sectors. Myers took part in the assessment of the project and was impressed with the quality of the students' work.

The original project saw students exploring workers' rights and the concept of 'decent work' in countries such as Malawi, Guatemala and Nepal, proposing policies that might be introduced to alleviate deficits in the working conditions in different sectors.

Whilst in Geneva, senior staff at the ILO gave the students an insight into the challenges they face, with presentations on subjects such as corporate social responsibility, forced labour and human trafficking.

Professor Pete Turnbull, Cardiff Business School explained: "The project emerged from our formal Cooperation Agreement with the ILO. We had the idea that students could explore the concept of decent work and how best to promote it. We were very fortunate that John Myers, a Senior Specialist from the ILO, was able to visit Cardiff and see the standard of work.

"A number of the students have told me that this has been the best experience of their University careers.

"We are committed here at Cardiff to producing graduates who go on to have excellent careers but also leave us with a strong ethical code. Our relationship with the ILO encourages our students to tackle gritty issues about the world of employment. The findings from this project will directly inform our teaching in future years."

The group was also amongst the 100,000 visitors per year who are able to visit the United Nations Palais des Nations building during their visit.

Students Lizzie Kenyon and Matthew Clark said: "The trip to the UN and ILO was extremely insightful and a very valuable experience. It was fantastic that ILO professionals gave up their time to talk to us not only about the work they do, but were also interested in our own work and gave us some good feedback.

"We are very grateful to have had the opportunity and hope that it is something more students will be able to benefit from in the future."