Labor market experts have no doubts: the problem does not lie solely with the university and students. It is rather the result of the mismatch of the entire education system with the pace of economic changes, as well as the lack of real cooperation between business and education.
One of the main problems is the pace of change in curricula. As Michał Bojko, director of the R&D department at Dynatrace, who teaches at the University of Gdańsk, points out, the difference between the university and the market is particularly clear today.
— The average time for updating the curriculum of technical universities is approximately 4.2 years. Meanwhile, the technology market changes every 18 months, he says.
Moreover, updates to study programs are often cosmetic in nature. — These are not revolutionary changes, they often add one subject or change one topic in an existing course, adds the expert.
In practice, this means that graduates enter the labor market with knowledge that is at least partially out of date.
The diploma is still valid, but it is no longer a “passport to a career”
Just a few years ago, a diploma from a renowned technical university was a gateway to a career. Today its importance is slowly decreasing.
– This paper is of high value for a student, but from the employer's point of view it is becoming less and less important – notes Michał Bojko.
More and more companies employ graduates of alternative schools, bootcamps and people with design experience gained outside the university. Practice becomes key.
The expert points to the growing importance of the so-called capstone projects, i.e. final projects solving real business problems. They allow employers to assess whether a candidate can apply knowledge in practice.
The largest deficit on the labor market
Paradoxically, the problem today is not the lack of specialized technical knowledge. The greatest deficit concerns much more universal competencies – primarily analytical thinking, solving complex problems and critical thinking, which employers indicate as some of the most difficult to find on the labor market.
According to Michał Bojko, many graduates can program and know programming tools and languages, but they lack the ability to take a broader look at the problem. — Just a few years ago we were talking about the profession of a programmer. Today, I hear more and more often that being a programmer is a skill – just like an analyst. This is just an element of a larger set of competencies, explains the expert.
Today, the most valued in the labor market are employees who can “connect the dots”: understand the business context, define the problem, design a solution and implement it in practice.
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The problem starts much earlier than in college
The challenge concerns the entire education system, which too rarely prepares young people for independent learning and project work. Many students also lack the courage to ask questions – and this skill is the key to understanding and solving problems.
— The ability to ask questions is something we particularly lack. A well-posed question allows you to define the challenge, find a solution and deliver a result – says Michał Bojko.
However, the expert emphasizes that young people can ask accurate and thoughtful questions – they just need an environment that encourages them to do so and gives them space to act.
Business at universities? It's still rare in Poland
One of the most frequently mentioned solutions is to tighten cooperation between universities and companies. Meanwhile, the scale of such activities in Poland is still small.
One of the most frequently indicated ways to improve the quality of education is closer cooperation between universities and business. In Poland, however, this still happens on a small scale – only about 12%. technical universities have formalized cooperation programs with companies. Meanwhile, without the participation of enterprises, it is difficult to prepare students for the real challenges of the labor market.
A good example of such a partnership is a faculty launched at the University of Gdańsk in cooperation with technology companies. The students were given a specific task: to create a product that solves a real problem. – Here is the product you are to deliver. How you do it is up to you. I will answer every question, says Michał Bojko. The effects surprised even the presenters, because the students' proposals were as good as the solutions used by global teams of specialists.
Importantly, the project was launched in a record 30 days, although – as Michał Bojko admits – this is still an exception at Polish universities. In many cases, university procedures block quick decisions, and the formal process can take up to 1.5 years. Such bureaucracy effectively discourages entrepreneurs from engaging in education.
Meanwhile, as the expert calculates, from the company's perspective, involvement in the creation of a practical faculty does not require large expenditures. — The effort to provide such a course is 20 hours a year. Let's add another amount to prepare these materials. 40 hours – one week out of 52 in a year – convinces. For business, it is a minimal-cost investment.
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Juniors on the labor market: companies need them, but they do not recruit them
This is a difficult moment on the labor market for beginner specialists – the number of offers for juniors, especially in the IT industry, has decreased significantly. However, this does not mean that companies no longer need them. Society is aging, and the lack of investment in new generations may lead to a serious shortage of specialists in the future, warns Michał Bojko.
The expert also emphasizes that the presence of juniors in teams is necessary for the development of more experienced employees. Without them, seniors cannot take on more advanced tasks or focus on innovation.
Young employees are often labeled demanding and difficult to work with. The expert firmly debunks this myth, pointing out that the problem does not result from the attitude of the juniors themselves, but… due to the lack of an appropriate working environment. – If we clearly establish rules and expectations, young people can fit in well in teams, even alongside specialists with many years of experience – he emphasizes.
Investing in young talents brings measurable results. Each year, Michał Bojko's organization accepts 20 interns out of 800 candidates, of which as many as 16 stay in the company permanently, and the rest leave only to complete their studies. This shows that today's juniors are loyal, motivated and simply want to work.
Three things a student can do to increase their chances of getting a job
Although much depends on the education and business systems, students also have a significant impact on their chances on the labor market. Michał Bojko indicates three key actions in this context.
First of all, it's worth it seek support from mentors from the business community. A conversation with an experienced person from the industry makes it easier to choose the right direction of development and provides valuable, practical tips.
Secondly, learning should be based on solving real problems. When developing new competences, for example in the field of finance or programming, the most effective approach is to find a specific business case and try to solve it in a practical way.
The third important step is building experience through participation in internships. The expert emphasizes that any form of internship, even an unpaid one at the initial stage, is a very important source of knowledge.
These activities are complemented by one more, seemingly trivial issue – responding to messages from recruiters. It happens that after sending their CV, many candidates completely ignore subsequent attempts by companies to contact them.
The labor market today is looking for “renaissance people”
The development of artificial intelligence and automation does not change one thing – humans still play a key role in understanding and creating the business context. Therefore, as experts emphasize, the future belongs to people who can combine various competences and constantly learn.
— The market will be looking for “renaissance people” – those who can combine various technologies, fields and ways of thinking – says Michał Bojko. Although it sounds like a huge challenge, he believes it all starts with a simple step – asking the first question.
Many people fear that artificial intelligence will eliminate entry-level positions. In practice, companies see it differently – automation has become mandatory, and employees at all levels are expected to develop it. If someone has to respond to a repeatable incident every few minutes, his task is to automate the process so that the system can repair itself and he can focus on more ambitious tasks.
However, this does not mean the end of the human era. On the contrary – it is humans who create the context that artificial intelligence cannot perceive. – AI learns only from what humans tell it – emphasizes Michał Bojko. Therefore, tools can only work effectively under human supervision.
The labor market increasingly needs versatile specialists who can flexibly use new technologies. However, mastering the art of collaborating with AI requires a willingness to constantly learn – throughout your life.
