OECD Economic Surveys: Poland 2016

OECD

• Publisher: OECD
• Year: 2016
• eBook ISBN: 9789264252578
• Topic: Social Sciences
• Subtopic: Sociology
• Index: Social Sciences

Thematic chapters

Chapter 1. Making better use of skills and migration

To continue catching up with living standards in other OECD countries Poland needs to invest in higher skills. Crucial elements include: i) making sure that all children have access to high-quality early childhood education; ii) strengthening the basic skills of vocational education students and the relevance of their studies through stronger links with firms; and iii) improving the quality of universities by linking university teachers' pay and career progress with their teaching and research performance. The Polish government has taken action in many of these areas. More needs to be done to put immigrants' skills to better use. Polish return migrants frequently complain about difficulties in using their skills acquired abroad, while many immigrants of foreign origin work in professions that do not match their qualifications. Ongoing reforms to improve recognition of foreign credentials and new possibilities to validate work experience through formal qualifications will be helpful.

Improving Polish living standards further requires investment in higher technologies and skills. Poland has achieved important progress in raising the skills of its population after an exceptional boom in tertiary education and improvements in the learning outcomes of school children. This chapter discusses how the government can build on this progress. The skills available to the Polish economy are also affected by migration, as the country has experienced significant outmigration of highly qualified individuals. Some of them later return. Immigrants of foreign origin, whose number has been increasing albeit from a low level, also include many highly qualified individuals. The chapter therefore discusses policies to make better use of immigrants’ skills.

The next section reviews progress in raising the skill level of the Polish population and policies that would help to build on this. The following section discusses skill matches and reforms to improve them. Labour market policies that would strengthen workers’ access to training are discussed thereafter. The final section discusses migrants’ skills and ways to make better use of them.

Raising skill levels

The government is striving to lift learning outcomes

Average test scores in numeracy and literacy of Polish adults are relatively low, according to the OECD Survey of Adult Skills (Programme for International Assessment of Adult Competencies, PIAAC) (Figure 1.1, Panel A), and the share of adults with basic skills deficiencies is correspondingly higher than the OECD average (Panel B). This is also the case for tertiary graduates (Panels C and D).

Figure 1.1. Skill test scores of adults, including those with tertiary education, are below the OECD average

20121

1. The data are based solely on Flanders for Belgium and England and Northern Ireland for the United Kingdom.

2. Share of adults scoring at or below level 1 of the PIAAC scale of numeracy proficiency.

Source: OECD (2013), OECD Skills Outlook 2013 Database.

StatLink http://dx.doi.org/10.1787/888933339515

The new government is focused on raising the skills of the workforce to strengthen productivity and the economy’s ability to absorb modern technologies. It can thereby build on important progress achieved over the past 20 years, including an exceptional boom in tertiary education. Learning outcomes for 15 year-olds have improved considerably and are now above the OECD average, according to test scores of the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA). Reforms that contributed to these improvements, in particular for weaker students, include: i) the postponement of tracking by one year through the introduction of lower secondary schools; ii) new national core curricula, combined with external exit exams for each school level; and iii) enhanced teacher and school autonomy (OECD, 2011a). The Ministry of National Education has now initiated experts’ consultations and a broad public debate on education reforms, including curricula and examinations, teachers’ skills and professional development, school governance and financing. The aim is to agree on a reform programme that will ensure equal opportunities for all young people, especially disadvantaged groups.

One particularly effective measure to help disadvantaged students is early intervention (OECD, 2014a). The coverage of preschools has been extended substantially in recent years to close to 80 per cent of three to five year-olds in 2015, and the government plans to spell out curricula and learning outcomes to set the basis for strong basic skills and first steps in foreign languages. These efforts need to continue, especially since the compulsory school age was raised to seven, reversing an earlier reform, although parents may send six year-olds to primary school if they wish. Without excellent coverage with high-quality preschool education there is a danger that children from disadvantaged families, in particular, will not benefit from formal education early on and chances to level their skills will be missed. According to the Ministry of Education, there are enough places for all three to six year-olds even after the reform, as the demographic decline observed since 2013 will compensate for the possible increase in the number of six year-olds in kindergarten. The number of new childcare institutions for under-three year-olds was quadrupled between 2011 and 2014, but coverage remains well below the OECD average. The government should ensure that poor families, in particular, have access to childcare services.

Vocational education

Vocational education (Box 1.1) has suffered from a number of weaknesses, including a poor reputation, a failure to provide students with solid basic skills and key competencies, such as independent and creative thinking and team work, and often a poor adaptation to labour market needs. The government has started to address many of these issues. Taking these reforms further would help vocational graduates to find better job matches on the Polish labour market.

Box 1.1. Initial vocational education in Poland

Upper secondary (general and vocational) education starts at age 16. Most students go either to a four-year upper secondary technical school (technikum, ISCED 3A) or to a three-year basic vocational school (zasadnicza szkoła zawodowa, ISCED 3B). Vocational education is also provided in post-secondary non-tertiary schools (szkoła policealna).

General secondary school (licea ogólnoksztalcace, ISCED 3A) prepares students for passing a matura exam and for pursuing their education in a higher-education institution. Technical upper secondary school prepares students both for the matura and entering the labour market. Basic vocational school and post-secondary non-tertiary school are focused on providing vocational qualifications for occupations classified by the Ministry of Education.

Practical training makes up approximately 60% of total hours in basic vocational schools and 50% in technical schools and may take place in school workshops and laboratories, continuing education centres and practical training centres. Work-based training in all types of vocational schools lasts 4-12 weeks, depending on the occupation, and is organised once or twice during the study period.

The scope of knowledge and skills acquired by pupils and the volume of practical and work-based training are defined by curricula for each occupation. Since 2012, there has been a single core curriculum for all occupations that defines interdisciplinary skills (e.g. social and interpersonal, entrepreneurship and management) and the level of proficiency to be mastered in every occupation.

Based on: Cedefop (2013a and 2013b).

Adapting vocational education to the market economy has been a cha...

Table of contents

• Title page
• Legal and rights
• 20th anniversary of Poland’s accession to the OECD
• Introduction
• Executive summary
• Assessment and recommendations
• Annex Progress in structural reform
• Thematic chapters
• About the OECD