In this article, we present the most important information about The Integrated Skills Strategy 2030. Strategy has the status of a public policy in Poland and defines the basic conditions, goals and directions of the country's development in the social, economic and spatial dimensions of a given field or a given area, which result directly from the medium-term national development strategy, i.e. the Strategy for Responsible Development (with an outlook until 2030).
In accordance with the adopted guidelines, the Integrated Skills Strategy 2030 consists of two parts:
Integrated Skills Strategy 2030 (general part) - adopted by the Council of Ministers on 25 January 2019
Integrated Skills Strategy 2030 (detailed part). Policy for the development of skills in line with the concept of lifelong learning - adopted by the Council of Ministers on 28 December 2020
Background to the Integrated Skills Strategy 2030
Poland has made a commitment to develop a skills strategy as set out in the Partnership Agreement - chapter "Thematic Objective 10: Investing in education, training and vocational training for skills and lifelong learning".
The Strategy was developed following extensive consultations, taking into account the requirements arising from the Partnership Agreement and refers to the guidelines for the New European Skills Agenda. It also refers to the framework established by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) for developing effective skills policies. The structure and scope of the Strategy 2030 are determined by the interdependence of the policy areas relating to skills and the variety of forms and contexts in which the skills are acquired.
Objectives of the Integrated Skills Strategy 2030
The Integrated Skills Strategy 2030 provides the strategic policy framework for skills development which is necessary for:
- strengthening social capital,
- social inclusion,
- economic growth,
- achieving a high quality of life.
The Integrated Skills Strategy sets out a framework for promoting policy complementarity and integration of operations in the wider skills area. It covers skills development in education and training, including formal education (general and vocational, higher education), non-formal education and informal learning. The strategy takes into account demand for specific skills, their availability, their adaptation to the needs of the labour market and the economy, as well as the management and coordination system in these areas.
The provisions of the Strategy 2030 form the basis for developing plans for the use of national and European funds for skills development. They constitute a system of reference for the most effective development of projects and programs by administrators of individual parts of the state budget, local government units and other public and private entities. Thus, the provisions of the Strategy 2030 (detailed part), should be treated as essential guidelines for the definition and optimization of plans and allocation of national and European funds for skills development at the national and regional levels.
The Strategy 2030 provides a framework for action by stakeholders involved in processes for skills acquisition and development and enables:
- design of a coherent policy for building and development of skills in line with the concept of lifelong learning;
- coordination of the actions of all the parties involved in skills development;
- increasing educational and professional activity in all social groups, especially among people with low skills or at risk of social exclusion;
- raising awareness of the importance of skills for individual, economic and social gains;
- ensuring equal access to: information on skills resources and demand, education and career guidance, as well as education and training offerings related to skills development.
Definition of skills in the Integrated Skills Strategy 2030
Skills are among the key drivers of socio-economic well-being in the 21st century. Without adequate investment in skills, the group of people at risk of social exclusion grows, technological progress does not translate into economic growth, and countries find it increasingly difficult to compete in the global marketplace. In addition, megatrends such as technological advances, digitalisation, globalization, environmental change, and aging population are the sources of dynamic changes that affect job creation and how and where job-related tasks are performed. This, in turn, translates into a changing demand for skills. In the Integrated Skills Strategy, the word "skill" refers to the ability to correctly and efficiently perform a particular type of activity, task, or function. "Proper performance" means the use of relevant theoretical and practical knowledge in action and conforming to social norms, in particular those relating to the type of an activity.
Thus, the definition of the term "skill" adopted in the Integrated Skills Strategy 2030 corresponds to the definition adopted in the Act on the Integrated Qualification System; it is also consistent with the recommendations of the European Parliament and the Council on the European Qualification Framework (EQF), and is compatible with the definition adopted by the OECD.
Skill, as defined in the Act on the Integrated Qualifications System, is an ability to perform tasks and solve problems appropriate to the field of learning or professional activity acquired in the process of learning.
Skill according to an EU definition is what a person knows, understands and can do.
Skill, according to the OECD, is a bundle of knowledge, attributes, and abilities that can be learned, which enable individuals to perform activities or tasks effectively and consistently, and which can be built and extended through learning.
Integrated Skills Strategy 2030 (detailed part) - Polish only
Sources:
https://www.kwalifikacje.gov.pl/images/zsu.pdf
https://www.ibe.edu.pl/pl/projekty-krajowe/zintegrowana-strategia-umiejetnosci
Materials submitted by Dominika Walczak, PhD - Team Leader for the Integrated Skills Strategy and key expert for the Integrated Qualifications System and Monika Staszewicz, PhD - expert for the Integrated Skills Strategy and the Integrated Qualifications System
Links:
https://www.cedefop.europa.eu/
http://refernet.ibe.edu.pl/index.php/en/developing-the-integrated-skills-strategy-2030-detailed-part
https://www.oecd.org/education/oecd-skills-strategy-poland-b377fbcc-en.htm