The aim of the ERGOMAN project is the development of a new professional profile in the field of ergonomics for the design of processes and workplaces. This means the standardisation of professional competences in order to give the same accreditation to different educational systems and countries in Europe. New ergonomics issues, for example ‘Ergonomics and Safety of Advanced Manufacturing Systems’ and ‘System Maintenance and Reliability, reflect not only changes occurring in the workplace and work environment, but also illustrate the need to optimise the ever increasing complexity of human-work systems and work processes.  The new and old Ergonomic challenges that industry face today require the concentrated efforts of many different professionals and the constant updating/improvement of their knowledge of the field of Ergonomics. Thus, the challenge is to train students, postgraduates and engineers up to have adaptive, quick-response, process ergonomics design and evaluation skills, so that modern flexible manufacturing processes can improve the quality, productivity and health of the worker.The creation of the new profile "process and workplace ergo-designer" and of the consequent training model to be adopted will have a strategic impact on all industrial product designers. Identified competences and methodology in ERGOMAN - keeping into account the European dimension - will establish a high quality reference model for lifelong learning of this target, that could be used by ergonomics centres and companies, networks and universities.The consortium is comprised of partners based in four different European countries (Italy, Germany, Ireland and Slovenia): two of which are universities (Limerick and Darmstadt), one a vocational centre with direct contact to the industrial world (COREP), one the research centre of the FIAT Group (CRF), and the last an institute supporting the tool making industry (VIVAPEN).