According to the experts, Polish current vocational education is modern, and companies apply to schools themselves, offering students a job. In Poland, “there is a shortage of experts, professionals, and professional installers. That is why we put emphasis on making this education modern and attractive.”
Trade schools, technical schools, and post-secondary schools prepare students for practical work in the profession. They also guarantee employment.
“There is a shortage of experts, professionals, and professional installers. That is why we put emphasis on making this education modern and attractive. I must admit that companies from the sanitary and heating installation industry help us a lot. In times of energy crisis, we focus on ecology, protection of water and electricity, we replace heating devices with renewable energy sources. We teach students all this.”
said Elżbieta Sapińska-Gumoś from the Building and Woodworking School Complex in Żywiec.
The development of vocational education is very important for the Polish economy. It gives a lot of opportunities, as indicated by Katarzyna Kryciuk, presenting the Catering and Waiting Industry – Vocational education gives a lot of professional opportunities in the future, but also personal development. It strongly influences the kind of employees and employers that graduates of trade schools are.
“I think that technology needs to be disenchanted as a school where young people with lower competences go, because in fact they have much more hours, much more classes, more studying and exams. Technical schools are very demanding. They should be viewed as specialist schools. And specialist schools educate specialists and their staff.”,
emphasised Filip Marek from the School Complex No. 3 in Wrocław.
Gala of the “Professional of the Year 2022” competition
The competition gala gathered the best teachers from various industries from schools from all over Poland. Representatives of the competition organizers were also present: Marzena Machałek, Secretary of State at the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage, Tomasz Zdzikot, President of the Management Board of KGHM Polska Miedź, and Paweł Poszytek, General Director of the Foundation for the Development of the Education System. 537 applications in 62 fields were submitted to the first edition of the competition. The competition commission assessed them according to 5 criteria. In the end, 118 nominees in 52 fields were awarded distinctions and titles of laureates.