The document discusses the OECD Skills Strategy for Poland. It notes that skills are important for individual well-being and economic prosperity. However, many Polish adults have low foundational skills and relatively few participate in adult learning. The strategy aims to make the education system more responsive to labor market needs, foster greater participation in adult learning, strengthen skills use in workplaces, and improve governance of the skills system. Specific opportunities discussed include expanding career counseling, strengthening collaboration between education institutions and employers, raising awareness of adult learning benefits, and better targeting financing to increase adult participation.

1. OECD SKILLS STRATEGY
POLAND
Ludger Schuknecht
Deputy Secretary-General, OECD
OECD Centre for Skills
https://www.oecd.org/skills/centre-for-skills
11 December 2019, Warsaw

2. 2
WHY DO SKILLS MATTER?

3. 3
Differences between the % of adults with high and low literacy proficiency reporting
strong social outcomes, unadjusted, 2012/2015
Skills matter for individual well-being
Source: Survey of Adult Skills (PIAAC) (2012, 2015).
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
Good to excellent health High levels of political… Employed in labour… Participation in… High levels of trust
%-point
difference
Poland OECD average

4. AustraliaAustria
Canada Chile
Czech Republic
Denmark
Estonia
Finland
Flanders (Belgium)
France
Germany
Greece
Ireland
Italy
Japan
Korea
Lithuania
Netherlands
New Zealand
Norway
Poland
Slovakia
Slovenia
Spain
Sweden
Turkey
United Kingdom
United States
Israel
R² = 0.2123
3.2
3.4
3.6
3.8
4.0
4.2
4.4
4.6
2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 2.8 2.9 3
Labour productivity
(log)
Mean use of reading skills at work
Skills matter for economic prosperity
Source: Survey of Adult Skills (PIAAC) (2012, 2015).
Labour productivity and the use of reading skills at work, PIAAC 2012/2015
Adjusted for literacy and numeracy proficiency
4

5. Megatrends are transforming the skills
needed for success in work and life
GLOBALISATION
TECHNOLOGICAL
CHANGE
DEMOGRAPHIC
CHANGE
Rapid development of
new technologies
Emergence of new forms
of work
Expansion of sources of
learning, especially
online
More integrated world
economy than ever
Emergence of global
value chains, offshoring
and outsourcing
Increased vulnerability of
some workers
Large expected decline
in working-age
population
Important reallocations
towards care services
Need to ensure youth
have the right skills

6. 0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70%
Source: Nedelkoska and Quintini (2018)
Jobs at risk of Automation
Share of jobs at HIGH RISK (>70%) of automation and at SIGNIFICANT RISK (50-70%)
Many jobs are at risk of
being automated
8
20%
31%

7. More and more, people of all skills
levels will need to upskill and reskill
7
Source: OECD calculations based on CEDEFOP (2017), EU-CEDEFOP database: Employment trends,
(http://www.cedefop.europa.eu/en/publications-and-resources/data-visualisations/employment-trends).
OECD workers reporting the need for further training for their job
Share of total workers, by education level, 2012/2015
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
Lower secondary or
less
Upper secondary Post-secondary, non-
tertiary
Tertiary –
professional degree
Tertiary – bachelor
degree
Tertiary – master /
research degree
Highly digital
environment
Less digital
environment

8. 9
WHAT IS THE OECD SKILLS
STRATEGY

9. The 2019 OECD Skills Strategy framework
13

10. 42
Employing a whole-of-government
approach in Poland
Directorate for
Education and Skills
Directorate for
Employment, Labour
and Social Affairs
Directorate for Public
Governance
Centre for
Entrepreneurship, SMEs,
Regions and Cities
OECD National project team
Ministry of Science and
Higher Education
Ministry of National
Education
Ministry of Investment
and Economic
Development
OECD Skills Strategy Poland
ASSESSMENT AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Ministry of Digital
Affairs
OECD Centre for Skills
Ministry of Family,
Labour and Social Policy
Ministry of
Entrepreneurship and
Technology
Economics Department
Polish Agency for
Enterprise Development
Directorate for Science,
Technology and
Innovation

11. Engaging diverse stakeholders in
workshops and discussions
43
Assessment mission
February 2019
Skills Strategy Seminar
October 2018
Recommendations mission
May 2019

12. The OECD Skills Strategy dashboard:
Developing relevant skills
12
Priority 2: Raising
participation in adult
learning of all forms
Priority 1: Making the
education system
more responsive

13. The OECD Skills Strategy dashboard:
Using skills effectively
12
Priority 3:
Strengthening the use
of skills in Polish
workplaces
Priority 1: Making the
education system
more responsive
Priority 4: Strengthening the governance of the skills system in Poland

14. 11
PRIORITY 1:
Making the education system more
responsive to labour market needs

15. The employment prospects of Polish graduates
differ by level of education
12
60
65
70
75
80
85
90
95
100
2014 2015 2016 2017 2018
% A. VET graduates (ISCED11 3 and 4)
60
65
70
75
80
85
90
95
100
2014 2015 2016 2017 2018
% B. Tertiary graduates (ISCED11 5-8)
EU average Czech Republic Hungary Poland Slovak Republic
Employment rate for recent graduates 1 to 3 years since completion, 2014-2018

16. The skill levels of recent graduates could
improve further
12
Employment rate for recent graduates 1 to 3 years since completion, 2014-2018
225
230
235
240
245
250
255
260
265
270
275
Poland Slovak Republic Czech Republic
Country OECD average
Numeracy, mean score
A. VET graduates (25-34 years old)
275
280
285
290
295
300
305
310
315
320
325
Poland Slovak Republic Czech Republic
Country OECD average
Numeracy, mean score
B. Tertiary graduates (25-34 years old)

17. Opportunity 1: Expanding career counselling
services in education institutions
12
Selected recommendations:
• Ensure counsellors in schools have
sufficient time and motivation
• Provide targeted funding and clear
standards for career guidance in
universities
• Integrate career counselling for
students into a lifelong guidance
system
Key findings:
• Before recent reforms, only 1 in 5
school students sought career
advice in Poland
• Approximately 10% of university
students seek career advice

18. Opportunity 2: Strengthening incentives for
institutions to meet labour market needs
12
Selected recommendations:
• Involve local stakeholders in
developing the initial VET funding
formula
• Develop a graduate tracking system
for VET schools
• Develop a set of indicators to
monitor whether changes to the HE
funding formula improve
employability
Key findings:
• The VET and tertiary offering have
been mainly driven by available
equipment & human resources
• Recent reforms aim to make
progress, but need to be carefully
monitored and supported

19. Opportunity 3: Improving incentives and support
for effective teaching
12
Selected recommendations:
• Develop a recruitment and retention
strategy for VET teachers
• Implement structured teacher
training for the new VET curriculum
• Establish a forum to disseminate
guidance and best practices on
professional development for
academic teachers in HEIs
Key findings:
• Poland has lacked
strong incentives
and support for
effective teaching in VET and
tertiary education
• Poland should monitor and support
recent reforms, including a new
core curriculum for VET, and
funding changes in HE

20. Opportunity 4: Strengthening collaboration
between institutions and employers
12
Selected recommendations:
• Strengthen the involvement of local
stakeholders in developing VET
programmes
• Develop clear guidelines for
university councils in public academic
HEIs
• Provide financial support and
technical assistance to SMEs for
work-based learning
Key findings:
• Collaboration
between
education
institutions and employers
(especially SMEs) has not been
widespread
• Recent reforms to strengthen the
role of employers in VET and public
HEIs will need to be adequately
supported

21. 24
PRIORITY 2:
Fostering greater participation in adult
learning of all forms

22. Many adults in Poland have
low levels of foundational skills
12Source: OECD (2016), Skills Matter: Further Results from the Survey of Adult Skills.
% of adults who are low performers in literacy and/or numeracy, 2012/2015
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
% At or below Level 1 in both literacy and numeracy At or below Level 1 in literacy only At or below Level 1 in numeracy only

23. Yet relatively few adults
participate in adult learning
12
Sources: OECD (2018), OECD calculations based on Survey of Adults Skills database (PIAAC) (2012, 2015); OECD; Eurostat (2018), Adult Education
Survey 2016; Eurostat (2018), Labour Force Survey 2017 ; Eurostat (2018), Continued Vocational Education and Training Survey; OECD (2015), OECD,
ICT Access and Usage by Households and Individuals (database), http://oe.cd/hhind.
Adult participation in education and training according to international surveys
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
Participation formal and/or
non-formal, PIAAC, 2012/15
Participation formal and non-
formal, EU AES, 2016
Participation rate in informal
learning, AES, 2016
Participation formal and non-
formal, last 4 weeks, EU LFS,
2018
Employees in continuing
vocational training, EU-CVTS,
2015
%
Maximum & Minimum Average OECD or EU Poland

24. Opportunity 1: Raising awareness of adult
learning benefits and opportunities
12
Selected
recommendations:
• Improve promotion of the
Integrated Skills Strategy
(ZSU), awareness
campaigns and online
portals
• Improve targeted
guidance and outreach
services
Key findings:
0
20
40
60
80
100
%
Respondents who did not participate and did not want to participate
Respondents who already participated and did not want to participate more
Willingness to participate
in formal and/or non-formal education, 2016

25. Opportunity 2: Making learning more flexible
and accessible for adults
12
Selected recommendations:
• Collaborate with social
partners to expand adult
learning in workplaces
• Monitor and support flexible
education programmes for
adults
• Simplify, harmonise and
expand recognition of prior
learning
Key findings:
Obstacles to adult participation
in formal or non-formal education & training, 2016
0 20 40 60 80
No access to a computer or internet
Negative previous learning experience
Prerequisites
Distance
No suitable education or training activity (offer)
Lack of employer's support or public services support
Health or age
Other personal reasons
Cost
Schedule
Family responsibilities
No need for (further) education or training
%
Poland EU average

26. Opportunity 3: Better sharing and targeting
financing to increase participation
12
Selected recommendations:
• Consider a skills funding pact
between governments, employers
and individuals
• Introduce performance based public
funding in adult learning
• Target more public funding directly
to individuals and enterprises
Key findings:
• Poland has relatively
low government,
employer and individual
expenditure on adult learning
• Costs could be better co-ordinated
and shared
• The accessibility and impact of
public funds could be improved

27. 29
PRIORITY 3:
Strengthening the use of skills in Polish
workplaces

28. Skills use in Polish workplaces is
relatively low
30
Skills use at work indicators, Poland and OECD average
How often skills are used, scaled from 1 “Never” to 5 “Every day”
1.5
1.7
1.9
2.1
2.3
2.5
2.7
2.9
3.1
3.3
3.5
Reading at work Writing at work Numeracy at work ICT at work Problem solving at work
Minimum-maximum OECD average Poland

29. High performance work practices (HPWP)
drive skills use, but are relatively uncommon
31
Adoption of practices that enhance the work flexibility and autonomy of employees
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
Finland
Denmark
Sweden
Austria
Lithuania
Slovenia
Netherlands
Latvia
CzechRepublic
Spain
UnitedKingdom
SlovakRepublic
Ireland
France
Italy
EU28
Germany
Estonia
Belgium
Portugal
Latvia
Hungary
Poland
Greece
% of firms
A. Working time flexibility, 2013
35
40
45
50
55
60
65
70
75
Apply own ideas Change order of
tasks
Change speed or
rate of work
Change methods
of work
% of workers
B. Work and task autonomy, 2015
Poland EU average

30. Opportunity 1: Raising awareness of skills use
and HPWP
32
Selected recommendations:
• Make skills use and HPWP more
prominent in government strategies
• Use targeted online campaigns and
publicly recognise successful
organisations
• Create an information portal on
workplace practices that raise skills
use
Key findings:
• “Skills use” is a new policy concept
for Poland
• Several policies that promote
practices related to skills use, but
significant room for expansion

31. Opportunity 2: Supporting enterprises and
organisations to adopt HPWP
34
Selected recommendations:
• Fund organisational innovations and
expert consultation and coaching for
firms
• Involve micro-enterprises and SMEs
in collaborative initiatives to expand
HPWP
• Lead by example in the public sector
– using skills and implementing
HPWP
Key findings:
• Especially SMEs
often lack the resources
and know-how
• A decentralised approach to
support firms is often effective
• The public sector performs below
the private sector in some areas of
skills use

32. Opportunity 3: Equipping management staff
with the right skills to implement HPWP
35
Selected recommendations:
• Expand existing management
training programmes
• Better target and personalise
management training
• Build a foundation for
managerial skills in initial
education
Key findings:
Share of low-skilled managers, 2012
Upper secondary educated, scoring below level 2 in PIAAC
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
%

33. Opportunity 4: Engaging employees effectively
to implement HPWP
36
Selected recommendations:
• Promote a business culture of
employers investing in
employees, including by
enforcing higher labour
standards and raising job
quality
• Expand and strengthen the
role of employee
representative structures, such
as work councils
Key findings:
Employee involvement in the improvement of work,
% of workers feeling involved always/most of the time,
2015
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70%

34. 24
PRIORITY 4:
Strengthening the governance of the
skills system in Poland

35. Co-ordination is challenging but essential for
Poland’s skills system
Education
(MEN)
Higher
education
(MNiSW)
Labour
(MRPiPS)
Culture
(MKiDN)
Economy
(MR)
Regional
Policy
(MFiPR)
Finance
(MF)
Health
Digital affairs
Agriculture
Others
Regions
(16 Województwo)
Counties
(380 Powiat)
Communes
(2 478 Gmina)
Primary schools
(14 584)
Secondary schools
(7 635)
general, technical and vocational
Post-secondary schools
(1 981)
Higher education institutions
(387)
Continuing education centres
(218)
Practical training centres
(173)
Further and in-service
training centres (363)
Vocational and continuing
education centres (85)
Private providers
Employer associations
(4 national)
Trade unions
(3 national)
Enterprises
Civil society organisations
Researchers, experts,
academics
Statistics Poland, September 2018

36. Poland could strengthen inter-ministerial
collaboration for skills policy
12
Poland’s performance on inter-ministerial co-ordination
International rankings based on scores given by experts in 36 OECD and EU countries (1=best,
36=worst)
1
6
11
16
21
26
31
36
Government office
expertise
Government office
gatekeeping
Line ministries
Cabinet committees
Ministerial
bureaucracy
Informal co-
ordination
Poland OECD
best
worst
Source: Bertelsmann Stiftung (2019), Sustainable Governance Indicators

37. Opportunity 1: Strengthening co-operation on
skills policy at the national level
12
Selected recommendations:
• Clearly define targets, responsibilities
and resources to implement the
Integrated Skills Strategy (ZSU)
• Make a whole-of-government and
cross-sectoral body responsible for
the ZSU
• Build the capacity of ministries and
stakeholders to co-ordinate
Key findings:
• Ministries lack a clear picture of
each other’s skills programmes and
activities
• Stakeholders engagement does not
consistently achieve stakeholder
buy in

38. Opportunity 2: Strengthening vertical and
subnational co-operation on skills policy
12
Selected recommendations:
• Trial territorial contracts to improve
vertical co-ordination and coherence
on skills policies
• Add requirements and incentives for
subnational co-operation to central
and European funds
• Assess and build the capacity of
subnational actors to co-ordinate
Key findings:
• Vertical co-ordination between
ministries and subnational
authorities is limited, and could be
more consensus-oriented
• Sub-national co-operation is not
systematic, but some regions have
promising examples

39. Opportunity 3: Integrating and using skills
information effectively
12
Selected recommendations:
• Improve data and information on
skills needs, and adult learning
activity and outcomes
• Appoint a national cross-sectoral
committee to co-ordinate skills and
learning information
• Implement a system of lifelong career
and learning guidance in Poland
Key findings:
• Responsibilities for gathering,
disseminating and using
information on skills and learning in
Poland are fragmented
• Available skills and learning
information has gaps, and could be
better disseminated

40. Thank you!
To discuss OECD’s work on OECD Skills Strategy projects, please contact:
montserrat.gomendio@oecd.org, Head of the OECD Centre for Skills
andrew.bell@oecd.org, Head, OECD Skills Strategy Projects
ben.game@oecd.oeg, Project Leader, OECD Skills Strategy Projects
To learn more about the OECD’s work on skills visit: www.oecd.org/skills/
OECD SKILLS OUTLOOK 2019
SKILLS AND DIGITALISATION
2019
44