On 5 October, 125 Strukton Railinfra employees will be awarded a WEB certificate*. The award is a recognition of their craftsmanship and experience. This award should not be confused with a certificate to mark the end of a training course.

The increasing standard of craftsmanship and experience of an employee may go unnoticed as the years pass. This is true in any learning environment, whether at work, school, home, or on the football pitch. The actual level of an employee's craftsmanship and experience will frequently be undefined, and the employee concerned will have no certificate to clarify the matter.

The EVC Knowledge Centre has now developed an instrument for measuring the level of craftsmanship and experience, known as Recognition of Acquired Competencies (or the Dutch acronym EVC). This instrument objectively measures the level and craftsmanship of an individual and assigns a recognized grade accordingly.

Strukton Railinfra attaches great importance to the personal development of its employees. EVC is therefore a welcome instrument for certifying the level of this development. Kenteq has applied the instrument on Strukton Railinfra's behalf. A pilot within Strukton Railinfra in 2004 yielded more than twenty certificates. After EVC was introduced, the number in 2006 rose to over 145 WEB certificates.

EVC has a clear purpose for Strukton Railinfra. To make the actual educational level within the organization visible and thus produce a sound indication in line with working conditions policy. Another purpose is to help the organization find out what has to happen to raise the level of technological knowledge further. The individual employee is able to see what knowledge and skills he can still acquire to move even higher up the WEB scale. And the knowledge can be used for the employee's continued development, in which Strukton Railinfra invests constantly.

EVC exercises are supported by a grant from the European Social Fund (ESF). Strukton Railinfra receives a grant covering 50% of the EVC costs from this fund.

*Certificate recognized under the Adult and Vocational Education Act (WEB)