Industrial Development Agency JSC, POLREGIO Sp. z o.o. and the Energy and Transport School Complex (Zespół Szkół Energetycznych i Transportowych) in Lublin have signed a letter of intent to create a new course of study at the school - Railway Transport Technician. This is another initiative of IDA JSC carried out under the Personnel for Industry programme. One of the most important reasons for personnel problems in modern industry in Poland is the mismatch between the education system and labour market requirements. According to data published in PARP's report from February last year, as much as 70 percent of Polish employers indicate difficulties in finding employees with the desired skills, in the case of medium-sized companies it is as much as 76 percent. Industrial Development Agency JSC faces up to these difficulties. Through Personnel for Industry, it initiates cooperation between secondary schools, universities and companies, so that together they develop a dedicated study programme. Academia can contribute to filling the personnel gap in industry, while companies can provide graduates with clearly defined career paths. - When we launched Human Resources in 2018, our aim was to bring together the two worlds of academia and industry. We knew from the IDA Group companies that they were having difficulty finding qualified employees, that few schools had classes with profiles that met the needs of companies. We have already helped the mechanical industry and since the beginning of the programme we have been helping the railway industry. POLREGIO already cooperates with 16 vocational and technical schools in Poland. It resulted in almost 150 internships, visits to workplaces, lessons with practitioners who work with the railway industry on a daily basis. Now it is Chełm's turn. The benefits of cooperation will flow to both sides of the agreement. The Zespół Szkół Energetycznych i Transportowych will make its educational offer more attractive, and POLREGIO will be able to employ qualified staff in a few years. It will also benefit the students, who will be able to choose from a larger number of educational faculties and whose chances of finding employment in the railway industry will increase considerably - said Paweł Kolczyński, Vice President of Industrial Development Agency JSC In accordance with the provisions of the letter of intent the parties will jointly work on the promotion of vocational education, building awareness of the benefits of obtaining such an education and creating a positive image of the technical and mechanical professions. For this purpose, POLREGIO will • organise apprenticeship and practical classes for students, • organise familiarisation trips to workplaces, • jointly with the school establish the programme of practices taking into account the needs of the school and the company, • conduct lessons in vocational subjects, • organise internships for school leavers. - As the largest passenger carrier in Poland, we know from experience that the generation gap in the railway sector is a serious factor which may limit further development of the sector. It is important to build the competencies needed to work on the railway from the earliest possible age, so we joined the project as part of the Personnel for Industry programme in Chełm. POLREGIO can offer employment throughout the country, in both large and small towns. We are a stable and reliable employer, and work on the railway is a very promising career path - said Artur Martyniuk, President of the Management Board of POLREGIO. The Zespół Szkół Energetycznych i Transportowych, according to the agreement will • recommend to the company graduates of the school as proven and recommendable workplaces, • develop, in cooperation with POLREGIO, an educational programme for the direction - Railway Transport Technician. - The creation of a new course of study: Railway Transport Technician, in the current situation is a great opportunity for the development of our school. The rapidly developing rail transport sector provides a wide range of employment opportunities and therefore requires professional staff. Railway transport is the transport of the future, therefore as a school we want to meet these challenges while at the same time referring to the glorious traditions of the railway industry in Chełm. We hope that in a few years time our graduates will join the railway staff and you will meet them on the railway tracks," said Katarzyna Karamać, acting director of ZSEiT in Chełm. Last year, despite the pandemic conditions, brought many results to the cooperation of IDA JSC with schools and enterprises. Several webinars and on-line lessons were organised together, during which specialists from companies in various industries shared their knowledge of business and employee competence with pupils and students. Moreover, IDA JSC launched an e-learning platform of the Industrial Development Academy called "Young Industry". Thanks to the platform, students were able to: expand their knowledge desired by the employer, communicate directly with the employer, cooperate within the framework of microprojects. An integral element of Personnel for Industry is the competition for the best master's, bachelor's and engineering thesis conducted since 2019. Last year, the number of works sent to this competition more than doubled.