There are numerous employment support policies in place in Poland. Their objective is to balance the labour market and support employment of the unemployed. Needless to say, reducing the unemployment rate brings positive economic and social effects. Apart from the economic changes related, in most cases, to productivity or seasonality of work, the most frequent problem behind professional inactivity is the inability to find employment due to various circumstances, e.g. occupational exclusion due to age or a difficult life situation. This causes decreased motivation and may lead to long-term unemployment. Other factors include limited number of vacancies in a given profession. Such a situation often makes it necessary to change one’s occupation or move to a new line of business. Switching to another line of business is not an easy task – particularly if one has worked for many years in a given industry. The Integrated Qualifications System (IQS) offers a useful employment support tool – particularly for individuals with no occupational qualifications.
How to obtain a certificate?
In the event candidates lack suitable education or sufficient competences required at a given position, they can improve their qualifications by applying for a certificate confirming their skills. In order to receive a certificate, one has to meet the requirements specified in a description of a given qualification. A candidate with no competences may decide to learn a new profession. Thanks to the description of a given qualification, the candidate knows exactly what he/she needs to know and be able to do in order to receive the valuable document. A certificate holder stands a significantly greater chance for finding employment both home and abroad. An employer can rest assured as to the quality of certificates issued under the IQS, as particular stages of learning outcomes of the candidate, i.e. what the candidate knows and can do, are verified in the course of the validation (competence assessment) process. The process is conducted by experts in a given field.
Benefits of certification
There are many people threatened with occupational exclusion on the labour market: individuals who have remained unemployed over a long period of time, mothers who want to return to their work after a maternity leave, people with disabilities, individuals with low occupational qualifications or those who are over 50. If you are a member of one of the above-mentioned groups, you should learn how to obtain a certificate which will confirm you skills or help you meet the expectations of the labour market. As a result, it will be easier for you to return to your career path and by the same token regain financial security and stability. In the case of the unemployed, certification of competence may help them break free from occupational inactivity and pave their way to stable employment. An awarded certificate acts as a confirmation of skills acquired individually or in one’s previous workplace and a proven competence improves candidate’s mobility on the labour market. Additionally, certificates help employers find suitable personnel. Consequently, a person who has acquired a qualification is more likely to become employed. For example, let us assume that Christopher used to work as a fitter of optic fibre connections and systems and now would like to return to this profession. With the certification, he can make up for the gaps in his knowledge and improve his competences. A confirmed qualification may give him an upper hand over other candidates. The Integrated Qualifications System enables acknowledging qualifications regardless of one’s age, education or completed courses. This means that everyone is eligible to apply for a certificate.
Which is the right qualification for me?
We learn various things throughout our lives but sometimes we do not know its value on the labour market. It is advisable to check, which qualifications correspond best to our aptitude. For a list of available qualifications, please go to the Integrated Qualifications Register. Qualifications are a great opportunity for individuals seeking employment both home and abroad. Entities such as companies and institutions may submit applications for incorporation of a new qualification into the system, in the event the system lacks a qualification related to a particular skill.
Some may believe that they have no skills other would be willing to pay for. For example a person who has not worked for a number of years and cannot take up a job, as he/she tends to en elderly family member. As it turns out, there is a relevant market qualification in the system – A carer for the elderly. Just find an institution which verifies and awards the qualification. The awarded document acknowledging the acquired skill will significantly improve your chances for employment.
