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Description
Results of the 2016 Eurydice study indicate that many Polish teachers are not ready to run classes in a practical fashion. At the same time, according to the Polish Agency for Enterprise Development ‘Labour Market, Education, Competencies – Current Trends and Research Results’ report, the global competency gap, namely poor fit of employee competencies to employers’ needs, is widening. We would like to replenish this deficit by engaging volunteers from 200 companies and institutions. We will divide our activities into four modules – targeted at children and youths at different ages. In the first module, pupils from grades 1-3 of primary school will visit nearby firms or institutions and will get to know several professions ‘from the inside’. In the second one, 4-6-graders will visit local enterprises to discover their production technologies and the share of employees in this process, they will also learn more about the company relations with its surrounding environment. In the third module, pupils from grades 7-8 will go for a trip to a company or will take part in workshops run by volunteers in their school. They will get to know the profile of several selected professions and will learn how to plan their future career. In the last module, secondary school youths will meet with representatives of local businesses and will deepen their knowledge on the foundations of entrepreneurship. We will also organise contests for most active schools and enterprises the results of which will be announced during the Open Firm Gala crowning the project.
Summary of project results
Eurydice research from 2016 showed that many of the Polish teachers lack skills to teach their subjects in a practical way. On the other hand, a report from the Polish Agency for Enterprise Development (PARP) entitled “Job Market, Education, Competences – Current Trends and Research” showed that a global competence gap, or mismatch between prospective employees’ skills and the needs of employers, is growing. We wanted to fill that gap by engaging volunteers from 200 companies and various institutions to work with the youth.
Our actions were split into four modules designed for children and youth of different age groups. The first module, primary school students from grades 1-3 visited local companies to learn about them “from the inside.” During the second module, students from grades 4-6 visited local manufacturing companies to learn about technologies they use and the employees’ role in the process. They have also learned about companies’ relationship with the surrounding environment. During the third module, students from grades 7 and 8 learned more about details of several selected professions and were trained on how to begin planning their professional future.
As part of the final module, young people from junior high schools and high schools met with representatives of the local businesses and expanded their knowledge of entrepreneurship, including current opportunities on the job market. We have conducted several contests during the duration of the project to find the most active and involved schools and businesses and presented the winners during the Open Business Gala at the conclusion of the project. We have also awarded the most active volunteer, who was selected by students.
Our evaluation showed that the participants have increased their social competences – communication skills, cooperation, and problem solving. Additionally, they have become more open and sensitive towards the needs of their local environment.
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