EU project inaugurated Conference entitled “Modern business services – future and competence development” is behind us.

On September 19, at the Faculty of Organization and Management of the Silesian University of Technology in Zabrze, a conference was held entitled “Modern business services – the future and development of competence.”

The conference was opened by Piotr Fałek, CEO of Syntea S.A., together with the rector of the Silesian University of Technology, Aleksandra Kuzior, Ph.D., professor of the Silesian University of Technology, dean of the Faculty of Organization and Management, and Tomasz Huk, deputy superintendent of the Superintendent of Education in Katowice.

The conference inaugurated a pioneering EU project entitled “Developing competencies in the NUB sector among high school students from the sub-regions: Rybnicki, Gliwice, Bytom, Katowice and Sosnowiec,” implemented by Silesian University of Technology in partnership with Syntea S.A.. As part of the project, 2,500 general high school students will be prepared to study in faculties that train specialists to work in the modern business services sector in Silesia.

“We are pleased to host the Silesian University of Technology, which acts as the leader of this project. Syntea S.A., based on its long-standing cooperation with the Silesian University of Technology, is responsible for carrying out substantive tasks related to the acquisition of key competencies and qualifications needed in the NUB sector, with an emphasis on new technologies, such as the use of CRM tools to manage business processes in companies, as well as other skills, including the use of 3D printing. The Silesian University of Technology, on the other hand, is involved in providing career counseling classes for students and future university applicants, as well as training in acquiring green competencies, which are important in the transformation of the economy towards a closed loop. In addition, the Polytechnic organizes classes to improve the results and effectiveness of the preparation of general high school students for matriculation exams in science subjects, especially mathematics, to enable young people from the five sub-regions of Silesia to study and ultimately work in Silesia’s rapidly growing NUB sector.” – said Piotr Fałek, CEO of Syntea S.A., after the conference.

The event provided an excellent opportunity to share experiences and good practices. In this part of the conference, we learned how to adapt education to the needs of modern business services, and the pioneering pedagogical innovation of the Technical School No. 4 in Zabrze was used as an example, which was presented by Iwona Nowakowska, Director of the Economic and Service School Complex in Zabrze. Beata Kolodziejczyk, Director of Maria Sklodowska-Curie Technical School No. 4 in Bytom, talked about an important aspect of the development of school education, which is the qualification of the ZSK. The last speech in this part of the conference was a presentation by Anna Szumielewicz-Nowomiejska, Talent Acquisition Manager at Concentrix CVG International, who touched on the shortage of candidates with a wide range of competencies in the NUB sector.

“The competence deficit affects every generation active in the labor market, including generations X, Y and Z. Awareness of the causes of this deficit and ways to overcome it, however, is the starting point for further measures to help candidates improve their skills and develop them effectively. This, in turn, will contribute to finding a job more quickly and easily, reducing the associated challenges. From the employer’s perspective, it is crucial to emphasize that it is possible to plan to work with young people as early as the educational stage – in the third and fourth years of high school – so that when they complete their compulsory education, they feel prepared and confidently enter the labor market.” – Anna Szumielewicz-Nowomiejska said.

After a short break, we moved on to the more interactive part. Anna Domanska, Project Manager at Syntea S.A., talked about the basic assumptions of the project, and then answered numerous questions from representatives of school institutions that came from the audience. We also presented virtual reality technology, which can be an interesting complement to the educational process, including elements of gamification and a way to verify the acquired competencies through digital micro-credentials.

“The project also uses innovative educational methods based on, among other things, virtual reality technology. It is used not only for theoretical preparation, repetition of procedures, and low-cost and low-impact simulations that are later developed in practical courses. The technology also enables collaboration and competition in a virtual environment, as well as the acquisition of micro-experiences in virtual reality. For Generation Z, functioning in the metaverse and virtual reality is natural, which makes this educational innovation significantly improve the quality and attractiveness of participation in the project.” – added Piotr Fałek, CEO of Syntea S.A.