WorldSkills welcomes Poland

The successful application by the Foundation For The Development Of The Education System (FRSE) brings the number of Member countries and regions to 80.

Poland’s team is already in training for WorldSkills Kazan 2019 next August, when they will initially compete in six skills, with their young hopefuls also on the waiting list for two more.

“It’s a great opportunity to learn from other countries and to exchange experiences and good practise,” says Izabela Laskowska, the director of the VET and Adult Education Office at the FRSE, which is also a partner with the Erasmus+ programme, to educational exchanges for students in Europe.

For the team’s hopes in a range of skills from Cooking to CNC. “We want to show excellence of skills and innovation in different areas and learn as much as we can,” says Ms Laskowska.

Although officially only a WorldSkills Member since the recent General Assembly, Poland has a much longer connection with vocational skills, with the FRSE recently celebrating its 25th anniversary.

Under a different organization, Poland also competed at EuroSkills 2008 in Rotterdam and returned again under the direction of FRSE for EuroSkills 2018 in Budapest, with the team entering eight skills. Poland was also an observer at WorldSkills Abu Dhabi 2017.

The country’s decision to join WorldSkills is also part of a major reform of Poland’s education system, particularly in the area of technical and vocational education.

It seeks to promote closer cooperation between training schools and companies, ensuring young people gain skills that are relevant to the needs of the labour market.

There will also be a new examination system allowing young people to obtain professional qualifications at several levels, depending on their abilities.

By taking part in WorldSkills Competitions, “Poland hopes to train a growing number of Experts familiar with world class standards and practices,” says Ms Laskowskha.

“We have a lot of things to do, and want EuroSkills and WorldSkills to be a platform to promote vocational education in Poland. Thanks to support of our Minister of National Education, Mrs Anna Zalewska, Poland became a Member of WorldSkills family.”