Brief history

Adult education (adult education and training, AET; adult learning) has rich tradition in Poland, which was particularly important in the difficult period of partitions between the end of the 18^th century and 1918 when Poland regained its sovereignty. It was the cornerstone of the Polish language, culture, history and tradition.

The last century saw both periods of intensive expansion of adult education, its growing importance and achievements, and periods of stagnation, in particular in the 1980s.

In the first years after World War II, adult education had compensatory functions and was aimed mainly at eliminating illiteracy. In the communist period, with its high degree of politicisation and centralisation in all areas of public life, adult education was associated with ‘proletariat schooling’ or ‘working-class education’; non-working people could not, in principle (at least during a certain period), receive education in a school for working adults. The establishment of non-school educational institutions providing various training courses was subject to ‘rationing’ and strict control by the State.

After the political changes in 1989, AET was left largely outside the key reforms taking place in school education and higher education. In 1995, the 1991 School Education Act of 7 September 1991 (ustawa z dnia 7 września 1991 r. o systemie oświaty) was amended to include a definition of continuing education (which still included in the provisions that are in force and is referred to in this chapter), its functions and provision options. The amendment also defined more precisely the tasks of the ministers responsible for school education, and family, labour and social policy in the area of continuing education for adults.

As one of the main achievements after 1989, the national authorities created a legal basis for the establishment of non-public institutions for AET. The sector flourished rapidly in the next decades, which was a major achievement in the process of democratisation of education. However, despite the efforts made, expected reforms were not introduced to ensure that adult education and training (in various forms and settings, of a varying scope, and for a wide range of learners) becomes an integral part of professional, personal and social activity of people at various stages of life, in line with the idea of lifelong learning (LLL).

Formal and non-formal AET is a very broad category (see the introductory section to Chapter 7) which covers various forms of organised learning, including those provided as part of other activities (for example, delivery of services, societal engagement activities). These issues fall within the remit of many sectoral ministries, which helps to understand specific problems of a given sector and propose adequate measures, but does not always help to design a uniform policy in this area. Currently, many measures are taken within the proposed strategies (see below), which will support the integration of this area of education and training.

Developments and current policy priorities

LLL issues are addressed in national and European documents. Measures taken in AET aim to implement the principles of the Copenhagen Declaration (Poland still has low outcomes in adult learning), the Recommendation of the European Parliament and of the Council on the establishment of a European Credit System for Vocational Education and Training (ECVET), and cooperation in higher education (Bologna Process) and in the adult learning sector as separated from vocational education and training (VET) and technical education (TE), that is, the European Agenda for Adult Learning. 

The European Social Fund provided funding for the Operational Programme Knowledge Education Development (Program Operacyjny Wiedza Edukacja Rozwój, PO WER) (last accessed August 2024). The successor to POWER is the European Funds for Social Development Programme (2021-2027) (Fundusze Europejskie dla Rozwoju Społecznego, FERS). As part of the Programme, the Foundation for the Development of the Education System manages the project ‘Development of cooperation and coordination in the area of lifelong learning’ (last accessed September 2024). 

The strong and well-established position of education within the school education system (leading to diplomas and certificates) and all historical and political factors discussed above are arguably contributing to low rates of adult participation in education and training (see the introductory section to Chapter 7). Measures taken to promote participation in LLL and develop systems for the validation of learning outcomes through the strategic programmes listed below can be expected to contribute to better integration of activities which many ministries carry out in this area. (See also Chapter 7.5 ‘Validation of non-formal and informal learning’). 

The Government’s Strategy for Responsible Development (SRD) for the period up to 2020 (with a 2030 perspective) (Strategia na rzecz Odpowiedzialnego Rozwoju do roku 2020 (z perspektywą do 2030)) (summary in English) (last accessed August 2024) is a strategic instrument for the management of the national development policy. Its overall goal is to create conditions for income growth for Polish citizens, while enhancing social, economic, environmental and territorial cohesion. Its specific objectives include:

• Sustainable economic growth increasingly based on knowledge, evidence and organisational excellence

• Socially sensitive and territorially balanced development

• Effective state and institutions contributing to growth and social and economic inclusion.

Thus, the overall goal and the specific objectives are linked to measures aimed at improving the quality of human and social capital, and, in this way, to education and social policies. 

The following development strategies provide instruments for the implementation of the SRD: 2030 Productivity Strategy (Strategia Produktywności 2030); 2030 Human Capital Development Strategy (Strategia Rozwoju Kapitału Ludzkiego 2030); 2030 Social Capital Development Strategy (Cooperation, Culture, Creativity) (Strategia Rozwoju Kapitału Społecznego (współdziałanie, kultura, kreatywność) 2030); and 2030 National Strategy for Regional Development (Krajowa Strategia Rozwoju Regionalnego 2030) (last accessed August 2024). 

However, the document of particular relevance in the context of AET is the 2030 Integrated Skills Strategy (ISS) (Zintegrowana Strategia Umiejętności) (last accessed August 2024), the general part of which was approved by the Polish Government in January 2019, and the detailed part in December 2020. The ISS refers to the OECD document ‘OECD Skills Strategy Poland: Assessment and Recommendations’  (last accessed August 2024). It is in line with the national development management system, integrating national strategic documents insofar as they address skills: the SRD, the 2013 Lifelong Learning Perspective (Perspektywa uczenia się przez całe życie), and integrated and supra-regional strategies. The 2030 ISS also fits well with the overall goal and the specific objectives of the SRD listed above. 

The overall goal of the 2030 ISS is to create opportunities and conditions for the development of skills which are necessary to strengthen social capital, enhance social inclusion, support economic growth and achieve high quality of life. The following are the six priority areas for the achievement of this goal: 

• Improving key skills in children, young people and adults

• Developing and fostering a learning culture geared towards active and continuous development of skills

• Increasing employer involvement in the development and better use of skills

• Building an effective system for skills assessment and anticipation and dissemination of information about the current level and demand for skills 

• Providing effective and sustainable mechanisms for inter-ministerial and inter-sectoral collaboration and coordination for skills development

• Ensuring equal access to opportunities for the development and use of skills

Further efforts are needed to design effective funding mechanisms for adult learning in some non-school settings. In recent years, measures have been taken to initiate changes in this area, and, in particular, in VET. The Act of 14 December 2016, The Law on School Education, as subsequently amended (ustawa z dnia 14 grudnia 2016 r. – Prawo oświatowe, z późn. zm.) provides opportunities for various entities to support VET. These include employers and their organisations; self-governance bodies of the business sector; business organisations; and Sector Competence Councils and the Programme Council for Competences. Public administration bodies should collaborate with such entities in performing their tasks in the field of education. (Details about competence councils on the website in Polish)

In the area of vocational education, close collaboration between vocational schools and employers is promoted. This will have impact on AET through links with schools and other educational institutions. 

Measures encouraging adults to participate in learning include:

• implementation of the 2030 ISS;

• implementation of the Integrated Qualification System (see Chapter 7.5 ‘Validation of non-formal and informal learning’);

• activities of the National Training Fund (Krajowy Fundusz Szkoleniowy);

• development of the database of development services (Baza usług rozwowjowych) (last accessed August 2024);

• collaboration between the Ministry of National Education, the institutions conducting the Study of Human Capital (Bilans Kapitału Ludzkiego) and the Polish Central Statistical Office to improve identification of non-formal learning activities undertaken by adults;

• activities carried out by the Polish Chamber of Training Companies (Polska Izba Firm Szkoleniowych) to support the idea of LLL (last accessed August 2024)

The implementation of the SRD as the national development strategy is linked to many operational programmes which include measures supporting LLL. The table below provides examples of such programmes.

Examples of programmes supporting lifelong learning

Source: Based on the documents available in the European Funds portal (Fundusze Europejskie) (information in Polish; last accessed August 2024). 

The National Training Fund (NTF) (Krajowy Fundusz Szkoleniowy; information in Polish), established in May 2014 as part of the Labour Fund (LF) (around 2% of the LF), supports continuing education of employers and employees where this is taken up on the initiative or with the consent of the employer. In 2024, the funds primarily supported the following types of continuing education courses: 

• courses related to the use of new processes, technologies and tools in companies; 

• courses for shortage occupations identified in a given district or province; 

• courses in digital skills; 

• courses for 45+ people; and 

• courses for employees in the motor industry. 

(Source: NTF Funding, information in Polish; last accessed August 2024).