Examining the background and current reform of Poland's vocational education system

Poland, the Member State which holds the EU Council Presidency in the second half of 2011, is introducing major reforms in vocational education. The focus is on improving quality and relevance in order to make the system more flexible and more responsive to labour market needs. These reforms, along with the background to vocational education and training in Poland, are the focus of a new publicaiton in Cedefop's series of short descriptions of VET systems.
The new measures include:
- a greater involvement of employers in curriculum design and assessment;
- the modernisation of vocational qualification classifications, moving to a learning outcomes approach;
- measures to attract highly qualified specialists to vocational schools;  
- the opening of vocational education to adults. 
Cedefop's report on vocational education and training in Poland - the latest in the series of Short Descriptions of national VET systems - summarises the country’s socioeconomic background and planned reforms, explains how training for young people and adults is currently organised, and addresses topics such as teachers and trainers, guidance and counselling, and financing for vocational education.