Only 15% of employees in Poland declare that they have the skills that could ensure them a promotion within the next three years. Programmes promoting lifelong learning and the enhancement of one’s qualifications could improve this situation. In Poland, in cooperation with the Educational Research Institute – National Research Institute (IBE – PIB), its partners have issued the first microcredentials. Will these credentials offer their holders a real advantage in the job market?

Read on to find out:

• How do Poles assess their skill levels and promotion prospects?
• How can microcredentials help bridge the qualifications gap?
• What changes will the project on microcredentials led by the Educational Research Institute bring to upskilling in Poland?

Promotion? Yes! But what about skills?

Polish people rate their skills required for career advancement quite low, and they also perceive employer investments in skill development as insufficient. According to the ADP Research Institute report “People at Work 2025: Skills Development”, only 10% of respondents acknowledged such investments.

Why is developing one’s skills so important today? In the latest “Future of Jobs 2025” report by the World Economic Forum (WEF), experts predict that due to technological advancements, the green economy, and demographic changes, 170 million new jobs will be created globally by 2030.

This indicates massive shifts in the skill requirements expected from employees. Employers estimate that as much as 39% of key skills will change by 2030, compelling companies to invest in continuous staff development. Organisations are increasingly implementing reskilling and upskilling programmes.

Rapid upskilling supported by microcredentials

Since 2023, the Educational Research Institute – National Research Institute has been implementing “Microcredentials – A Pilot Project for Supporting Lifelong Learning”, a project co-financed by the European Funds. Its main objective is to assess the usefulness of microcredentials in developing various types of skills in line with lifelong learning, as well as to design a process for their issuance and accumulation.

The project is a response to the recommendation of the EU Council from 22 June 2022 on a European approach to microcredentials, which, among other things, recommends enabling rapid upskilling to meet the demands of a changing labour market and improving the quality and flexibility of educational offerings provided by training institutions.

This may help improve the situation in Poland, particularly in the area of adult education. According to 2022 data from Statistics Poland (GUS), only 20% of adult Poles aged 18–69 (approximately 4.9 million people) participated in organised courses or training outside the formal education system.

However, the microcredential market in Poland is still in its early stages. For comparison, experts estimate that 300 million microcredentials have been issued globally to date. A single American platform, Accredible, has issued 125 million of them alone.

Standards developed by IBE – PIB

The Educational Research Institute – National Research Institute (IBE – PIB) is developing standards for the creation and issuance of microcredentials to ensure their credibility on the labour market. These standards are based on clearly defined learning outcomes, are verifiable, and aligned with employers’ needs. 

Microcredentials are issued digitally using the Odznaka+ application developed by IBE – PIB. Insights from the pilot phase will be used to tailor the tool to the needs of users – both issuers and badge holders – and to support wider, open implementation of the solution within educational practice in Poland.

The pilot phase has already delivered tangible results. By the end of 2024, the first microcredentials had been issued – participating companies began awarding their recipients digital badges confirming the skills they had acquired. At the same time, the second phase of the pilot was launched. The group of participants was expanded to include a dozen new entities. Both additional private companies and universities joined the project.

Lifelong learning as a key support

The European Union is reinforcing the priority of lifelong learning, recognising its vital role in maintaining both competitiveness and social inclusion. The Action Plan for the implementation of the European Pillar of Social Rights sets out the goal that by 2030, at least 60% of European adults should participate in training or education each year. This represents an ambitious leap from the current state. In 2022, the adult participation rate in learning stood at approximately 39.5%. For 2025, the EU aims to reach 47%.

New skills for a billion people

The World Economic Forum highlights in its report that, alongside technological capabilities (such as AI or data analysis), so-called meta-skills are becoming increasingly important. These include the ability to learn, adaptability, analytical thinking, and a proactive attitude. Curiosity and a commitment to continuous learning were identified in the report as some of the key attributes of the future workforce.

The global “Reskilling Revolution” initiative aims to ensure that by 2030, up to 1 billion people worldwide will acquire new skills. According to the WEF, around 50% of workers globally requires reskilling (in 2025).

Sources: 

1. https://www.adpresearch.com/assets/people-at-work-2025-skills-development/

2. https://www.weforum.org/publications/the-future-of-jobs-report-2025/

3. https://initiatives.weforum.org/reskilling-revolution/home

4.https://employment-social-affairs.ec.europa.eu/policies-and-activities/european-pillar-social-rights-building-fairer-and-more-inclusive-european-union/european-pillar-social-rights-action-plan_en