Adjusting students' competences to the needs of modern business services sector

Abstract

The modern services is one of the fastest growing sectors of the Polish economy. Business service centres have developed in the biggest cities. However, we may observe a growing interest in the development of high-tech industries in medium-sized towns. With increasing polarisation of space, it is a challenge to moderate disproportions (in various areas) between large urban centres and smaller towns of regional and subregional importance. It is a key element to ensure the social cohesion of a country and its sustainable spatial development. Medium-sized towns are less tangible in conducted studies. The potential of medium-sized towns toattract modern business services (MBS) depends on such factors as availability of qualified workforce, collaboration of investors/entrepreneurs, academic educational offer adjusted to the needs of the labour market, and moderated with government and EU documents and programmes. This study addresses the issue of the development of personnel for the business services (BPO, SSC, IT, B&R) which constitute a large developmental potential for the economy and ensures employment prospects for university (SUNSH) graduates as part of a project increasing competences in persons attending education at the university level, matching the needs of the economy, the labour market and the society. The aim of the article is to establish the specificity and assess the level of competences well as indicate key competences and the group of sensitive competence for the needs of the MBS based on empirical research conducted as part of the grant on Competences of employees of tomorrow in business service sector financed by the National Centre for Research and Development. The results of the study of competences allowed us to measure: knowledge, skills and attitudes so as to diagnose strengths in the competence profile and to indicate areas requiring improvement. In the context of polarisation, we presented the mechanism of managing competences in a trio of: business-science-government/local government, leading to the adjustment of the competence of university graduates to the needs of the MBS sector.