Regional coordination teams for skills policy become a permanent feature, formally integrating them into the national skills governance framework and expanding voivodeships' responsibilities for skills development.
The Act of 27 February 2027 on regional skills coordination teams for skills policy (Wojewódzkie Zespoły Koordynacji, WZK), published on 2 April 2026, assigns voivodeships formal responsibility for planning, coordinating, monitoring and evaluating skills development activities for their residents. These activities cover vocational education and training (VET), continuing training and lifelong learning for both young people and adults.
This act fulfils a key milestone under Poland's national recovery and resilience plan (KPO), ‘Workforce for a modern economy: improving the matching of skills and qualifications to labour market requirements’, which was required by April 2026.
From pilot to permanent feature
WZKs operated as a KPO-funded pilot from 2022, covering all 16 voivodeships. The pilot aimed to improve coordination across VET, higher education and lifelong learning, including adult learning. The new legislation ensures their continuity beyond the project cycle by providing state budget financing, removing additional costs from regional governments.
Teams will continue to operate under existing KPO rules until 30 June 2026. The new statutory framework will apply from 1 July 2026. As WZKs already exist nationwide, their number will not increase.
Expanded regional competences
The WZKs will serve as permanent advisory bodies to voivodeship boards, supporting regional decision-making on education and skills provision. A core responsibility will be to assess proposals to open new training programmes in specific occupations, based on real demand from local employers and the regional economy. The goal is to ensure that schools and training providers respond more directly to business needs in each region.
Why the reform matters
The creation of permanent WZKs responds to several long-standing challenges in Poland’s skills system and follows international recommendations for stronger territorial coordination of skills policy. Before, there were no stable mechanisms to coordinate skills policy across education sectors at regional level. Existing advisory bodies linked to local governments had a narrow remit and limited impact on decisions. By providing a clear legal mandate, the reform bridges a systemic gap and gives regions greater agency to shape education and training provision.
Governance structure
Each WZK brings together representatives of local governments, education and training institutions, public employment services, employer organisations and civil society. This multi-stakeholder composition mirrors the governance model used in other European skills coordination bodies and ensures that regional skills planning reflects a broad range of perspectives.
Strategic framework and expected impact
WZKs have a key role in implementing the integrated skills strategy 2030 at territorial level. One of the strategy’s objectives is to improve alignment between VET and the evolving needs of regional and local labour markets. Particular emphasis is placed on the digital and green transitions and the adoption of new technologies across the economy.
By ensuring complementarity and synergy among national, regional and local actions, the reform is expected to strengthen the relevance, coherence and effectiveness of skills policy across Poland.
Part of a wider reform agenda
The act complements a broader set of recent reforms in Polish VET governance. These include the January 2026 amendment strengthening school-based career guidance and the integration of sectoral skills centres (branżowe centra umiejętności, BCU) into regional training ecosystems. Together, these measures aim to create a more responsive, better coordinated and future-oriented skills system.
Read more
- Ministry of National Education. (2026, April 2). Regional Skills Coordination Teams enter the legal system permanently [Press release]. Gov.pl.
- Sejm of the Republic of Poland. (2026, April 2). Act on Regional Skills Coordination Teams for Skills Policy [Ustawa o wojewódzkich zespołach koordynacji do spraw polityki umiejętności]. Dziennik Ustaw 2026, poz. 451.
- Chancellery of the Prime Minister. (2026, February 10). Draft Act on Regional Skills Coordination Teams for Skills Policy [Legislative record]. Gov.pl.
- Prawo.pl. (2026). Act on WZK: new obligations for voivodeships [Legal commentary].
- Cedefop, & ReferNet. (2026). Timeline of VET policies in Europe (2025 update) [Online tool].
- ReferNet Poland, & Cedefop (2026, March 16th). Poland: career guidance in schools strengthened. National news on VET
| Please cite this news item as: ReferNet Poland, & Cedefop (2026, May 6th). Poland: skills policy reinforced at regional level. National news on VET |