Analysis of Tools Supporting the Formation of Relations in an Educational-and-economic Network

Abstract

The analysis of the literature shows that cooperation, in particular the maintenance long-term, enhanced and stable relations between education and business is very difficult. Supported by scientific research, source literature presents a beneficial effect of the transfer of knowledge on the improvement of innovation, competitiveness and organizational conditions in enterprises, public institutions as well as other organizations. The activities developed in the educational-and-economic network analyzed herein include e.g. engaging in particular medium-sized and big enterprises in the exchange and updating of knowledge about competencies on the labour market which are necessary on job positions at which graduates of technical schools are employed. The main objective of the paper is to develop a process of cooperation between education and business institutions, in particular with respect to strengthening relations in an education-and-business network in which the activity can improve knowledge sharing. An indirect objective in its development is the analysis of the effectiveness of the application of tools stimulating companies to cooperate and exchange knowledge within the network. The studied were based on data from 2017-2020 collected from a sample of 352 companies. The analysis was also carried out in the context of the frequency of e-mail and telephone contacts as well as direct contacts understood as individual meetings most often held at a given employer’s facility. Kaiser-Mayer-Olkin criterion and Bartlett sphericity test were used for analysis of relationships between individual variables. Factor analysis (KMO and Cattell's criterion) and Pearson's correlation were used to study the effectiveness of the application of tools supporting the companies’ activity in the network. The analyses show that the biggest impact on forming relations is linked to participation in discussion panels. It is worth pointing out that the activity is organized for the purposes of exchanging knowledge and experience of experts who usually represent medium-sized and big employers, especially in the area of HR. As a result of the studies, a process path was proposed for the purposes of establishing, developing and maintaining long-term relations with big and medium-sized enterprises in the network of entities cooperating in the field of education and business.