On qualifications at the European Congress of Local Governments

The 5th European Congress of Local Governments took place in Krakow on April 8–9 – "Local Government – together for the future", where the Integrated Qualification System was discussed with well-known politicians and local government officials.

The Congress of Local Governments is a platform for the exchange of views organised by the Institute for Eastern Studies and a meeting place for local government officials. This year’s event was attended by over 2,000 people – local government officials, representatives of state administration, business, culture, non-governmental organisations, as well as the media from many countries of central and eastern Europe. Among the guests of the Congress were, among others: Deputy Prime Minister Beata Szydło, Minister of Investment and Development Jerzy Kwieciński and President of Kraków Jacek Majchrowski.

The IQS for local governments

The programme of the Congress had seven thematic tracks, covering over 80 different events: programme segments, reports, panels, workshops, lectures and presentations. Among the issues discussed were social resistance to certain local government investments, relations between the state and local government, financing the tasks of townships and counties, international cooperation among regions, and developing local labour markets.

As part of the thematic segment devoted to education and the labour market in the regions, Natalia Kopeć-Panek from the Educational Research Institute gave a presentation entitled “The Integrated Qualification System – a bridge connecting education and the labour market”. The participants of the Congress could also learn about the IQS at IBE’s information booth.