The economic crisis has delivered a new and very strong reminder, one which once again underscores the fact that lifelong learning should help our citizens irrespective of economic conditions at any given moment. One of the areas this relationship refers to is the issue of unemployment and the involvement of companies in the employee training process.

Between March 2008 and August 2009, the level of unemployment in Poland remained more or less unchanged at approximately 11%. It goes without saying that this induces the temptation to curtail investment in human capital. The alarm which this gives rise to concerns the reduction in resources devoted to the fight against unemployment and the determination of the levels and fields which will form the focus of occupational development. The provisions made by the state budget proposals for occupational development in 2011 are barely one third of the expenditure allocated in 2010. In the opinion of the Association of Polish Districts reported in the broadsheet Rzeczpospolita on 25^th October 2010, this is both incomprehensible and unacceptable. It might have come about as the result of the halt in group redundancies and the hope that this state of affairs will continue. Despite the global economic crisis, the strength of the economy and human capital was manifest in the healthy situation on the Polish employment market, which was why it has proved possible to talk about the phenomenon of that market during the crisis. In 2009, Poland was a country showing a low rise in unemployment figures and young people entering the employment market were able to adapt well to the demands of both the market and businesses.

The second issue concerns occupational development planning. In Poland, the number of unemployed men and women is more or less the same, and research has shown that, as a group, women are far less active in occupational terms, even though their participation in occupational development is relatively high:

Training – 42.8%

Internships – 72.8%

Occupational schooling in the workplace – 78.9%

Supported employment – 60.7%

Public works – 39.5%

Community work – 58.9%.

The participation of women in internships and in ‘learning on the job’, where the workplace is also a learning environment, seems to be of particular value. However, it should be noted that, as Rzeczpospolita reports (25^th October 2010), the Department of Labour has no plans to solve women’s unequal opportunities as regards participation in programmes for the unemployed. In addition for 2010, the Polish government planned an increase in expenditure for occupational development activities addressed to young people entering the employment market. Financed by Employment Fund reserves, the money is to be allocated to the learning and development of young people.

Companies are aware of the fact that, in a time of crisis, education and training takes on a particular and considerable significance. The economy that emerges from a crisis is never the same as it was previously. In turn, the changes require new skills and thus the juxtaposition of training and work is established. Training activities are also launched with a view to supporting self-employment. Nevertheless, the impact that the crisis had on training in 2009-2010 is considerable. Even companies in an economically comfortable situation fail to spend money on training ‘just in case’, since they are ‘uncertain as to what tomorrow will bring’.

In 2009-2010, training needs in Polish companies were centred on employee groups such as those holding management positions, sales department staff, employees responsible for contact with clients and IT staff. During this crisis, leadership skills, development of sales skills and increasing employee productivity have become the focus of value. Education in the IT field enjoys an unflagging esteem and a greater need for the development of management skills can also be observed. Education in areas such as change management and the rationalisation of business processes have also gained in popularity, as has training in the ability to motivate employees and inspire their involvement. The single greatest area of interest during this crisis is in training geared towards increasing managers’ qualifications and interpersonal skills.

However, the premature and ill-considered abandonment of a full range of training programmes may well bring companies more in the way of losses than it does in benefits. The impact of the crisis on training plans becomes more obvious when viewed across the sectors.