The Poznań School of Logistics has launched a project for cooperation between schools and companies, which will give graduates much better job prospects and provide companies with easy access to qualified employees. The “Greater Poland Must Know” project was inaugurated on January 8, 2010, with a conference attended by 100 people from logistics companies and schools offering training in the professions of logistics technician and freight forwarder technician across the entire Greater Poland Voivodeship.
Expectations are high. Logistics companies struggle daily with the problem of a lack of qualified job candidates, which leads them to hire people with low qualifications and send them for training, incurring additional costs. Schools with a logistics technician and freight forwarder technician profile usually have no contact with companies, do not know what they expect from their graduates, and are therefore unable to tailor the education offered to market needs. Meanwhile, the potential is very high. Proper education for a logistics technician or freight forwarder technician provides benefits for both companies and schools. Companies can hire employees who do not need to be sent for training. Schools can produce graduates who find jobs immediately, thereby increasing the attractiveness of the education offered.
However, these are not all the benefits that the Greater Poland Must Know project brings. The primary goal of the venture is to create a communication platform between the aforementioned schools and logistics companies. In March, the Logistics Research Platform will be created – an internet portal enabling closer cooperation between schools and companies, which will also serve as a database of information on work and logistics education. Another element will be field research, which will take place among all project participants between February and July. The results of this research are intended to precisely specify the mutual expectations of both parties to the project – schools and companies. Thanks to the organization of discussion and problem-solving panels, a direct dialogue will take place based on this research, which will ultimately lead to aligning mutual expectations. Teaching materials and aids for schools will also be created, aimed at developing logistics education based on closer contact with practice.
– We often hear from companies that they have difficulty obtaining qualified employees, and schools report to us that their graduates have problems finding work – says Wojciech Zalewski, the project spokesperson – Interestingly, companies are often ready to hire people with secondary education and send them for training, having no idea that people are being trained in Poland in the professions of logistics technician and freight forwarder technician. Now we have a chance to connect both sides and make them cooperate on solutions that will allow these needs to be met for the benefit of everyone!
“The point of view depends on the point of sitting” – this old saying was visible during Friday’s conference. Schools complained about the lack of initiative from companies aimed at creating conditions for internships, apprenticeships, etc. – You must understand that a school is like a business – retorted Waldemar Osmólski, president of Ponetex – and for a school, students are a kind of product that the school should try to “sell” rather than wait for companies to come forward themselves. The difference of opinion was also visible in the assessment of internships by companies and schools. – A different approach to individual matters is visible because each side has its own goals, so they must be aligned – adds Zalewski – we know that both companies and schools are open to dialogue and we are convinced that the effects of the project will be beneficial for all participants. The most important thing is to specify, understand, and align mutual expectations.
Where did the idea for the project come from?
It all started almost 4 years ago. The Poznań School of Logistics then created the “WSL for secondary schools” program, in which one of the main elements was improving the quality of education in the professions of logistics technician and freight forwarder technician. The Poznań university identified the problems of schools and tried to organize them. Postgraduate studies “Logistics – studies for teachers” were launched, allowing teachers to better understand the subjects taught. In cooperation with ILiM, a series of textbooks for secondary school students was written. A program of trips to WSL was organized, including visits to logistics companies, and the National Logistics Olympiad was established. During workshops, the flaws in the curriculum for the logistics technician and freight forwarder technician professions were also identified, which became the reason for work on curriculum changes at the Ministry of National Education. The next step was to connect economic practice with schools in order to align mutual expectations, the result of which is the project “Greater Poland Must Know – partnership of vocational education and the labor market as a key to increasing the attractiveness of the logistics technician and freight forwarder technician professions in the Greater Poland Voivodeship”. The project will last until September 2011. After the project ends, the organizers want to expand activities to the entire country.
The following companies are participating in the project:
1) H. Cegielski-Logocentrum Sp. z o.o. from Poznań
2) Panopa Logistik Polska Sp. z o.o. from Swarzędz
3) Ponetex Sp. z o.o. from Rakoniewice
4) Promag S.A. from Poznań
5) Raben Group from Gądki near Poznań
6) STILL Polska Sp. z o.o. from Gądki near Poznań
7) Transmeble International Sp. z o.o. from Poznań
8) KP logistick from Przeźmierowo near Poznań
9) Wandalex S.A. from Kórnik near Poznań
10) Seifert Polska Sp. z o.o. from Luboń near Poznań
11) TRANSKOM Sp. z o.o. from Koziegłowy near Poznań
12) LINK Sp. z o.o. from Wiązowna
13) Municipal Transport Company from Poznań
14) INNOVIO Sp. z o.o. from Złotniki near Poznań
15) TEXTRA Katarzyna Szczur from Poznań
16) LOGZACT Sp. z o.o. from Poznań
17) Greater Poland Agricultural and Horticultural Guild from Poznań
18) Kuehne+Nagel from Gądki near Poznań
19) Mandersloot Polska from Komorniki near Poznań
The following schools are participating in the project:
1) School Complex No. 1 from Swarzędz
2) Jan Wójkiewicz School of Economics from Łęknica
3) A. Wodziczka School Complex from Mosina
4) J. A. Komenski School of Economics from Leszno
5) School Complex No. 2 from Ostrzeszów
6) Natural and Business School Complex from Tarc near Jarocin
7) Vocational School Complex No. 6 from Poznań
8) Cyryl Ratajski School of Economics from Śrem
9) Greater Poland Insurgents Vocational School Complex from Gostyń
10) Construction School Complex from Konin
11) Vocational School Complex from Rawicz
12) Vocational School Complex from Wolsztyn
13) Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński School of Economics and Clothing from Gniezno
14) Post-primary School Complex No. 1 from Krotoszyn
15) Agribusiness School Complex from Rogoźno Wielkopolskie
16) Stefan Batory Lifelong Learning Center School Complex from Konin
17) Hugo Kołłątaj School Complex No. 3 from Szamotuły
18) Agricultural School Complex from Grzybno
19) School of Economics from Słupca
20) Eugeniusz Kwiatkowski Post-primary School Complex from Grodzisk Wlkp.
21) School Complex from Opalenica
22) School of Economics from Ostrów Wielkopolski
23) St. Staszic Food Industry School Complex from Krajenka
24) Gen. D. Chłapowski School Complex from Bolechowo
25) Stanisław Mikołajczyk Post-primary School Complex No. 1 from Wągrowiec