Skills Come First. The Podcast About How to Stay Current

Poland – an exceptionally digital country

In the latest episode of the podcast, Anna Streżyńska, former Minister of Digital Affairs and the current Director of the National Institute of Telecommunications, discusses Poland’s digital transformation, the use of artificial intelligence in public administration, and the future of the labour market, where skills will need to be continuously updated and formally recognised.

Other countries envy Poland’s digital transformation

When it comes to adopting new technologies and developing digital public services, Poland is in a very strong position – particularly within government and public administration.

“We are a country that others envy for its level of digitalisation. In terms of digital public services and technology-enabled solutions for citizens, Poland is more advanced than many other countries. As a result, we are recognised as an exceptionally digital nation,” says Anna Streżyńska.

According to the podcast guest, solutions such as mObywatel, BLIK, and others – often outperform comparable solutions in other countries and could serve as European standards.

The picture is somewhat different in the business sector. For many companies, adopting modern digital solutions involves significant costs, which means businesses often postpone investment – particularly when it comes to more advanced systems.

Digitalisation is a right, not an obligation

For many people, highly developed digital public services make life considerably easier. They eliminate the need for frequent visits to government offices, queuing, carrying multiple documents, or dealing with identity verification in person. Others, however, remain concerned about sharing personal information and data relating to important events in their professional or educational lives within national digital systems.

“We have all been part of this system since the day we were born. That is why we have every right to expect it to work for us. Citizens should remember that they have the right to withhold consent for the processing of their personal data. Public administration exists to serve citizens, and digitalisation is a right, not an obligation,” explains Anna Streżyńska.

Ultimately, every citizen must weigh up the benefits and potential risks of participating in a highly digital society.

“It’s worth remembering that not everything has to be digital. At the same time, we should expect that, in the future, non-digital administrative services may come at an additional cost, while self-service digital options will be the more affordable choice,” emphasises Anna Streżyńska.

AI skills will be essential in the labour market

According to the former Minister of Digital Affairs, there is one area where people will have little choice: the need to acquire and continually update skills related to emerging technologies.

This is primarily about AI skills. The ability to use artificial intelligence will soon become a core competence – not only one that employers expect, but one that will help employees remain competitive in the labour market.

The continuous acquisition, development and updating of skills requires equally agile ways of recognising and validating them.

“Microcredentials make it possible to acquire and certify individual competences quickly, flexibly and effectively. This approach is certain to become more widespread, as fewer people now spend decades in the same job doing the same work,” notes Anna Streżyńska.

Watch the full podcast episode!