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EACEA National Policies Platform:Eurydice
Distribution of responsibilities

Poland

8.Adult education and training

8.1Distribution of responsibilities

Last update: 8 March 2023

Adult education and training (AET) in Poland is a shared responsibility of many ministries, but some of them, including the ministries in charge of education and science, and labour, have a leading role in this area. Other ministries are involved in skills development and in areas where learning outcomes are achieved mainly through non-formal education (for example, the ministry responsible for economic development supports the development of entrepreneurial attitudes) or initiatives undertaken to improve basic skills of seniors (Ministry of Family and Social Policy; Ministry of Education and Science). Other ministries contribute to the implementation of the policy for lifelong learning (LLL), which includes AET.

The distribution of administrative responsibilities in the area of continuing education (as the reference point in the national legislation on school education) and a common activity framework in the area of LLL, including AET, are presented in the tables below.

 

Distribution of administrative responsibilities in the area of continuing education

Administration unit

Range of administrative responsibilities in AET; participation in AET-related work

 

National level

Ministry of Education and Science

The Ministry coordinates activities in the area of continuing education at the national level. The Department of Strategy, Qualifications and Vocational Education is directly responsible for continuing education. Its responsibilities cover:

  • strategic planning for the education system, including coordination of tasks related to the development of materials for strategic planning, the revision of strategic documents as part of the implementation of the development policy, and the monitoring of the implementation of the documents;
  • coordination of the lifelong learning policy, including the implementation of the Integrated Skills Strategy and administrative support for the Intersectoral Task Force for Lifelong Learning (LLL) and the Integrated Qualifications System (IQS);
  • implementation of the IQS, including support for the Minister as the minister-coordinator for the IQS;
  • skills forecasts: for employees in the vocational education and training occupations on the national and regional labour markets;
  • promotion of vocational and continuing education;
  • experimental activity in the areas of vocational education and adult education;
  • outline timetables for public schools providing vocational education and adult education;
  • establishment, transformation and liquidation of public schools providing vocational education, and of schools for adults;
  • organisation of work and statutes of schools providing vocational education and adult education;
  • conditions and procedures for the admission of pupils and learners to schools providing vocational education and schools for adults, and for the transfer of pupils and learners from one type of vocational education school to another or between schools of the same type;
  • functioning of public and non-public schools for adults;
  • rules for the assessment and promotion of pupils and learners in vocational education and general education in schools for adults, stage II sectoral vocational schools and post-secondary schools;
  • functioning and organisation of public and non-public continuing education centres and public and non-public vocational education and training centres;
  • conditions and procedures for acquiring and upgrading general knowledge and vocational skills and qualifications in non-school settings;
  • rules for the implementation and coordination of arrangements for the development of continuing education in a distance learning mode; rules for the conduct of vocational exams, exams confirming vocational qualifications and external exams;
  • improvement of the accreditation system for continuing education in non-school settings;
  • cooperation with central and local government institutions and social partners, including employers, in setting directions for the development of vocational education and adult education;
  • participation in EU working groups, expert and high-level task forces (directors general for vocational education) responsible for the development of vocational education, adult education and qualifications frameworks.

The remit of the Department also covers matters related to career guidance in the school education system, including AET (mein.gov.pl; accessed 28 January 2023).  

The term ‘continuing education’ is not used in the field of higher education (Law on Higher Education and Science / Ustawa o szkolnictwie wyższym i nauce). However, in view of the so-called third mission of higher education, this area can be considered to include open universities (run by some higher education institutions); third-age universities (TAU) (run by some higher education institutions, but operating mainly outside the higher education system); and expert services, including training services for various entities, commissioned on an individual basis. Non-school education settings also include so-called folk universities.

The Higher Education Department of the Ministry regulates matters relating to non-degree postgraduate programmes, specialist programmes and other types of education provided by higher education institutions.

Ministry of Family and Social Policy

 

The Ministry is the main partner of the Ministry of Education and Science in the field of continuing education for adults, and in particular, unemployed people, some categories of job seekers and employed persons. Within the Ministry structure, continuing education falls mainly within the remit of the Labour Market Department. Its responsibilities include cooperation with the minister responsible for school education in setting objectives and directions for the development of VET; and the development of systemic arrangements to support unemployed and employed people in acquiring competences. Other tasks of the Department relevant to continuing education include: development and dissemination of tools, methods and resources to support career guidance; development of competences of the unemployed and employed; EURES and economic migration.

 

 

Other ministries (incl. Ministries of Culture, National Heritage and Sport, Development and Technology, Agriculture and Rural Development, Climate and Environmental Protection, and Health)

Responsibilities include, for example, participation in the work of the Inter-Sectoral Task Force for LLL and the IQS, and activities undertaken as part of the skills development policy in line with the idea of lifelong learning.

 

Regional / province (województwo) level

Regional authorities

Regional authorities are responsible for public education, including higher education. Their main tasks include establishing and administering public in-service teacher training institutions, educational resources centres / libraries, and schools and institutions operating at regional and supra-regional levels. The planned network of such schools and institutions is outlined in a development strategy for a given province.

Regional authorities appoint heads of Regional Education Authorities (REA) (kurator oświaty) who exercise so-called pedagogical supervision over schools and non-school education settings.

They also keep the Register of Training Institutions operating within their jurisdiction.

 

District (powiat) level

District authorities

District authorities are responsible for establishing, administering and financing public post-primary schools (established in accordance with the Law on School Education (ustawa Prawo oświatowe), continuing education institutions and vocational education and training centres.

 

Commune (gmina) level

Commune authorities

Communes are responsible for establishing, administering and financing public primary schools.

Source: Author’s own elaboration.

        

 

 

Common inter-sectoral framework for activities within the 2030 Integrated Skills Strategy (ISS) (general and detailed parts) based on the idea of lifelong learning

No.

2030 ISS Priorities

Entities involved in the implementation of activities

 1.

Improving key skills in children, young people and adults

The Ministers responsible for school education, higher education and science; culture, national heritage and sport; family, labour and social security; economy; regional development; and province-level executive boards and other entities

2.

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

 

The Ministers responsible for school education; economy; regional development; digitalisation; and province-level executive boards and other entities

3.

Increasing employer involvement in the development and better use of skills

 

The Ministers responsible for economy; family, labour and social security; school education; regional development; province-level executive boards and other entities

4.

Building an effective system for skills assessment and anticipation (SAA) and dissemination of related information

 

The Ministers responsible for school education; economy; family, labour and social security; regional development; and province-level executive boards and other entities

5.

Developing effective and sustainable mechanisms for inter-ministerial and inter-sectoral collaboration and coordination

 

The Ministers responsible for school education; higher education and science; economy; regional development; digitalisation; and province-level executive boards and other entities

6.

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

The Ministers responsible for school education; higher education and science; culture, national heritage and sport; family, labour and social security; economy; regional development; and province-level executive boards and other entities

        

Source: Based on the following documents: 2030 Integrated Skills Strategy (general part), Warsaw, 2019; 2030 Integrated Skills Strategy (detailed part), Policy for the skills development in line with the idea of lifelong learning, Warsaw, 2020.

Graduate tracking (graduate career monitoring) has an important role in the implementation of the education policy at the national, regional and local levels, including the adaptation of areas and contents of education and training to labour market demands and the preparation of pupils and students for the choice of an occupation or career and the area of education or training, as well as the monitoring of public and non-public post-primary school graduates. Career tracking is the responsibility of the Minister in charge of school education.