Students' competencies for the future and innovativeness – research among managerial staff of public universities of technology in Poland

Abstract

Socioeconomic processes, development of technology and accompanying changes create a working environment with a high dynamic of change that requires constant learning and innovative orientation. This is related to the need to modify and increase knowledge and targeted competence development. In this regard, academic education plays an essential role. Therefore, the article discusses the issue of shaping key competencies of the future for technical students of universities in Poland from the perspective of academic education particularly in regard to aspects of innovation. Undertaking research in this area is an important and complex endeavour. The article also draws attention to contemporary social and economic processes which determine the demand for future competencies of university students. The purpose of the article is to identify the students' key competencies of the future which in the coming years will be significant and necessary for the development and identification of the most effective ways and methods of education developing and strengthening these competencies in particular in the innovation area. The empirical research was based on the interview method and the expert panel method. The respondents to the survey were the deans and pro-deans of the faculties of Polish public technical universities where the fields of study within the disciplines of economics and finance as well as management and quality sciences are conducted. The article presents the results of empirical research which indicate some discrepancies between the competencies and the demand of the labour market for the desired competencies of students in the opinion of the management staff of the surveyed universities. It was assumed that innovative competencies play an important role among competencies for the future identified by the respondents. The results show that the development of knowledge, skills and attitudes related primarily to cognitive, social and interpersonal competencies, as well as technical and digital competencies, competencies related to innovation, interdisciplinarity and multiculturalism are vital for the development of future competencies of graduates on the labour market. Research results can be useful to design more efficiently a learning process aimed at shaping the competencies of the future of students to prepare them to assume different roles in a changing and diverse context.