The 'ChangingEmployment' ITN programme evolved from the ISWL Network which was set up in 1996, primarily to create an International Working Lives Doctoral School once a year, but also some opportunities for exchange between doctoral students and staff. The broad interests covered are work sociology, human resource management, and political economy and employment relations, both contemporary and historical.

The founders were Gothenburg University labour historians (subsequently transformed into the Gothenburg Work Life Science Department), the Sociology Department of Evry University outside Paris, and the Industrial Relations Centre at Keele University. Since then it has expanded to include Strathclyde University, the Free University (ULB) of Brussels and Universities of Leuven, Wroclaw, Budapest and Oviedo. This consortium has organised yearly meetings at which one university has hosted the event (paying for accommodation and subsistence) over a 2.5 day period, and the participating universities have paid the air and train fares for their students and staff who attend.

It has been a very friendly and supportive environment for the students, who have been able to present papers on their work before an international audience of their peers - with doctoral students who had just started as well as those finishing making contributions. Some training has been given too - in terms of presentations of research methods and theoretical research problems - as well as visiting lecturer and researcher exchanges.