The Role of Edu-Tourism Financed by European Union Funds for the Development of Vocational Education in Poland
Authors
Małgorzata Starczewska
University of Economics in Katowice, malgorzata.starczewska@edu.uekat.pl
- Volume 1 Issue (1) 2017
Pages
153-165
Abstract
The change of political system in Poland after 1989 caused a recession in vocational education
supported and maintained by state-owned enterprises. At present vocational education is in
a phase of revival, therefore, the European Union, perceiving the benefits of its development,
has launched a number of initiatives aimed at enriching the educational offer and raising
the level of education. However, besides improving professional skills, it is also important for
young Europeans to acquire a number of additional competences such as mobility, decisionmaking
skills, and adaptability to new conditions that will allow them to gain a competitive
advantage in the labor market. Such an opportunity is provided by educational tourism, and
the European Union, perceiving the advantages from this type of journey, has been promoting
educational mobility projects for many years. In the current budget period, the Erasmus plus
program, whose idea is to increase knowledge and professional aptitudes, and to support the
modernization of teaching and training systems, has been implemented. The main aim of the
article is to show the impact of educational travels financially supported by the European Union
on the development of vocational education in Poland. The study was conducted by analyzing
available source documents and reports. The research helped to create a set of intangible results
gained by participants of Erasmus plus projects, and it indicated the benefits from this program
for the whole vocational education. In this paper, Polish and English literature review in the
field of vocational education, Erasmus plus program and educational tourism has been made,
conclusions were presented and implications for the future research were formulated.