Gdańsk a city of professionals

The project, which began in October 2016, will run until the end of October 2022. The aim of the project is to improve the future employability of vocational training students. About 3,000 students and teachers of vocational schools in Gdańsk will benefit from the project: the Complex of Catering and Hotel Schools, the Complex of Communication Schools, State Building and Construction Schools, the Complex of Landscape Architecture and Trade and Services Schools, Vocational and Continuing Education Centre No. 2, the Complex of Automotive Schools, the Complex of Energy Production Sector Schools, the Complex of Maritime, Ship-building and Technical Schools „Conradinum”.

The participants of the project use the vocational counselling module implemented at the Talent Development Centre in Oliwa. They benefit from group workshops and individual consultations. Events at schools, workshops held during Pedagogical Councils and meetings for school vocational counsellors and teachers are also organised. Students take part in  excursions that aim at learning about the different careers, where they have the opportunity to learn about the operations, employment opportunities and working conditions in leading companies. Thanks to this support, the participants develop competences and skills that facilitate entering the labour market and finding satisfactory employment. Professionals and teachers, using the experience of counsellors from the Talent Development Centre, improve their skills to support students’ professional development. To date, more than 1 600 persons have already benefited from the various forms of support provided by career advisers.

The project is implemented in cooperation with the employers. Students and teachers of practical vocational training have the opportunity to take advantage of internships and apprenticeships. Students carry out 150 hours of paid internships/traineeships, during which they gain experience in real working conditions and acquire additional skills. To date, a group of about 1.5 thousand students have completed their apprenticeships. A target group of 2,750 students who undergo training in more than 40 professions will benefit from this form of support. The merit of this form of support is evidenced, among other things, by such entries in the practice diaries: „Everything that is pleasant ends quickly, I will never forget these internships, they were the coolest holidays. I learned a lot, it was completely different than learning from a book” (a student at the State Building and Construction Schools, who did her internship in July 2019).

Students, instructors and teachers of practical vocational training also take part in the training. In addition to English and German language classes, participants benefit from the following training courses, including:

• Driving licence Category B course,
• Course for the operator of HDS cranes with UDT licence,
• Forklift truck operator, backhoe loader, single-bucket excavator courses,
• Welding courses,
• Computer courses, including AUTO CAD, Costing, Revit Architecture, Red Hat System Administration,
• Courses in mobile and web application development and C++ programming,
• A course and examination for a motor cruising helmsman,
• Courses for bartenders, baristas as well as carving techniques courses,
• Courses for Electrical Services Technician licence
• An Unmanned Aircraft Operator training with an UAVO qualification certificate, including a VLOS licence,
• CHEMCAD training,
• Training in sensory analysis,
• Hand soldering course with the application of the PTH and SMT technology,
• Course in modern vehicle superstructure design systems.

Nearly 1,200 participants have already benefited from various courses and training, with some people participating in more than one training. 10 teachers received funding for further education which involves study courses. Further courses and training are being systematically launched, including those which will be carried out in new labs, that are being created within the framework of the integrated project „Gdańsk – a City of Professionals – development of the infrastructure of vocational schools: construction, extension, reconstruction and equipping the facilities of vocational schools in Gdańsk”.

In addition, 8 vocational labs were retrofitted as part of the project. The purchased equipment and materials are used in the practical vocational training classes. Additional equipment (65 laptops and 20 headphones with microphones) for distance learning have been purchased and further purchases have been planned. In the next few years, the above described activities will be continued and new training courses will be offered to participants, adapted to the needs of the changing labour market.