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– In order to meet the requirements of the labor market, universities should clearly define the profile of their activities. They can be firmly embedded in the region and work with local employers and local authorities to define the direction of development. It is an extremely important direction for a kind of synergy of the region’s development strategy with the development strategy of a university – emphasizes prof. Daria Nałęcz, Undersecretary of State in the Ministry of Science and Higher Education.
See also: Part-time studies increasingly perceived by employers
Establishing contact with employers by schools is extremely important, especially in the light of the results of the Deloitte report “First steps on the labor market. Nationwide survey of students and graduates ”. 70 percent of students believe that Polish universities do not prepare them well for job search, they rely on theory, and the practice is rare.
Meanwhile, close cooperation between universities and local employers benefits all parties.
– The employer has several roles as co-author of the curriculum, provider of internships and as lecturer. In many cases, an internship in business or production will be a better teacher than a theoretician professor – argues prof. Nałęcz.
Funds in the new EU perspective are a great opportunity for universities. Approximately EUR 11 billion from the European Regional Development Fund will be allocated to financing research and innovation in the new financial perspective 2014-2020. Most funds, as much as EUR 8.6 billion, will be distributed under the Intelligent Development Operational Program (POIR). Nearly EUR 1.5 billion will be allocated to research centers and consortia linking enterprises with science institutions.
Under the Knowledge, Education and Development OP, over EUR 4.4 billion will be available from the European Social Fund (ESF). Over 1.2 billion euros have been allocated to support higher education. For universities, it is interesting, among others Priority axis III “Higher education for economy and development”.
– It all depends on the aspirations of the university. They can reach for funds directly for teaching, for improving the quality of education, but they can also be funds for science, says Daria Nałęcz. – I encourage you to use the funds for research. Not necessarily the whole school has to conduct research, it is enough that its employees, by agreement with research teams, reach for European funds. The ability to implement such a grant is proof of genuine interoperability in Europe and the world, he argues.
See also: Student is unequal to student. How much is studying in Europe
The preferences of students are also changing, which can be seen above all in the choice of universities and faculties. According to the Ministry’s data, polytechnics were the universities most willingly chosen by students last year, which took the top four positions. Nearly 8 people applied for one place at the Warsaw University of Technology. For comparison, there were five candidates for the most popular university (Agricultural University of Hugo Kołłątaj in Krakow). Among the selected fields of study, the exact ones dominated – there were 20 high school graduates per place for economic and management studies.
– There are clearly more candidates for technical faculties and polytechnics. We are pleased with this type of choice of young people because it shows that they think practically. We have nothing against humanistic or social trends that are extremely important for the intellectual development of the country. However, not everyone is able to derive the maximum benefit from studying such a field of study – emphasizes Nałęcz.
The resort also wants to support the development of universities with an academic profile. The changes introduced to the Higher Education Act create a clearer division between academic and vocational universities. The emphasis should be different in the recruitment process and different in the profile of the classes.
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