Today, 24 July 2026, marks the launch of the project: “Increasing the use of the Integrated Qualifications System by citizens and institutions (IQS7)”. This represents the next phase of work on the System, designed to provide even greater support both to individuals seeking to develop their competences and to institutions in need of skilled professionals.
Table of contents
Who is this project for?
Everyone wishing to formally validate their skills and knowledge (not only those acquired through formal schooling or higher education) will benefit, as will those responsible for recruitment, industry development, or co-creating the IQS.
What does IQS7 focus on?
IQS7 focuses on delivering tangible benefits to citizens, employers, and educational institutions. What will be its principal outcomes?
- It will be easier to validate skills acquired outside the formal education system, including via micro-credentials.
- Qualifications will align more closely with the needs of the labour market.
- Citizens and institutions will gain a better understanding of how to use IQS solutions and tools for development planning, as well as for identifying, accumulating, and validating learning outcomes.
Support in preparing an offer or issuing micro-credentials
Under the project, support is planned for:
- 60 Sector Skills Centres – in preparing an offer to develop and validate vocational skills, 50 general education schools – in describing and issuing micro-credentials, 40 employers – in implementing IQS solutions and tools.
- 50 general education schools – in describing and issuing micro-credentials,
- 40 employers – in implementing IQS solutions and tools.
Would you like to learn more about the project?
Read about the official objectives of the IQS7 project
- Information on project delivery and funding
The Educational Research Institute – National Research Institute is implementing the project “Increasing the use of the Integrated Qualifications System by citizens and institutions (IQS7)”, funded under European Funds for Social Development (FERS). FERS.01.08-IP.05-0001/26
- Project outcomes
The project will deliver recommendations for legislative amendments to the Integrated Qualifications System Act.
Under the project, support will be provided to:
- 60 Sector Skills Centres – in preparing an offer to develop and validate vocational skills,
- 50 general education schools – in describing and issuing micro-credentials,
- 40 employers – in implementing IQS solutions and tools.
A report containing public policy recommendations will also be produced, setting out analyses of the demand for occupations, qualifications, and skills.
During project delivery, 15,000 individuals are expected to undergo validation.
- Key project activities
- Developing a framework for integrating IQS solutions and tools with other public policy instruments in the field of education and career guidance.
- Broadening and increasing the flexibility of the IQS offer in validating the achievements of diverse groups of citizens, strengthening the capacity of awarding bodies, and optimising external quality assurance.
- Increasing the number of organisations and individuals using IQS solutions and tools.
- Designing the rollout of a system that provides reliable data on skills demand.
- Project target groups
The project is aimed at:
- The Minister-Coordinator of the Integrated Qualifications System,
- Representatives of local and regional government – powiats and voivodeships – responsible for education, adult learning policy, human capital development, and strategy,
- Awarding and validating bodies, as well as organisations seeking such status or interested in awarding non-formal qualifications included in the IQS,
- Industry bodies, Sector Skills Centres, Sector Skills Councils, and the Programme Council,
- Bodies responsible for quality assurance in the award of qualifications,
- Employers and businesses, including human resources professionals,
- Associations and foundations involved in lifelong learning and skills development,
- Educational institutions and higher education institutions,
- Labour market institutions – Public Employment Services and training providers, particularly those registered in the Database of Development Services (Baza Usług Rozwojowych),
- Professionals working in career and educational guidance,
- Individuals of all ages who wish to develop their skills,
- Representatives of Voivodeship Coordination Teams,
- Representatives of regional programme managing authorities and operators of the Demand-driven Funding System (Podmiotowy System Finansowania).
- Project objective
The primary objective of the IQS7 project is to increase the uptake of IQS solutions and tools by citizens and institutions, including businesses and employers. The project also aims to enhance the effectiveness, accessibility, and responsiveness of the IQS as a key public policy instrument for lifelong learning and the development of skills needed in an evolving labour market.
The project builds upon the work undertaken in previous phases of IQS development, in particular the IQS6 project. This time, the focus shifts from developing the system to its broad social, institutional, and economic application.
- Key project activities and outcomes:
The project plans to deliver:
- The preparation of changes to enhance the operational effectiveness of the IQS, its accessibility to all interested parties, and its capacity to respond swiftly to technological, social, and economic change. This includes developing solutions enabling the validation of learning outcomes from short, modular forms of learning, namely micro-credentials;
- The development and improvement of IQS operational mechanisms – particularly regarding the inclusion of qualifications, quality assurance, validation, certification, and the deployment of modern digital tools and data-driven solutions;
- Increasing awareness and knowledge among citizens and institutions of how to use IQS solutions and tools for development planning and for identifying, documenting, and validating learning outcomes;
- The development and dissemination of an accessible, credible offer of qualifications operating within the IQS that responds to the needs of the labour market – including non-formal qualifications, such as sectoral qualifications and those awarded following short learning programmes;
- An increase in the number of citizens undergoing validation and attaining qualifications within the IQS;
- An increase in the number of institutions using IQS solutions and tools on a day-to-day basis – across education, skills development, and business;
- The design and implementation of a system providing reliable data on the demand for occupations, qualifications, and skills. This system will assist in decision-making on allocating public funds to skills development genuinely required by the economy and society – linking administrative data, labour market data, and research and analytical findings generated through modern data science methods and artificial intelligence.
The beneficiaries of these activities will be representatives of organisations wishing to offer IQS solutions and tools to their clients, service users, employees, pupils, and students. This applies both to organisations already operating within the system and to those seeking to join it. Key beneficiaries will also include the Minister-Coordinator of the Integrated Qualifications System and representatives of institutions responsible for education, adult learning policy, and human capital development at regional level.
- Contact
Suspected non-compliance of the Project or the Beneficiary’s actions with the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, done at New York on 13 December 2006 (Journal of Laws of 2012, item 1169, as amended), hereinafter referred to as the “CRPD”, may be reported to the Managing Authority or Intermediate Body. Reports, submissions, or complaints concerning non-compliance of FERS projects with the provisions of the CRPD may be lodged by natural persons (project participants or their authorised representatives), institutions involved in the implementation of European Union funds, and civil society organisations (associations, foundations) via (in each case below, the submission shall be deemed made in writing):
- Post – in letter form to the ministerial address: Ministry of Development Funds and Regional Policy, ul. Wspólna 2/4, 00-926 Warsaw, or Ministry of National Education, al. J.Ch. Szucha 25, 00-580 Warsaw,
- The ePUAP submission inbox of the Ministry of Development Funds and Regional Policy or the Ministry of National Education.
- Funding:
- State budget co-financing: PLN 5,243,681.05,
- Total project value: PLN 29,998,175.37,
- FERS co-financing: PLN 24,754,494.32.
- FERS.01.08-IP.05-0001/26