Andrzej Kurkiewicz: Good practices and polish experiences in promoting and supporting entrepreneurship within higher education

Nazwa imprezy11.04.2008 / Gorzów Wlkp.

Good practices and Polish experiences in promoting and supporting entrepreneurship within Higher Education System

14 July 2015

Higher Education System in numbers

38.5 million – population of Poland; Fivefold increase of student numbers between 1990 and 2006

(max. 1 953 832); sharp decline afterwards; Number of students (XI.2014): 1 469 386;

full-time students: 929502; part-time students: 539884.

Fivefold increase of number of higher education institutions (HEIs) between 1990 and 2010 (max. 469);

Number of HEIs (VI.2015): 427; public HEIs: 132; non-public HEIs (including HEIs administered by churches and religious

communities): 295;

Much less dynamic changes in number of staff. Number of employees in HEIs (2013):

academic teachers: 95 073; non-teaching employees: 73 557.

Students by sector (public/non-public)

HEIs by sector (public/non-public)

An amendment of the Law on Higher Education

came into force on 1st of October 2014; has introduced the changes related to the issue of

employability; new approach based on the Qualifications Framework for

Higher Education and learning outcomes (including knowledge, skills and competences relevant to the labour market);

new model of quality assurance based on learning outcomes, acknowledging the issue of employability and involvement of employers;

more diversity as regards profiles: a new professional (“practical”) profile with more flexibility regarding the teaching staff: involvement of employers/practitioners  in shaping curricula, in teaching, and in assessing its outcomes;

An amendment of the Law on Higher Education

Higher Schools of Professional Education obligated to create special councils with representatives of the regional authorities and the regional business community;

HEIs are obliged to track their graduates’ career patterns; the Ombudsman for Graduate Affairs was appointed; the

Ombudsman acts to reduce barriers to graduate careers in professions corresponding to the degree programmes completed.

Also related to the issue of employability are the following elements: a new, central graduate tracking system (apart from the tracking

carried out by HEIs since 2011 as an ever more important element of an internal quality assurance system) in order to get reliable and comparable data on graduates’ employment outcomes – important information for the public, especially potential students and their parents (a different goal than in the case of tracking by HEIs). The system will be based on administrative data: matching database of graduates with anonymized data from the Social Insurance Institution;

validation of learning outcomes achieved in prior learning – a new entry route to higher education for adult learners (in the context of lifelong learning), especially ones with professional experience;

more diversification of HEIs, based on already implemented profiles: general academic and professional (“practical”). HEI faculties not authorised to grant the doctoral degree are obliged to choose the professional (“practical”) profile of the programmes provided. 3-month obligatory traineeships for students of professional (“practical”) study programmes.

An amendment of the Law on Higher Education

PO WER

As part of the new EU financial perspective, substantial funds will be used to bring education closer to the labour market;

Under the PO WER programme, one priority axis is dedicated specifically to higher education: Axis III Universities for the economy and development;

The Ministry of Science and Higher Education has at its disposal 1 253 million (including ESF + national contribution), allocated for activities under this axis.

AN OBJECTIVE

HEIs will be able to obtain significant support to tailor their curricula to labour market needs, including developing competences in key areas for the economy, support for training and internship opportunities for students of the practical-profile studies, support for institutions assisting students at the beginning of their economic activity in the labour market (e.g. academic career offices) and the like.

PO WER

To achieve alignment of higher education with the labour market, several programmes have been launched:

Competence Development Programmeestablished on the basis of a specific ex-ante evaluation, commissioned by the National Centre for Research and Development and conducted in 2014, aiming at exploring demand for skills in various industries in the coming years in the context of trends in the Polish economy;the primary goal of the research was to prepare a list of recommended competences, qualifications, learning outcomes and fields of study important in terms of the needs of the labour market, the economy and society;

PO WER

The Competence Development Programme puts a particularly strong emphasis on cooperation between HEIs and employers in strengthening the practical elements of training and increasing employer engagement in the Programme delivery;

The main objective is to strengthen the competences needed to succeed in the labour market, especially transversal ones;

The Programme, which also contributes to reducing unemployment, places the emphasis on practical training and internships;

Students not only obtain the specific knowledge needed to perform a job, but also interpersonal skills, including efficient use of the Polish language, formulating opinions, teamwork, team building, conflict resolution, negotiation techniques;

As part of a pilot programme, 73 projects (worth 58 035 165.29 PLN, or about 13 million EUR) are currently under way;

Due to the ongoing process of evaluation, information on the strengths and weaknesses of the Programme is not yet available.

PO WER

The Programme is a part of the wider “Universities for future” programme which aims, i.a., at improving the relevance of higher education. So is the “Studying? Practice!” Programme, devoted to high quality traineeships (allocation of EUR 130 million), which is going to be implemented along with a scheme supporting the development of new study programmes adapted to the needs of the economy, the labour market and society, based on analysing and forecasting the pertinent trends (EUR 300 million).

PO WER

"Studying? Practice!”

The competition aims to enhance the quality of student placements organized jointly by employers and HEIs;The Programme meets the expectation of employers by providing future graduates with experience necessary for future professional work;The first competition was launched in August 2015;The budget of the competition in 2015 was 145 million PLN (about 33 million EUR; allocation for 2014-2020:130 million EUR).

PO WER

The programme of apprenticeships in State Higher Vocational Schools (PWSZ)

The objective is to develop a nationwide, uniform system of apprenticeships in PWSZ for practical-profile majors and it will cover all PWSZ;The proposed programme is a system solution, consisting in developing, testing and sustained implementation of 6-month mandatory student internships for PWSZ students;The budget of the project is approx. 136 million PLN (about 30 million EUR).

PO WER

New Training Programme

The aim of the Programme is the implementation of training programmes for both general academic and practical profiles, based on analysis and economic forecasting, tailored to the needs of the economy, the labour market and society;The budget of the competition in 2016 is 200 million PLN (about 45 million EUR);The competition will be announced in February 2016.

PO WER

Academic Career OfficesThe competition aims to promote the provision of high quality services by institutions (e.g. Academic Career Offices), to support students in launching economic activity in the labour market;Academic Career Offices are entities operating within HEIs to support students and graduates starting their careers in the labour market;The role of career offices includes providing students and graduates with information about the labour market, acquiring jobs, apprenticeships and traineeships, assistance in active job search, primarily through advising, as well as assistance to employers in attracting suitable candidates for vacancies;Academic Career Offices, through effective guidance, appropriate diagnosis of competence shortages and help in suggesting appropriate careers, as well as through support in improving soft skills, can positively affect the use of professional potential of students and graduates;

PO WER

The Ministry of Science and Higher Education created the contest which aims to support tasks relating to direct specific assistance to students in launching economic activity in the labour market by expanding the range and enhance the quality of services provided by career offices or other entities providing similar services for students;

The first competition was launched in October 2015. The call for proposals ended on 16 December 2015;

The budget of the competition in 2015 is 35 million PLN (about 8 million EUR; 2014-2020 allocation: 18.75 million EUR).

PO WER

The Improvement of competences of teaching staff

The competition will be organized by the National Research and Development Centre;The objectives are raising competences of university staff in: innovative teaching skills, computer skills, the use of professional databases and their use in the educational process, teaching in foreign languages, information management;The budget of the competition in 2016 - 132 million zł (about 30 million EUR);The competition is planned for announcement in the third quarter of 2016.

HEInnovate

The "National Policy Review of entrepreneurial universities" under the HEInnovate initiativeEight HEIs were selected as case study HEIs by the Ministry, PKA, OECD and European Commission (HEIs were selected to cover different regions, fields of specialization and types of institution);The objectives of the project are to increase awareness about the benefits of promoting and supporting entrepreneurship and innovation within higher education, and to examine the progress of Polish higher education institutions (HEIs) towards becoming “entrepreneurial HEIs”;This project will focus on issues such as support for graduates and staff in business start-up, the development of entrepreneurial mindsets among students, knowledge exchange between HEIs and non-university stakeholders and the commercialisation of academic research;

HEInnovate

It will identify areas of strength to showcase good practices in Poland, as well as areas for improvement;

Recommendations will be made for policymakers and HEIs, and international good practice models will be provided to illustrate how recommendations could be implemented.

Framework for autonomy of HEIs (II)

Institutional autonomy:the key issue in transformation of higher education after 1989;senate (main collegial body) responsible for i.a.: adopting the statutes, study regulations, rules of admission.

After 2011 -> towards more programme autonomy:HEIs are entitled to create their own study programmes based on the National Qualifications Framework;programmes, including learning outcomes, approved by a senate;detailed study programme determined by a faculty council;central list of study programmes abolished;Minister determines the National Qualifications Framework, basic conditions for programme provision and basic criteria for external quality assessment.

Framework for autonomy of HEIs (II)

Minister of Science and Higher Education (MSHE) -> mainly supervisory powers:

compliance with the law;permission to establish a non-public HEI;proper expenditure of public funds;some sectoral HEIs under supervision of other ministers (responsible for national defence, health, culture, maritime economy, internal affairs).

Since 2011 HEIs have tracked their graduates’ careers – important element of internal quality assurance system;

Proposal of new central tracking system in order to get reliable and comparable data on graduates’ employment outcomes – important information for public opinion, especially potential students and their parents (different goal than when it comes to tracking by HEIs).

Based on administrative data: matching database of graduates with anonymized data from the Social Insurance Institution.

New graduate tracking system

Points for discussion

How can cooperation between HEIs and the business sector be rendered more effective? 

What examples of good practices have been introduced in other European countries?

Nazwa imprezy11.04.2008 / Gorzów Wlkp.

Thank you for your attention

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