The advantages and disadvantages of Polish dual vocational education from the perspective of students, school representatives and employers

ABSTRACT The idea of dual vocational education and training (VET) has developed almost since VET education in Poland was established when the nation became a sovereign country in 1919. VET reforms – during the 20 years before the Second World War and after 1945 – were carried out to support rising industry and other developing areas of the economy. Recent reforms (passed in 2015 and 2017) strengthen significantly the meaning of the dual character of vocational education in Poland. This article presents Polish data from the international project ‘Improving Expertise on Labour Relations’ Impact on Youth Employability in Central and South-Eastern Europe’ (EaSI grant VS/2016/0104). The research concerned the improvement of vocational education and the employability of students and young workers, especially regarding the idea and practice of dual VET education. The data were gathered using individual semi-structured and focus group interviews. The use of SWOT analysis has highlighted the multilevel nature of the VET learning environment and its advantages and disadvantages perceived from the perspective of many stakeholders – school representatives, employers and also students. The central question of the analysis is about the possible pathways of changes that could improve the existing system.