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(Last updated: 13 Jul 2007)
Trends and opportunities
The market
The general standard of education provided by schools and universities in Poland has always been high. Until recently, schools and universities provided good theoretical knowledge but did not teach sufficient practical skills such as a good command of languages. The old political system didn’t encourage students to learn foreign languages, as there were no incentives such as attractive positions or better pay for graduates.
There is a growing demand for language skills in Poland. The country has achieved major economic reform and has attracted many investors and service providers and because of this, English has begun to emerge as the primary language for conducting business (particularly in commerce, communications, IT and services).
English is the number one foreign language in schools in Poland followed by German, French, Italian, and Spanish. About 20 per cent of all foreign language schools specialise in English and only a few schools teach non-European languages, such as Japanese, Chinese, Hebrew, Arabic, etc.
In the past 10 years, private schools have taken the lead in providing language courses in Poland. Most employ Polish teachers who are graduates of local English language university faculties – those in Poznan and Warsaw are highly regarded.
Opportunities
There are opportunities for Australian educational institutions to capture a greater share of the growing Polish education market. Poland offers opportunities in the following areas:
- All types of English Language Intensive Courses for Overseas Students (ELICOS)
- Full academic programs
- Postgraduate studies
- Vocational training (TAFE)
Poland’s tourism and hospitality industries have been undergoing gradual upgrading since the mid-90's and have a call for vocational training. This need could be matched by Australian expertise in this area, perhaps with a focus on training for senior managers for hotel and tourist office staff in the short-term. This could also include Australia-based courses for Polish trainers of medium and junior staff.
There is also growing interest in the uptake of distance education via the Internet by individuals and the corporate sector.
Catch-up English training and specialist training in English are also other areas of significant potential opportunity.
Competitive environment
Foreign-owned English teaching schools in Poland are mostly subsidiaries of USA, UK and Canadian educational institutions. They often offer graduated courses with language certificate tests including Cambridge First Certificate, Cambridge Proficiency, etc. The majority of students studying abroad undertook foreign language instruction, studying mainly in English and German.
Most Polish students studying English overseas choose UK as their destination for holiday courses (July-August), although there has been a notable increase of interest in Australia as an education provider over the last several years.
Schools in the UK can have large ethnic student groups, which can mean less emphasis on talking English outside the classroom. By contrast, in Australia, linguistically isolated students have to speak English only. This means they will get the maximum benefits of foreign language study in an English-speaking country.
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