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READINESS TO CONTINUOUS DEVELOPMENT
AND OTHER COMPETENCES OF A MODERN EMPLOYEE
ACCORDING TO VOCATIONAL SCHOOL STUDENTS
A. Kulpa-Puczynska
Introduction. The present elaboration constitutes the continuation and addition to the considerations presented in the article titled: “Expectations of Polish employers towards the qualifications and competences of vocational schools graduates. Study report”1, prepared for the purpose of the 9th International Conference: Lifelong Learning: Continuous Education For Sustainable Development. This time, however, the focus has been put on the opinions of young people (near graduates), who commented on skills and personal attributes that are indispensable for proper functioning in the open and flexible labour market nowadays.
The presented results have been derived mainly from the study titled: “The preparation of vocational school students to flexible forms of employment and work organization”, which has been financed from the research funds in 2009-2010 as a promoter research project (MNiSW grant no. № N106 019236). It comprised, among others, 630 vocational school students. The results of the study were obtained through the opinion poll method and a questionnaire.
The image of a modern employee according to educatees. Among surveyed respondents (last year students) there were mainly students representing secondary level of education - namely, a 4-year secondary vocational school (52.5% of all respondents). Students of basic vocational schools constituted 28.1% of the surveyed group while students of post-secondary schools were as many as 11.3%. The least numerous group (8.1%) included students from supplementary secondary vocational schools. Among all professions the surveyed basic vocational school students were trained in, the professions of industrial workers and craftsmen were the most frequent. The most typical ways of education among students from secondary vocational schools include the preparation for the so called middle technical staff (e.g. IT specialists and electronic equipment operators). In case of post-secondary schools, economic and administrational specialisations were the most popular.
The surveyed participants were asked to give their opinion on competences which characterize a modern employee (chart 1). It turned out that all attitudes and character qualities given in the survey were indicated by the students as significant (the average rate of the choices has been between 3.5-4.5 - positive answer). The students decided - just as the employers did - that the most important qualities of modern employees were responsibility and self-reliance, which was indicated by the choice average being 4.40 and 4.39 respectively. When we talk about attitudes, it is readiness to take continuing professional training that has been appreciated the most - with the total choice average being 4.30. The first two have been also
1 A. Kulpa-Puczynska, Expectations of polish employers towards the qualifications and competences of vocational schools graduates. Study report, [in:] Lifelong Learning Continuous Education for Sustainable Development. Proceedings of International Cooperation, Vol. 9, edited by N. A. Lobanov, V. N. Skvortsov, LSU n. a. A. S. Pushkin, Res. Inst. Soc.-Econ. Saint-Petersburg, 2011. P. 137-141.
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ranked above the standard range (from 4.30 to 3.80). Contrary to other surveyed participants (e.g. employers), the students have also noted the significance of openness to new forms of employment (5th place in the ranking) and initiativeness (6th place). The abovementioned choices constitute an important signal that stands for the positive attitude among young people, students of all types of schools, towards changes taking place in the employment model. On the other hand, the respondents did not appreciate the willingness to implement innovation - an innovative way of solving problems and taking a risk - which is equally important in the flexible environment of labour market.
Table
Attitudes and personal attributes which, according to surveyed students, should characterize an employee
BVS SVS PSS General Rank
Attitudes and personal attributes N= 177 N=382 N=71 average of
rate choice
X Rb X Rs X Rp
1. Readiness to multiple job changes 3.74 XI 3.67 XII 3.69 XI 3.69 XIII
2. Adaptability to changes in technology and organization of work 3.94 VII 4.13 VII 4.20 V 4.08 VII
3. Self-reliance 4.26 II 4.47 I 4.32 I 4.39 II
4. Openness to new forms of employment 4.02 V 4.24 V 4.08 VIII 4.16 V
5. Readiness to take continuing professional training 4.13 III 4.37 III 4.28 II 4.30 III
6. Responsibility 4.27 I 4.49 II 4.27 III 4.40 I
7. Willingness to initiate business activities with all accompanying risks 3.75 X 3.86 X 3.62 XII 3.80 X
8. Tendency to implement innovations 3.55 XIII 3.85 XI 3.79 X 3.76 XI
9. Flexibility 3.80 IX 4.11 VIII 4.03 IX 4.01 IX
10. Readiness to move when searching for a job 3.73 XII 3.70 XIII 3.59 XIII 3.70 XII
11. Commitment to the company 3.99 VI 4.05 IX 4.13 VII 4.04 VIII
12. Effectiveness in fulfilling assignments 4.11 IV 4.26 IV 4.24 IV 4.21 IV
13. Initiativeness 3.90 VIII 4.20 VI 4.15 VI 4.11 VI
Average rate among surveyed groups 3.94 4.11 4.03 4.05
1. Standard deviation 0.22 0.27 0.26 0.25
2. Basic standard scopes 4.16- 3.72 4.38- 3.84 4.29- 3.77 4.30- 3.80
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Explanation: Rb - rank among basic vocational school students; Rs - rank among secondary vocational school students; Rp - rank among post-secondary school students.
The following range points have been adopted during the analysis of the obtained results (students' answers): Characterize to a very large extent - 5, to a large extent - 4, neither large nor small - 3, to a small extent - 2, to a very small extent - 1. Also, the following evaluation ranges have been 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.
The last places of the ranking are occupied by: readiness to multiple job changes and willingness to move when searching for a job. Low mobility is typical for working residents of the Cuiavian-Pomeranian voivodeship - the region where the survey took place. The vast majority of people work in the place of their residence and they do not commute from other towns. On the other hand, professional mobility is quite popular here, although it is determined by the level of education. Thus, the most confined groups include people with basic and basic vocational education.
Students’ opinions on their abilities in context of their significance for the labour market. The surveyed students have also been asked to list their actual skills1, which are significant in terms of employment possibilities in the modern and flexible labour market (diagram 1). Unfortunately, only 109 answers were given, which constitutes 17.3% of the surveyed population. It is a very low percentage, taking into account the fact that it refers to vocational school students, who should take their skills and professional interests into consideration when choosing a direction for their education. Respondents often listed personal traits instead of specific skills. If these answers had been accepted, then the number of students who listed their personal traits, would have increased to 234. The students described themselves as responsible, self-reliable, flexible and venturesome people who are ready to learn and commit to work. Hence, their opinions differed from the opinions of numerous employers, who presented a different (less optimistic) image of a vocational school graduate. According to entrepreneurs, young people, who start their professional career, lack abilities to apply theoretical knowledge in practice and that they have not acquired the ability to adapt to new situations. They are also said to have problems with responsible attitude to work and appropriate commitment to fulfilling professional duties.
The problem with highlighting specific abilities of the surveyed participants can be matched with other results of the study. Some respondents (32.7%) did not specify their intentions regarding their future job. When asked about their professional plans after graduating, students were likely to answer: “I’m interested in any kind of work” or “I do not have any specific professional plans”. It is alarming that the consistency of a future job and the chosen direction of education has been classified as far as on the
1 The word “competence” means nowadays: “the ability to...” - the meaning of “competence” accepted in most European countries (C. Levy-Leboyer, Kierowanie kompetencjami, Warsaw 1997, after: Z. Wiatrowski, Podstawy pedagogiki pracy, Bydgoszcz 2005, p. 110). “[...] Kompetencje okreslajq powiqzania miqdzy indywidualnymi zdolnosciami i cechami osobowosci a cechami wymaganymi do sprawnego wykonywania zadan zawodowych" [trans.: Competences determine the relation between individual abilities and personal traits and skills required for efficient execution of professional duties] (K. Symela, Kompetencje i jakosc pracy doradcy zawodowego, [in:] Edukacja dla rynku pracy. Problemy poradnictwa zawodowego, edited by S. M. Kwiatkowski, Z. Sirojc, Warsaw 2006, p. 311 -312).
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7th place in the ranking. Summarising, the type of school did not influence the students' opinions regarding the characteristics of professional work.
Pic. 1 .Actual skills of surveyed students in context of employment possibilities in the modern labour market Source: Own elaboration
Final reflection
The most desired competences in present economy are: flexibility, communicativeness, orientation towards results, leadership, orientation towards customers, organizational awareness and ability to work in a team. Hence, future employees now focus on developing those new life skills1.
Economy is one of main stimuli that shape educational development - it takes into consideration individual needs of educatees and offers them huge abundance of forms of education, additional trainings and vocational requalification. However, modern employees need to be willing and ready to improve professional skills required by their professions. Young people should also be enlightened on the fact that their chances for finding and maintaining employment on the present market depend very much on their mobility and entrepreneurship. Employers, on the other hand, should be reminded that individual competences2 of employees determine, to a high extent, the level of competitiveness and innovation in companies.
1 A. Banka, Otwartosc na nowe formy doswiadczania pracy i codziennosci a procesy integracji osobowosci, [in:] Praca cztowieka w XXI wieku. Konteksty - wyzwania - zagrozenia, edited by R. Gerlach, Bydgoszcz 2008, p. 65-66.
2 According to many Polish labour pedagogues, the desired attributes of a modern employee are included, most of all, in personality traits and they allow qualifications to evolve towards professional competences, which constitute a new category of requirements of the present labour market (Z. Wiatrowski, Podstawy pedagogiki pracy, op. cit., p. 108).
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