By Sahra Mengal, Chair, ESLA

April 2026

  This opinion reflects the key messages I presented at the Baltic SLT Congress in Riga, where the preparation of speech and language therapists for contemporary practice in Europe was addressed.

A Changing Context for the Profession

Across Europe, speech and language therapy (SLT) is facing a period of significant change. Increasing demand for services, workforce shortages, and inequalities in access to care are placing considerable pressure on systems and professionals alike. Across Europe, colleagues are working under very different pressures and constraints. In some contexts, proposals for shorter training pathways are emerging as a response to workforce shortages, service gaps, and urgent system needs. These challenges are real and must be acknowledged. At the same time, such approaches raise important questions about the long-term implications for professional competence, quality of care, and patient safety. As a European professional community, we share a responsibility to ensure that responses to immediate pressures do not compromise the foundations of safe and effective practice. Continued dialogue across contexts will therefore be essential.

Contemporary Practice: Increasing Complexity and Responsibility

SLT practice in Europe today is neither simple nor static. It is characterised by increasing complexity, expanding scope, and evolving expectations. Speech and language therapists are required to demonstrate advanced clinical reasoning across a wide range of conditions and populations, work across the lifespan and within multidisciplinary systems, make decisions with ethical and legal implications, engage critically with research and evidence, and increasingly navigate the integration of digital tools and artificial intelligence in practice. this is what contemporary practice requires, then we must be equally clear about what kind of initial education, clinical experience, and professional formation are needed to prepare SLTs for it.

Initial Education as the Foundation of the Profession

Initial education is not simply a stage of training. It is the foundation upon which professional competence, identity, and public trust are built. The ESLA Minimum Standards for Education  have long provided a shared European framework for SLT education. These frameworks emphasise integration of theoretical knowledge and clinical practice, substantial and supervised clinical placements, preparation across the full scope of practice, and a clear understanding of ethical and legal responsibilities.

Evidence from Across Health Professions

The importance of comprehensive initial education is supported by evidence across health professions. Clinical reasoning develops over time. It requires repeated exposure, supervision, reflection, and guided practice. It cannot be meaningfully compressed without affecting outcomes. The World Health Organization has consistently emphasised that the quality of the health workforce is directly linked to the quality and safety of care. Education, therefore, is not solely an academic concern. It is a matter of patient safety and public protection.

The Risks of Reducing Preparation

Proposals to shorten SLT education require careful and constructive consideration. In some contexts, they are being discussed in response to very real workforce pressures and service needs. At the same time, they raise important questions about how best to ensure sufficient clinical exposure, the development of clinical reasoning, and the preparation needed for safe and effective practice across the full range of professional responsibilities. These questions become even more significant in a context where speech and language therapists are increasingly expected to engage critically with technology and AI in practice.

Towards Sustainable Solutions

Workforce shortages and service pressures are real and must be addressed. However, reducing the depth and breadth of initial education is unlikely to provide a sustainable long-term solution. Instead, a forward-looking approach is required. This includes investment in education capacity and clinical training infrastructure, strengthening supervision and placement opportunities, improving retention within the profession, supporting early career development, and fostering collaboration across European contexts.

A Shared Responsibility

Ensuring high-quality SLT education is not the responsibility of a single stakeholder. It requires coordinated engagement from policymakers, educational institutions, professional bodies, employers, and the profession itself. As a European organisation, ESLA remains committed to supporting its members, contributing to policy discussions, and advocating for standards that reflect both the complexity of the profession and the needs of those we serve.

Concluding remarks

Speech and language therapy in Europe is evolving. It is becoming more complex, more interdisciplinary, and increasingly shaped by technological developments. In this context, one principle remains clear: If the demands of practice are increasing, the strength of preparation must increase with them. Maintaining robust initial education is not a barrier to progress. It is a prerequisite for safe, effective, and future-oriented care.