Strengthening employers' participation in the examination process

Policy development
Practical measure/Initiative
Poland
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Timeline
  • 2015Implementation
  • 2016Implementation
  • 2017Implementation
  • 2018Implementation
  • 2019Implementation
  • 2020Implementation
  • 2021Implementation
  • 2022Implementation
  • 2023Completed
ID number
28747

Objectives

Goals and objectives of the policy development.

To improve, in cooperation with employers, the vocational examination system by determining vocational examination tasks, providing training for members of examination boards and developing internet platforms for vocational examiners.

Description

What/How/Who/For whom/When of the policy development in detail, explaining its activities and annual progress, main actors and target groups.

In 2016, the education ministry started an ESF co-funded project to develop new vocational test items with employers' support. The objective of the project was not just to develop the items but to strengthen the participation of employers in the examination process. In 2017, a call was published for employers/professionals to become developers of the examination tasks. Another call was aimed at the methodical training for the future developers of the examination tasks. The project finished in January 2019. As a result, a database with 51 716 new examination tasks was prepared, with the support of employers.

The second stage of the project is planned for 2019-22, with the aim of further engaging employers in developing examination tasks, methodical training for the developers of examination tasks and the development of 84 200 examination tasks for different sectors.

In addition, since 2016, the Polish Craft Association has implemented the ESF co-funded project New quality of professional examinations in craft to develop examination tasks in the crafts sector, support the methodological preparation of examination board members and develop a new internet platform for (among others) examination board members and examination candidates in the crafts.

2015
Implementation
2016
Implementation
2017
Implementation
2018
Implementation
2019
Implementation

Implementation continues

2020
Implementation

The implementation of the second stage of the Central Examination Board's project developing new vocational test items with employers continued. It will last until December 2022.

‎In March 2020, the two stages of the Polish Craft Association project new quality of vocational exams in craftsmanship were finalised. Since 2016, approximately EUR 800 000 (PLN 3 645 000) has been allocated for the implementation of the two stages of the project. Nearly 28 000 new exam tasks have been developed (10 945 in the first stage and over 16 000 in the second), and approximately 7 000 have been reviewed. 1 000 members of the examination committees of craft chambers were also trained within the projects.

In total, the examination tasks for 60 professions were either updated or created. All examination tasks were gradually posted on an internet platform (Egzamin w Rzemiosle). The internet platform for exams in the crafts sector includes an application allowing for the organisation of on-line exams.

2021
Implementation

The implementation of the second stage of the Central Examination Board's project developing new vocational test items with employers continued. At the end of 2021, 1 713 new vocational tests (83.8% completion) and 2 037 practical tasks (84.9% completion) had been developed. In total, there are 70 557 vocational test items in the bank (83.8% completion).

2022
Implementation

In 2022, the project was extended until September 30, 2023. The extension of the project concerns mostly new professions and auxiliary professions.

The number of professions and qualifications covered by the project was increased, thus increasing the total number of tasks to be created. In total, the project covers 75 professions and 125 qualifications. For 20 new professions (25 qualifications), an additional 14 760 tasks are expected to be developed (360 tests consisting of 40 written tasks and 360 practical tasks). This brings the total number of tasks from 84 200 to 98 960 (2,405 written tests and 2 760 practical tasks). By 31 December 2022, a total of 84 200 tasks (2 045 written tests and 2 400 practical tasks) were prepared.

2023
Completed

On 30 September 2023, the project was completed. As a result of the project activities, 98 960 tasks were produced and entered into the task bank. The total number of written tasks entered was 96 200 (2 405 written tests), and the total number of practical tasks entered was 2 760.

The tasks created covered 75 professions and 125 qualifications.

Bodies responsible

This section lists main bodies that are responsible for the implementation of the policy development or for its specific parts or activities, as indicated in the regulatory acts. The responsibilities are usually explained in its description.
  • Ministry of National Education (until 2021)
  • Ministry of Education and Science (from 2021 until 2024)
  • Ministry of National Education
  • Central Examination Board
  • Polish Craft Association (ZRP)

Target groups

Those who are positively and directly affected by the measures of the policy development; those on the list are specifically defined in the EU VET policy documents. A policy development can be addressed to one or several target groups.

Learners

  • Learners in upper secondary, including apprentices

Education professionals

  • Teachers
  • Trainers

Entities providing VET

  • Companies

Other stakeholders

  • Social partners (employer organisations and trade unions)

Thematic categories

Thematic categories capture main aspects of the decision-making and operation of national VET and LLL systems. These broad areas represent key elements that all VET and LLL systems have to different extents and in different combinations, and which come into focus depending on the EU and national priorities. Thematic categories are further divided into thematic sub-categories. Based on their description, policy developments can be assigned to one or several thematic categories.

Governance of VET and lifelong learning

This thematic category looks at existing legal frameworks providing for strategic, operational – including quality assurance – and financing arrangements for VET and lifelong learning (LLL). It examines how VET and LLL-related policies are placed in broad national socioeconomic contexts and coordinate with other strategies and policies, such as economic, social and employment, growth and innovation, recovery and resilience.

This thematic category covers partnerships and collaboration networks of VET stakeholders – especially the social partners – to shape and implement VET in a country, including looking at how their roles and responsibilities for VET at national, regional and local levels are shared and distributed, ensuring an appropriate degree of autonomy for VET providers to adapt their offer.

The thematic category also includes efforts to create national, regional and sectoral skills intelligence systems (skills anticipation and graduate tracking) and using skills intelligence for making decisions about VET and LLL on quality, inclusiveness and flexibility.

Engaging VET stakeholders and strengthening partnerships in VET

This thematic sub-category refers both to formal mechanisms of stakeholder engagement in VET governance and to informal cooperation among stakeholders, which motivate shared responsibility for quality VET. Formal engagement is usually based on legally established institutional procedures that clearly define the role and responsibilities for relevant stakeholders in designing, implementing and improving VET. It also refers to establishing and increasing the degree of autonomy of VET providers for agile and flexible VET provision.

In terms of informal cooperation, the sub-category covers targeted actions by different stakeholders to promote or implement VET. This cooperation often leads to creating sustainable partnerships and making commitments for targeted actions, in line with the national context and regulation, e.g. national alliances for apprenticeships, pacts for youth or partnerships between schools and employers. It can also include initiatives and projects run by the social partners or sectoral organisations or networks of voluntary experts and executives, retired or on sabbatical, to support their peers in the fields of VET and apprenticeships, as part of the EAfA.

Further developing national quality assurance systems

This thematic sub-category refers to further development of national quality assurance (QA) systems for IVET and CVET, for all learning environments (school-based provision and work-based learning, including apprenticeships) and all learning types (digital, face-to-face or blended), delivered by both public and private providers. These systems are underpinned by the EQAVET quality criteria and by indicative descriptors applied both at system and provider levels, as defined in Annex II of the VET Recommendation. The sub-category concerns creating and improving external and self-evaluation of VET providers, and establishing criteria of QA, accreditation of providers and programmes. It also covers the activities of Quality assurance national reference points for VET on implementing and further developing the EQAVET framework, including the implementation of peer reviews at VET system level.

European priorities in VET

EU priorities in VET and LLL are set in the Council Recommendation for VET for sustainable competitiveness, social fairness and resilience, adopted on 24 November 2020 and in the Osnabrück Declaration on VET endorsed on 30 November 2020.

Osnabrück Declaration

  • Resilience and excellence through quality, inclusive and flexible VET

Subsystem

Part of the vocational education and training and lifelong learning systems the policy development applies to.
IVET
CVET

Further reading

Sources for further reading where readers can find more information on policy developments: links to official documents, dedicated websites, project pages. Some sources may only be available in national languages.
Central Examination Board
Central Examination Board project
Central Examination Board project - the second stage
Polish Craft Association project

Country

Poland

Type of development

Policy developments are divided into three types: strategy/action plan; regulation/legislation; and practical measure/initiative.
Practical measure/Initiative
Cite as

Cedefop, & ReferNet. (2025). Strengthening employers' participation in the examination process: Poland. In Cedefop, & ReferNet. (2025). Timeline of VET policies in Europe (2024 update) [Online tool].

https://www.cedefop.europa.eu/lv/tools/timeline-vet-policies-europe/search/28747