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EXPECTATIONS OF POLISH EMPLOYERS TOWARDS THE QUALIFICATIONS AND COMPETENCES OF VOCATIONAL SCHOOLS GRADUATES.
STUDY REPORT
A. Kulpa-Puczynska
Introduction. The subject literature points out that in the era of information civilization an employee should be characterized by the following qualities: creativity, communicativeness, ability to work in a team and selfreliance in working, thinking and making decisions. Creativity is the ability to create knowledge and communicativeness stands for the ability to communicate with the help of different communication codes. Team-work ability is connected with the globalization process and the fact that multicultural phenomena are becoming more and more common.1 It should be noted that the abovementioned qualities are extraprofessional abilities, which enhance effective activity not only in work environments.
The (selected) results presented in this paper are derived from the study about: „The preparation of vocational school students to flexible forms of employment and the organization of work.” The study has been financed from the research funds in 2009 - 2010 as a promoter research project (MNiSW grant no. N N106 019236). It comprised 74 companies - of various size and activity profile - located not only in the area of the Kuyavi-an-Pomeranian Voivodeship but dispersed over the whole country. An opinion poll method, in the form of a questionnaire, was used in the study.
A ‘young’ employee in the eyes of employers. The studied employers were asked to answer the following question: "To what extent should a modern employee be characterized by the indicated attitudes and personal attributes?” The following calculation points were adopted for the analysis of the obtained results: to a very high extent - 5; to a high extent - 4; neither high nor low extent - 3; to a low extent - 2; to a very low extent - 1. Also, assessment scopes were applied. 4.51-5 - undoubted positive answer; 3.51 - 4.5 - positive answer; 2.51-3.5 - no opinion; 1.51-2.5 - negative answer; 1-1.5 - undoubted negative answer. First of all, the respondents considered all indicated attitudes and personal attributes to be significant (the average rates have been contained within the assessment scope of 3.51-4.5). The remaining results of the study will be analysed according to the chart below: 1
1 W. Furmanek, Zarys humanistycznej teorii pracy (nowe horyzonty pedagogiki pracy), Warsaw 2006, s. 346-348.
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Chart 1. Attitudes and personal attributes a modern employee should зе characterized by - according to the opinion of the studied employers.
Attitudes and personal attrib- Size of company (number of employed workers) General average rate Stand-
utes to 9* N=29 10-49 N=17 50-249 N=14 250+ N=14 ing
1. Readiness to multiple job changes Adaptability to changes in 3.76 3.24 3.79 3.64 3.62 XIII
2. technology and organization of work 4.34 4.24 4.36 4.21 4.30 VII
3. Self-reliance 4.38 4.59 4.14 4.43 4.39 III
4. Openness to new forms of employment 3.97 4.35 4.00 4.00 4.07 X
5. Readiness to take continuing professional training 4.62 4.41 4.50 4.71 4.57 II
6. Responsibility Willingness to initiate business 4.72 4.71 4.57 4.50 4.65 I
7. activities with all accompanying risks 3.86 3.71 3.86 3.57 3.77 XI
8. Tendency to implement innovations 4.17 4.24 3.93 3.86 4.08 IX
9. Flexibility 4.34 4.53 4.36 4.29 4.37 V
10. Readiness to move when searching for a job 3.72 3.41 3.93 3.57 3.66 XII
11. Committment to the company 4.38 4.35 4.36 4.21 4.34 VI
12. Effectiveness in fulfilling assignments 4.38 4.35 4.29 4.50 4.38 IV
13. Initiativeness 4.41 4.35 4.00 4.29 4.29 VIII
Con tinuation Chart 1
Average rate among surveyed groups 4.24 4.19 4.16 4.14 4.19
1. Standard deviation 0.32 0.45 0.26 0.38 0.33
2. Basic standard scopes 4.55-3.92 4.64-3.74 4.42-3.90 4.52-3.76 4.52-3.86
Source: Own elaboration
* The group of companies which employ up to 9 employees including self-employed workers.
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The studied respondents acknowledged that responsibility and selfreliance were the most important attributes of a modern employee - this conclusion is indicated by general average rates amounting to 4.65 and 4.39 respectively. Two leading choices of respondents, i.e. responsibility and readiness to take continuing professional training, have been classified higher than the standard scope (from 4.52p. to 3.86p.) is. On the other hand, the three last standings on the rating list have been occupied by: willingness to take risks when initiating business activities, willingness to move when searching for a job and readiness to multiple job changes. It should be noted that the size of companies did not have a significant influence on the opinions of respondents. The highest diversity in answers is observed among the populations of small and medium companies - standard deviations among these groups amounted to 0.45 (small companies) and 0.26 (medium companies).
The employers were also to determine (in percentage) the relevancy of all three criteria: knowledge, skills and personal attributes (or they were to add another criterium), which they had taken into account in the assessment of job candidates (chart 2 and diagram 1),
Chart 2. Criteria taken into account by the studied employers in their assessment of job candidates
Lp. Criteria taken into account in assessment of candidates Employers N=74 (57*)
Percentage share Standard deviation Standard scopes
1. Knowledge 31,54 % 15,92 % 47,47-15,62 %
2. Skills 34,81 % 11,91 % 46,72-22,89 %
3. Personal attributes 30,32 % 16,87 % 47,18-13,45 %
Source: Own elaboration
* There were 57 employers who answered the questions about the criteria when evaluating job candidates
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Diagram 1. Criteria taken into account by the studied employers in their assessment of job candidates
Source: Own elaboration
Among the studied population of 74 employers, 57 answered the questions about the criteria taken into account in the assessment of job candidates. The calculated standard deviations amounting to about 50% formed considerable standard scopes of 50 to a dozen or so per cent -which vindicates the considerably high diversity in answers among the studied respondents. For instance, one of the employers gave 80% to knowledge as the most important criterium while another employer gave 80% to personal attributes. It is noteworthy to mention that a dozen or so respondents indicated another criteria, which according to them were significant when evaluating job candidates, and gave them from 5% to 25%. These included, for instance: experience, interests, age, additional qualifications. Occasionally, the respondents put specific abilities in the «other» category, such as: holding negotiations, work time management, quick learning skills or attributes: non-conflict personality, openness, availability. There were also cases when employers were not able to clearly determine what was decisive when employing a candidate. Knowledge was more valuable to the representatives of medium and large companies (43.00% and
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34.08%) than to the employers representing small and micro companies (27.00% and 27.37%). Skills, on the other hand, were somewhat more important to small and micro companies (37.63% and 38.33%) than to medium and large ones (32% and 28.77%). Personal attributes were considered the least important by medium companies (23.00%), other groups of companies rewarded this criterium with a similar value (micro - 31.32%, small -31% and large - 30.32%). The reason why smaller companies attached more importance to the skills of job candidates may be justified by the fact that, taking into account the present difficult situation on the market, companies may lack funds to provide their employees with additional professional training.
In place of a conclusion. The respondents were also asked the following question: "Are non-standard flexible forms of employment in need of specific qualifications and competences - if so, what kind of qualifications and competences are they?” According to most studied employers, everything depends on the nature of work and the kind of job itself. Some of them (23.0%) acknowledged that flexible forms of employment and the organization of work do not require specific qualifications and professional competences. Not many employers indicated specific knowledge or skills. If they did, the most important were knowledge in the field of labour law and time management abilities. The respondents were more likely to list specific personal attributes. It should also be noted that the employers indicated such attributes (mostly in the «other» category) which play an important role not only in case of flexible forms of employment and the organization of work but also in case of work in general: responsibility, dilligence, punctuality, conscientiousness, commitment. It should be added that the rising position of dilligence among the public constitutes one of modern tendencies typical for labour.1 Some employers put their attention to such qualities as openness to new challenges and self-confidence, which describe modern employees in a very accurate way. Self-confidence is a very important element in terms of the development of a unit. It enables proper use of talent and determines proper interpersonal contact - „[...] the higher the confidence in one’s abilities and capabilities is, the more challenging the goals one pursues are and the more committed one is to realize them»2/
1 S. Piskus, Moralne aspekty pracy, Stupsk 1995, after: W. Furmanek, Zarys humanistycznej teorii pracy, op. cit., s. 331.
2 A. Borowska, Ksztatcenie dla przysztosci, Warsaw 2004, s. 111.
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