Sławomir Kurek

Business Competencies in Polish School Curricula: Opinions of Teachers and Social Partners

The development of entrepreneurship is an important factor of economic growth in the transition economies, including Poland and other countries of Central and Eastern Europe (Beran and Frkova 2003; Gieranczyk 2009; Kurek and Rachwal 2010, 2011; Naude 2008; Rachwal 2010; Ziolo 2006, 2007, 2009) as they have to face increasing globalisation and European integration.

DOUBLE TRANSITIONS? REGIONAL PATTERNS OF POPULATION AGEING IN POLAND

Abstract. The number and geographical distribution of the aged, and how the distribution changes over time, have captured the attention of geographical gerontologists; the complexity and spatially differentiated nature of ageing is of considerable practical and theoretical import. This article seeks to link the traditional concerns of population geography to the social and spatial relations between old people, their health and places of residence and care. It does presuppose, however, that patterns and processes at the sub‐national level are also taken into account. Therefore, the aim of the article is to identify the aged and the localities or regions where they reside, within the particular context of a Polish post‐socialist society that has recently become integrated into the European mainstream. As such it is potentially subject to a double transition, where the political and economic changes cross path with the second demographic transition. To identify interrelationships between ageing and post‐socialist transition, areas vulnerable to ageing are defined using ageing indices. Projections of the share of elderly up to 2030, based on a component cohort method, are made with a view to identifying future change in the spatial patterns of ageing. Regional patterns of ageing are presented in social, political or economic context, to show their relation to the structural changes that societies such as Poland have been passing through during the period of transition to democracy and a market economy or are likely to go through in the near future.

Population Ageing Research from a Geographical Perspective - Methodological Approach

In this paper population ageing studies are shown from a geographical perspective. Four main aspects of population ageing in a geographical approach are considered: theoretical aspects in connection with the demographic transition theory, the cognitive aspect leading to territorial distribution of the level and dynamics of ageing; the application aspect connected with socio-economic consequences of this phenomenon and the use of projections as well as the methodological aspect connected with its measurement and classification.

The changing role of migration and natural increase in suburban population growth: The case of a non-capital post-socialist city (The Krakow Metropolitan Area, Poland)

Abstract The evolution of population distributions in the Krakow Metropolitan Area (KMA) in Poland is subject to analysis in this contribution. Changes and recent reversals in the relationships between the main components of total population growth (natural increase and net migration) are examined in order to determine the level of development of suburbanisation processes in zones of the KMA, with the use of the Webb typology. Research was carried out in four time points: 1988, 1995, 2002 and 2012, covering the year just before the collapse of the socialist regime, the first decade of political and socio-economic transition, and the period before and after accession to the EU. The analysis of differentials in natural increase and net migration is conducted within the context of residential suburbanisation in the KMA, using as a background context recent population developments in Poland and Polish cities. Implications for urban policy arising from changes in the spatial concentration of the population in the metropolitan area are discussed.

Vocational Education and Training in Poland During Economic Transition

Economic transition from central planning to a market economy requires not only the introduction of legal and economic changes, but also the training of suitable staff and the entire society for new tasks. Vocational education and training (VET) of youngpeople is, though, particularly important given themarket economy conditions of the modern globalising world. Economic transition, European integration and globalisation, as well as the factors associated with the creation of a knowledgebased economy and developing information society, require radical changes in the Polish system of education. These changes predominantly concern VET due to its specific features developed during the communist centrally planned economy. Before 1989, both in Poland and in other Central and East European states, education and training was developed tomeet the needs of centrally planned economies. VET was part of large state-owned companies with relatively low levels of innovation and productivity, which employed large numbers of workers (Gandini, 1999). In the centrally planned economy, different types of basic vocational schools existed, includingmany company-owned ones which prepared their future employees according to the company’s needs. Apart from theoretical knowledge, these schools provided training courses preparing pupils to work within a given industry, such as

Urbanisation and changes in fertility pattern in Poland and in the selected countries of Western and Southern Europe

Urbanisation and changes in fertility pattern in Poland and in the selected countries of Western and Southern Europe Since the beginning of the 1990s profound changes have occurred in reproductive behaviour in Central and Eastern Europe. They involve a sudden fall in the fertility rate, accompanied by an increase in the age of mothers giving birth to their first child, and a growth in the percentage of extramarital births. A similar course of changes in reproductive behaviour was observed almost a decade earlier in the countries of Southern Europe (Greece, Spain and Italy), and at the beginning of the 1960s in the countries of Western Europe (e.g. France). The aim of the study is to show the spatial changes in the fertility pattern in Poland compared to the selected European countries - Italy, Spain and France. Since new fertility patterns take hold most quickly among the inhabitants of large cities, as a result of the weaker effects of tradition and earlier formation of social norms owing to suburbanisation processes, the analysis of changes in reproductive behaviours will be conducted in the context of changes in urbanisation level. The time frame of the study encompasses an extended duration, especially taking into account the period of 1970-2010. For the comparison of large cities, data from 2010 or the nearest available were examined.

Developing Entrepreneurial Competencies of the RLG Project Participants – Applicability of Assessment Tools and Results of Pilot Studies

The paper shows the results of the research on competencies, including assessment of acquisition of ten entrepreneurial competencies specified within the Reaching Lost Generation (RLG) project. The competencies developed among participants are classified to broadly describe the sense of initiative and entrepreneurship as one of the eight key competencies in the European education system. In Poland, competency assessment was based on the observation of participants in the two selected schools-partners of the RLG project. The target group were students of final grades of upper secondary schools, who were preparing for the matriculation exam and had serious problems in choosing their educational and career path, and had a weak sense of mastery of entrepreneurial competencies. The assessment of acquired competencies was based on the observation tasks carried out during the initial and final evaluation. Based on the study, it can be concluded that the level of acquired competencies of the participants after completing the course of workshops for all tested ten competencies has increased significantly among both groups analysed, as well as in most individual cases. In addition to that, self-assessment of workshop participants was conducted. With the help of a questionnaire, the workshop participants assessed their acquisition of given competencies. The results of participants self-evaluation also show an increase in acquired competencies, although they are not as vast and clear as in the case of the assessment done by the observers, which may indicate a high sense of responsibility and prudence in the self-assessment among workshop participants. The conducted research can be a starting point for further studies and analysis of the process of developing entrepreneurial competencies among students of different types of schools and teaching profiles, especially showing the process and methods of acquisition of skills necessary for finding an attractive profession in the rapidly changing labour market. Nevertheless, the results of the pilot studies conducted during the test phase of the project indicate the usefulness of the proposed tools, both regarding the assessment of the level and the development of entrepreneurial competencies in the training practice.

Koncepcja oceny i kształtowania postaw przedsiębiorczych na podstawie narzędzi wypracowanych w ramach projektu RLG

Poziom bezrobocia wśrod mlodziezy (15–24 lat) w Europie w 2014 r. wyniosl 23%, a w niektorych krajach (Hiszpania, Grecja) zblizyl sie do 50%. Średnio stopa bezrobocia wśrod mlodziezy w UE jest dwa razy wyzsza niz dla doroslych – dotyka ona ponad 5 mln mlodych osob. Najwieksze ryzyko bezrobocia ponoszą osoby z niskim poziomem wyksztalcenia i o niskich kwalifikacjach. Odpowiedzią na wymienioną sytuacje ekonomiczną ludzi mlodych jest miedzynarodowy projekt „Reaching Lost Generation” (RLG) finansowany ze Środkow UE w ramach programu Erasmus+, skierowany do osob w mlodym wieku, nieposiadających zatrudnienia, a jego zadaniem jest rozwijanie kompetencji przedsiebiorczych u tych osob, aby stworzyc im wieksze szanse na wejście na rynek pracy. Celem artykulu jest określenie kluczowych kompetencji w zakresie przedsiebiorczości dla mlodych ludzi stających przed koniecznością wyboru dalszej ściezki ksztalcenia lub wejścia na rynek pracy oraz dokonanie przeglądu wybranych narzedzi opracowanych do ksztaltowania tych kompetencji na podstawie projektu RLG. Projekt realizowany jest wspolnie z partnerami z Wegier (Fundacja EduNet), Niemiec (Euro Training Centre) oraz Wielkiej Brytanii (Train’d Up). W artykule określono 10 najwazniejszych kompetencji, ktore mogą sluzyc do badania u uczniow, bedących na progu wejścia na rynek pracy, kompetencji kluczowej określanej w UE jako „inicjatywnośc i przedsiebiorczośc”. Zaprezentowano takze narzedzia niezbedne do diagnozy poziomu rozwoju tych kompetencji u uczniow (w ramach tzw. assessment day ) skladające sie z opracowanych cwiczen, arkuszy obserwacji oraz arkusza samooceny. Wstepne wyniki realizacji projektu wykazaly duze zroznicowanie posiadanych przez uczniow kompetencji. Na podstawie materialow dydaktycznych do cwiczen, opracowanych przez partnerow projektu, jest mozliwe ksztaltowanie tej kluczowej kompetencji, podzielonej na poszczegolne kategorie.

Kształtowanie postaw przedsiębiorczych z uwzględnieniem zasad ekorozwoju wśród uczniów z wykorzystaniem gry PowerPlayer wypracowanej w ramach projektu SUSEN

Entrepreneurship in the European education system is treated as a key competence, which also influences the development of other key competences for lifelong learning. Therefore, the objectives of entrepreneurship education, especially in the context of school education, are broad and do not refer only to the knowledge and skills needed to set up and conduct own business. At the same time, one of the great challenges of civilization is the implementation of strategies for sustainable development, which is why education for sustainable development is one of the main pillars of this strategy. For these particular educational challenges the European project SUSEN (“Sustainable Entrepreneurship – A Game-Based Exploration for Lower Secondary Schools”), was established and implemented by a consortium of partners from different European countries. The subject of the paper is the rationale, the basic objectives and the final products of this project, useful in entrepreneurship education and sustainability. The main aim of this article is to show the possibility and advantages of applying in practice the educational main product, which is a learning game Power Player and assess its suitability in the light of the preliminary results of the pilot project conducted in Polish schools. This is a board game for students, mostly aged between 12–15 years. This tool combines the features of a typical strategy game with elements of education. The game aims to introduce the concept of sustainable business in an attractive form for pupils of the final class of primary and lower-secondary schools (gymnasium), by making business decisions in the use of energy sources. The game thus combines traditional learning content for lessons with practical exercises, so that learning becomes more effective. The project is also supplied with the interesting case studies of economic life, showing in practice how companies combine business thinking (focused on economic efficiency) with care for the environment in the use of energy sources. Preliminary results of pilot studies in Poland indicate its attractiveness and usefulness in school practice.

Differentiation of reproductive behaviour of the population of the Kraków Metropolitan Area in the light of survey research

Abstract Metropolitan areas are the poles of economic growth of regions and countries. These areas are characterized by specific development cycles, which are related to the direction of population migrations. Accordingly, there is a phase of urbanisation, suburbanisation, disurbanisation and re-urbanisation. Studies show that most Polish metropolitan areas are undergoing the process of suburbanisation, which means the movement of population from the central city to its suburban area. This process entails a number of demographic, social and economic consequences. One of the main demographic consequences of suburbanisation is the change in the structure of the central city and its suburban area. The reason for this is the fact that migrations from the centre are usually undertaken by young people. Thus, the number of inhabitants of the central city declines and the population is ageing. Migrants from the city bring new patterns of social and demographic behaviour, which may be shown in, among others, the tendencies of indigenous people to change the traditional family model. This paper attempts to determine the reproductive behaviour patterns of the population of the Krakow Metropolitan Area (KMA) in the light of the survey. The surveys were conducted in selected KMA municipalities in 2013. The analysis of qualitative data, divided into two categories of respondents: immigrant and indigenous inhabitants, will give an answer to the question, what are the reproductive attitudes of the population and how they may affect the further development of these areas?