Young Adults’ Perspectives on Learning, Technological Change and Qualifications: Implications for Skills Policy
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Abstract
Technological change and globalisation are reshaping contemporary labour markets in ways that require workers to continuously update and extend their competence through learning undertaken across multiple settings and throughout the life course. Against this backdrop, the promotion of lifelong learning has become a central element of development strategies at both European Union and national level, including in Poland. Despite this policy emphasis, participation in adult skill development among school leavers in Poland remains among the lowest in Europe and has shown little improvement over the past decade, notwithstanding a substantial increase in public expenditure, particularly through the European Social Fund. By examining young adults’ attitudes towards learning, technological change and qualifications, this article seeks to explain why relatively few adults in Poland engage in the further development of their skills. The analysis explores differences in attitudes by gender, age, educational attainment, labour market status, financial situation and place of residence, situating these findings within the broader context of skills policy design in Poland. Empirical evidence is drawn from a survey of 1,000 young adults conducted between April and July 2018 using face-to-face interviews with a paper questionnaire (PAPI).
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