Descriptions of occupations in the revised classification of occupations are based on qualifications. The classification for vocational education covers about 200 occupations. They include over 250 qualifications which are assigned to 32 sectors or branches, based on specific vocational skills or the extent to which such skills are used in performing occupational tasks. One, two or three qualifications are identified within individual occupations. Moreover, five artistic occupations are identified with no qualifications specified. Pupils and adult learners can acquire qualifications one by one throughout the education process (not only upon finishing the school).

Pupils / learners can take exams leading to qualifications for an occupation not only at the end of education in school, but also at other stages of education or after they have obtained a specific qualification. Having passed an exam for a given (single) qualification, pupils / learners receive a certificate for this qualification. After passing exams for all the qualifications required to practise a given occupation (and having completed the required level of education), they obtain a vocational diploma.

The system of external exams leading to vocational qualifications is sufficiently flexible to allow validation of non-formal and informal learning outcomes. It is open to persons who have gained vocational knowledge and experience outside vocational schools.

Primary school leavers who are interested primarily to obtain a qualification for practising an occupation can choose a 3-year stage I sectoral vocational school. After passing a vocational exam, pupils who have finished a stage I sectoral vocational school obtain a vocational diploma, conferring qualifications for specific occupations defined for the labour market. If they wish to do so, they can continue education in:

• a stage II sectoral vocational school training for an occupation which embraces a qualification common to the occupation for which pupils are trained in stage I and stage II sectoral vocational schools;

• a general secondary school, starting in Grade II.

The Polish VET system also comprises other institutions which provide wider opportunities to acquire vocational qualifications. In particular:

• vocational schools can be combined into vocational education and training centres (placówka kształcenia zawodowego) and continuing education centres (centrum kształcenia ustawicznego) to offer a wider variety of courses and increase opportunities for cooperation with employers;

• vocational qualification courses are offered to adult learners; these are vocational training courses provided in non-school settings, which enable learners to take exams leading to qualifications for a given occupation.

Types of institutions

The VET system in Poland includes the following types of vocational secondary schools for young people:

• 3-year stage I sectoral vocational schools (szkoła branżowa I stopnia) (for pupils aged 15 to 18 years). Pupils who have finished a stage I sectoral vocational school obtain a vocational diploma upon passing a vocational exam, and may continue education in a stage II sectoral vocational school (see above) or in Grade II of a general secondary school for adults;

• 2-year stage II sectoral vocational schools (szkoła branżowa II stopnia) (for learners aged 19-20 years) established on 1 September 2020. Upon passing a vocational exam for a given occupation, learners obtain a vocational diploma, with the title of Technician, in an occupation that embraces a qualification common to the occupation for which pupils / learners are trained in a stage I and stage II sectoral vocational school. They may also obtain a maturity certificate upon passing the maturity exam.

• 5-year technical secondary schools (technikum) in the new school system (pupils aged 15 to 20 years), where pupils obtain not only a vocational diploma, which confers vocational qualifications for a given occupation upon passing a vocational exam, but also a maturity certificate upon passing the maturity exam.

• 3-year schools preparing for employment (szkoła specjalna przysposabiająca do pracy), which take pupils with a moderate and severe intellectual disability and with multiple disabilities and lead to a certificate confirming preparation for employment (see also the chapter ‘Educational_Support_and_Guidance’).  

Geographical accessibility and basic statistical data

Post-primary vocational schools are located primarily in urban areas. Those in rural areas are mainly agricultural schools.

In the school year 2021/2022, there were 1,854 technical secondary schools (including 34 special schools) attended by 656,600 pupils. As compared to the previous school year, the number of technical secondary schools decreased slightly (by around 0.5%), whereas the total number of pupils increased slightly (by 1.5%). In the same period, there were 1,674 stage I sectoral vocational schools (including 396 special schools); their number increased by 6 compared to the previous school year. In total, schools of this type had 207,000 pupils (1.0% more than in the previous year). In the same period, there were also 136 stage II sectoral vocational schools for young people (including 8 special schools), with around 3,700 pupils in total.

More detailed statistics in Polish and English are available in the publication of the Central Statistical Office “Education in the 2021/2022 school year”. 

Admission requirements and choice of school

See: Admission Requirements and Choice of School in General Upper Secondary Education

Age levels and grouping of pupils/students

Vocational schools take, as a rule, primary school leavers aged 15 years. The duration of the education cycle in technical secondary schools, as well as in stage I and stage II sectoral vocational schools jointly, is 5 years (pupils / learners aged 15 to 20 years).

A class (also referred to as ‘division’ in the national legislation) is the basic organisational unit in schools. It (nominally) groups pupils / learners of the same age who jointly follow the same curriculum under the supervision of teachers. All classes at the same education level are referred to as grades in the national legislation. Roman numerals are used to designate classes and grades (Grades I to V in 5-year technical secondary schools, and Grades I to III in 3-year stage I sectoral vocational schools).

Grouping into classes is based on the age of pupils / learners as the basic criterion and, where applicable, on the promotion of the pupil / learner to the next grade. Each class is supervised by a class tutor / teacher. As a rule, the same teacher holds this function throughout the period of education in the school.

The legislation does not define the minimum or maximum numbers of pupils / learners per class. There are exceptions to this rule; for example, the number of pupils / learners per class in integration schools and integration classes of mainstream sectoral vocational schools should range between 15 and 20, including 3 to 5 pupils / learners with a disability.

Where the number of pupils / learners in a class of a sectoral vocational school is high, they should be divided into groups for some classes (for example, Computer science and Foreign language).

Vocational secondary education is not divided into cycles.

Organization of the school year

See: Organization of the School Year in General Upper Secondary Education

Organization of the school day and week

The weekly number of teaching / class hours for compulsory classes and lessons with the class tutor / teacher is 31-35 in technical secondary schools (33-36 in bilingual classes); 29-32 in stage I sectoral vocational schools; and between 27 and 30 hours in grades of pre-reform basic vocational school operating as part of new stage I sectoral vocational schools. In addition, the timetable includes Religion or Ethics classes (electives) and hours to be allocated by the school head.

Classes usually start at 8 a.m. and finish around 2-3 p.m. if the school works in one shift (they last longer if the school works in two shifts). Each lesson (period) lasts 45 minutes. Breaks are considered sufficient if they last at least 5 minutes, but no longer than 25 minutes. The duration of the school day also depends on the size of the school building, the number of classrooms and other facilities for after-school activities. Secondary school pupils attend classes on 5 days a week (from Monday to Friday), although where justified, it is possible to extend the school week to 6 days in individual schools. This option is, however, rarely chosen in practice.