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PARTICIPATION OF LOCAL BUSINESS IN VOCATIONAL EDUCATION. SELECTED PROBLEMS
Aleksandra Kulpa-Puczynska
The lack of properly trained work candidates and high non-wages labour costs constitute the main ills for Polish employers. Therefore, entrepreneurs expect better cooperation with schools which provide professional training in the essential fields and call for the students to become a part of labour market still at the time of their studying.1 In spite of the fact that preparation to employment today is one of the fundamental aims for schools to strive after, we should not forget about extra-scholar education initiatives in the field of entrepreneurship undertaken by extrascholar units - labour market institutions, local government units, nongovernmental organizations and workplaces. The above-stated undertakings prove educational co-responsibility and appear to be particularly valuable as vocational schools in Poland often act separately from local (and also economic) environments. However, it is necessary to stress that it is not always entirely the schools' fault.
Cooperation between schools and enterprises may vary in nature: economic (e.g. scholarships for students, financing equipment for educational facilities, making employment contracts with students), social (co-participation in labour fairs, publications, organization of exhibitions) or educational (e.g. collaboration in building syllabi, organization of practical apprenticeships).2 Types of cooperation between vocational schools and workplaces have been presented in Table 1.
1 Migracja pracownikow - szansa czy zagrozenie?. Report by KPMG Economic Consulting Services, 2007.
2 E. Drogosz - Zabtocka, Wspotpraca szkot i przedsi^biorstw - zasady, formy i zakres wspotpracy, [in:] Optymalizacja ksztatcenia zawodowego z punktu widzenia potrzeb rynku pracy, edited by U. Jeruszka, Warsaw 2002, p.142.
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Table 1
Type of cooperation between vocational schools and local workplaces
No. Type of cooperation Teachers Employers
Number N=122 % Number N=74 %
1. Employers provide information about qualifications and professional abilities 68 55.7 2 2.7
2. Students undergo apprenticeship at workplaces 114 93.4 22 29.7
3. Enterprises finance the purchase of modern teaching materials 22 18 2 2.7
4. Teachers and expert practitioners share their knowledge and experience 41 33.6 4 5.4
5. Common directions for education are provided 14 11.5 1 1.4
6. Other 2 1.6 2 2.7
7. Lack of cooperation 2 1.6 40 54.1
8. No answer 2 1.6 9 12.2
Source: Self-analysis
The data1 in the above chart proves that the cooperation between the studied vocational schools and local enterprises is mostly of educational nature - the students undergo apprenticeships at workplaces. This type of cooperation (also described in the subject literature as dominant) was indicated by 93.4% of the surveyed teachers and 29.7% employers. It should be admitted that the respondents were free to choose the number of answers to mark up. Nevertheless, the acquired result is satisfactory, because it conforms with the principles of Education Reform, according to which, practical vocational trainings should take place in local enterprises,
i.e. in realities corresponding to modern working conditions. It is peculiar,
1 The results presented in the paper were obtained from the research entitled: Preparation of vocational schools students to flexible forms of employment and work organization. The research involved participation of 122 teachers from vocational schools (basic vocational schools, vocational secondary schools and post-secondary schools) as well as 74 enterprises. The research involved a questionnaire survey structured for the research purpose. The research was conducted in Bydgoszcz over the period of October -December 2008.
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however, that only 45.9% of the studied employers answered the following question affirmatively: Does your workplace collaborate with vocational schools? The above result may only be justified by the fact that 39.2% of the studied companies constitute individual business activities and microenterprises. The presented problem is outlined in the chart below:
SEllack of cooperation
Л at least one type of cooperation was selected
Chart 1. Cooperation between vocational schools and local workplaces
Source: Self-analysis
Only two out of the studied teachers confirmed there had been no cooperation between their school and local companies, while the other two persons gave no answer at all. It should be added that the type of school represented by the studied respondents had no specific influence on the type of cooperation. Moreover, the respondents worked mostly in different types of schools, at the same time.
The above results are worth supplementing with the opinions of the studied schools’ principals - the opinions were obtained in a free conversation. According to the principals, when schools are confronted with financial problems it is particularly important to cooperate with enterprises economically - which generally does not take place. Furthermore, being active in a local environment is relevant in terms of building an appropriate school image, animation of its cultural life and creating favourable conditions for students’ development. It should also be added that the following events were held at facilities of the studied schools (within the
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framework of the discussed cooperation), for example: Education and Labour Fairs - exhibitions and presentations conducted by temporary employment agencies, employers and education and training units. In one of the schools, an entrepreneurship teacher organized (during regular classes) the encounters with interesting people, including local entrepreneurs. When analysing the problem of cooperation between vocational schools and local workplaces it is worth indicating the institutions which the studied enterprises cooperate most often with. It turns out that the first three places are taken respectively by: County Labour Office -47.3% of choices, employment agencies - 20.3% and vocational schools -12.2% of choices. It is not the best result for the schools, because as many as 22 employers (29.7% of respondents) claimed that they had not cooperated with institutions from external environment. Thus, the answers to the question: Which institutions does your company cooperate with
when recruiting employees? - confirmed the previously obtained results.
Table 2
Institutions cooperating with the studied workplaces
No. Name of institution Number N=74 % Rank
1. County Labour Office 35 47.3 I
2. Education and Labour Youth Centre - VLC (Voluntary Labour Corps) 4 5.4 VI
3. Employers associations 3 4.1 VII
4. Employment agencies 15 20.3 II
5. Career Planning and Information Centre 3 4.1 VII
6. Vocational schools 9 12.2 III
7. Non-public institutions 6 8.1 IV
8. Other institutions 6 8.1 IV
9. Lack of cooperation 22 29.7 -
10. No answer 1 1.4 -
Source: Self-analysis
Summarising, it is necessary to stress the fact that cooperation between vocational schools and enterprises is a very significant but also a complex issue. On account of a limited length of the present text, the attention was focused only on selected problems of the abovementioned cooperation. It has been proved that the cooperation is mainly of educational nature and it is conducted on a regular basis. Unfortunately, this is not a common phenomenon. What is more, neither the employers
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nor the teachers from the studied schools mentioned about the legal basis for their cooperation. What is also a matter of concern is limited cooperation in terms of financing schools and providing common directions for education. The purpose of this text was yet to highlight the fact that cooperation between schools and workplaces is highly important for the effectiveness of vocational education. Educational activities of workplaces directed towards students of vocational schools may be of significant influence in the context of speeding up the process of professional adaptation of graduates and bringing their efficiency at work to a top level1. However, before that happens, it is necessary to establish appropriate legal, organizational and financial conditions, which will make cooperation between vocational schools and enterprise environments possible2.
1 Z. Wotk, Edukacyjne inspiracje pracy, [in:] Edukacja i praca. Konteksty -wyzwania - antynomie, edited by R. Gerlach, Bydgoszcz 2008 p. 55.
2 Ministry of National Education and Sport, Strategia rozwoju edukacji na lata 20072013, Warsaw 2005.
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