Summary of regional conferences in Warsaw
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On May 24, 2013, a conference was held in Warsaw to conclude a series of 16 regional meetings under the common title "National Qualifications Frameworks - change in education and the labour market". Experts from the Educational Research Institute, the Ministry of Regional Development, Ministry of National Education and the Central Examination Board discussed the issues of how the new qualifications system and the Polish Qualifications Framework will change the education system and the labour market, what the new approach to learning is and how vocational education will change, whereas experts from the largest professional organizations including the Polish Craft Association, the Warsaw Institute of Banking and the Accountants Association in Poland presented good practices in ensuring the quality of qualifications.
The conference was attended by over 160 representatives of ministries responsible for: education, science and higher education, regional development, labour and social policy as well as voivodeship and county labour offices, regional examination boards, boards of education, the Polish Agency for Enterprise Development, universities and training institutions
The conference was opened by Dr. Agnieszka Chłoń-Domińczak, NQF team leader, who spoke about the importance of lifelong learning. – Promoting quality learning at any age, in various forms and places is very important because good quality means a reliable system in which a learner knows that in order to acquire certain qualifications they must take a specific course – explained Dr. Chłoń- Domińczak. – The lifelong learning perspective emphasises personal development, human development, acquiring new competencies, regardless of the manner in which this knowledge and skills are gained – the expert added. Therefore, it is important to create a coherent European system that will allow qualification levels to be compared without the need to unify curricula. This will allow education systems in EU member states to maintain individuality while being able to compare the level of each qualification.
The Polish Qualifications Framework as a flexible tool for changes in the education of future generations, and the prospect of effective cooperation between education and the labour market was discussed by Maciej Jakubowski, Under-Secretary of State in the Ministry of National Education. His presentation was about the operational objectives of the lifelong learning policy in Poland, the most important of which is the creation of a transparent and coherent qualifications system. The Minister pointed out that Poland lacks the culture of continuous learning and he urged its creation. – It is important to develop a culture of lifelong learning, to emphasise the advantages and benefits of learning, and to promote innovation and creativity, which will allow learners to adapt to changes in the labour market and to social needs – he emphasised. Finally, Minister Jakubowski discussed the planned activities related to the National Qualifications System and the inclusion of full and partial qualifications to the integrated register and also indicated how important it is to strengthen inter-ministerial cooperation with social partners and to promote developed solutions. This will increase the transparency of the modernized qualifications system that will support the labour market and thus encourage Poles to undertake lifelong learning.
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Paweł Chorąży, director of the Department for European Social Fund Management HC OP in the Ministry of Regional Development discussed the PQF from the perspective of a new phase of the European Social Fund programming for 2014-2020. – In the current financial perspective, supporting adult learning means primarily supporting the construction of an effective business environment system, including the development of an adult learning system based on the Polish Qualifications Framework – he explained – Construction of the qualifications framework and maintenance of the qualifications register is not a one-time activity because employers needs and qualifications requirements change and new professions that require new skills arise. The qualifications register will then be a living organism. One of the main challenges is to ensure that this system functions, which means keeping a record of qualifications and successively supplying it with new data – Paweł Chorąży said.
In September 2012, changes in vocational education entered into force, including vocational examinations. Ewa Rudomino of the Central Examination Board informed participants about how validation of vocational qualifications is currently conducted within the external examinations system. – In this case, the most important change was the establishment of qualifications within professions. A profession may consist of one, two or even three qualifications. An exam is therefore taken in a qualification and not in a profession. This allows skills to be combined and credentials to be gained to work in different occupations. This makes it easier to re-train, which is what the current labour market needs – explained the CEB representative.
During the 16 regional conferences, experts of professional organizations presented best practices to ensure the quality of vocational qualifications. During the Warsaw conference, they were presented by representatives of institutions and organizations actively involved in the public debate on the Polish Qualifications Framework.
The reasons why transparent qualifications are so important for the financial services sector were discussed by Mariola Szymańska-Koszczyc of the Warsaw Institute of Banking. – With transparent qualifications, an employee knows what an employer’s requirements are; the employer knows which qualifications the employee has. However, the most important is what a customer knows – namely, what quality of service can be expected from a certified adviser – Szymańska-Koszczyc explained. The Warsaw Institute of Banking endeavoured to design and implement a professional certificate that is entirely in line with the EQF: European Financial Advisor EFA EFPA (European Financial Planning Association). – A Certified Financial Advisor EFA EFPA must meet the customer’s needs, get to know what risks the customer is willing to take, what the customer’s financial objectives are, and match the offer accordingly – said the WIB representative.
Dr. Anna Szumilewicz of the Gdansk University of Physical Education and Sports discussed the subject of qualifications in physical recreation using the example of fitness. – The most popular profession in physical recreation is instructor, which was a regulated profession until 2010. It was revealed that 75% of instructors are not well prepared for the job – said Dr. Szumilewicz. Therefore, work on the procedures of awarding qualifications in physical recreation were begun to improve the transparency of the qualification, as well as to improve the quality of the professional training of physical recreation staff in Poland. Professional certification also enables the implementation of health-related European policies and the recommendations of the World Health Organization on the minimum level of physical activity in society.
In 2009, the Accountants Association in Poland developed a system of certification in the accounting profession. It encompasses four levels of qualifications: Level 1 – Accountant, Level 2 – Accounting Specialist, Level 3 – Chief Accountant, Level 4 – Qualified Accountant. – Certification of the accounting profession is an original system introduced by the AAP for gaining, improving, updating and continuous development of professional knowledge and skills related to accounting. Accounting professions are not regulated in Poland. The certification introduced by the AAP is voluntary and certificates issued by the Association confirm having formal specific knowledge and skills required for a given position – explained Dr. Teresa Cebrowska, a representative of the Association.
Elżbieta Jarosz of the English Language Institute Bell in Kraków talked about the European Language Certificate CEFR, awarded by the European Association for Evaluation & Accreditation of Quality in Language Services (EAQUALS). The European Language Certificate CEFR is a diploma that specifies the degree of foreign language competence in relation to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR). Currently, the EAQUALS certification is still not implemented in all European countries, but work on its implementation is ongoing across Europe. EAQUALS working groups prepare, test materials and procedures and duplicate them for different languages.
The Polish Craft Association is also involved in issues related to the validation of learning outcomes acquired outside the formal education system. Jolanta Kosakowska of the APR discussed the validation of acquired skills using the examples of journeyman and master. – There are several paths to reach the journeyman or master exam that involve education, professional qualifications and a period of occupational practice, which are to be examined. The journeyman or master exam is a process for assessing the level of knowledge, skills and social competence that are related to the exercise of a profession and constitute an appropriate set of learning outcomes – Kosakowska explained. Currently journeyman exams in Poland already encompass 115 professions, including 48 school professions and 67 non-school professions.
