Nazwa
Erasmus plus

The Role of Edu-Tourism Financed by European Union Funds for the Development of Vocational Education in Poland

The Role of Edu-Tourism Financed by European Union Funds for the Development of Vocational Education in Poland

Authors

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.