Academic career offices - new challenges, common solutions

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The two presenters stand on the conference stage. A woman in a white blouse and green trousers is holding a black briefcase, a man in a dark suit with a green pillowcase is holding a microphone and a blue briefcase.
The National Conference of Academic Career Offices is behind us. Warsaw welcomed more than 130 representatives of career offices from 66 universities from 26 Polish cities, who met within the walls of MUW to discuss how to act in the era of advancing technological development, in consultation with business and the socio-economic environment.

The conference was held on June 12 and 13 under the patronage of Prof. Rafał Krenke, Rector of MUW, and Prof. Bogumiła Kaniewska, Chairwoman of CRASP. It was organized by the Office of Quality of Education, Competence Development and Careers MUW and the Commission for Academic Career Offices at CRASP. The event was supported by career offices operating in eight Warsaw universities: SWPS, ALK, PW, UW, SGH, UKSW, AWF and SGGW.

Partnership in action

- The key to effective cooperation invariably lies in interpersonal relationships. This conference proves that cooperation and working together across divisions is a strength of the career office community - stressed Dr. Jakub Sokolnicki, Head of the Office of Quality of Education, Competence Development and Careers MUW. He added that he is pleased that after 10 years the professional conference is returning to Warsaw as a strong and significant academic center.

Career offices an important link of university

They support students and graduates in planning their career paths, offer a range of training courses and help them develop their competencies and adapt to the ever-changing environment.

- Career offices are a bridge between academia and the labor market - noted Prof. Bogumiła Kaniewska, Chairwoman of CRASP - Thanks to career offices, universities can carry out their educational missions in cooperation with representatives of the socio-economic environment.

- I have been observing the development of career offices at universities for many years, and their development is unquestionable - said Prof. Marek Kuch.

Dorota Pisula, Chairwoman of the Committee for Academic Career Offices at CRASP - a committee that has been working for the community for 10 years, training, promoting, preparing standards and recommendations - also talked about the importance of joint activities of academic career offices.

Human 5.0

On the first day, they were invited to a series of panel meetings and networking at the Didactic Center of our university. On the second day, those willing to participate could take part in workshops and meetings at the headquarters of Warsaw universities. It was interesting and inspiring.

The special guest of the event was Dr. Dominik Ludwiczyński, Founder and Vice President of the Polish HR Business Partner Association - SGH, who gave a lecture on “Human 5.0 - an ecosystem of competencies for the turbulent times of the AI era.”

What did he emphasize in his lecture? That we live in a world where artificial intelligence and digital tools are increasingly influencing our decisions, emotions and the way we work. And time and the ability to manage information are becoming key resources - they determine our efficiency.

- We are bombarded with a great deal of information. Are they all valuable? Do we know how to filter them, do we know how to prioritize them? What is a very big challenge today is how to use this time, how to manage it - the speaker explained. And he added that the paradox of new technologies is that on the one hand they make it easier for us to work, but on the other hand they make it increasingly difficult for us to manage ourselves and our time, our mental and emotional health.

He also noted that today's job market is looking for professionals equipped with competencies such as self-awareness, motivation, flexibility, agility and the ability to learn throughout life. But knowledge of technology is also valued. That's why it's important to teach how one can work effectively with technology while maintaining emotional and intellectual harmony. Universities, and especially career offices, have a unique role today - to support students in developing these skills and prepare them to consciously, responsibly shape the future.

From artificial intelligence, business collaboration to the Drop-out phenomenon - thematic panels

Later in the meeting, three thematic panels were held.

During the first panel, entitled "AI tool or competition? The Future of Career Counseling in the Age of Digitalization - How Career Offices Can Effectively Adapt AI to Support Their Business," the results of a study on the use of generative artificial intelligence tools in Poland and around the world were presented. This was followed by a discussion of career counselors, recruiters and employers, during which they considered whether artificial intelligence is a tool to support career counseling, or whether it competes with it in the context of increasing digitization. Panelists included: Dr Błażej Mroziński (Gyfted.me, Co-founder, Chief Product Officer), Łukasz Foks (Microsoft, Director, AI National Skills – EMEA Skills for Social Impact – Corporate, External and Legal Affairs) and Karol Waszak (Antal, platforma ReX, Product Manager | Digital Recruitment | AI & Automation in HR). The panel was moderated by Olga Kożuchowska, Director of the Career Office at SWPS University.

During the second panel, the interviewees collectively considered what kind of cooperation with business works, what needs to be changed, and what is controversial? Are Career Offices seen by business as strategic partners or mere contractors, and what is their relationship with student organizations. The panelists were Monika Niepiekło (Career Office Manager, University of Warsaw, sociologist, career counselor), Sławomir Szymczak (expert/project manager Konfederacja Lewiatan, Labor Department), Gracjan Jaskulski (President of the BEST Students Association), Agnieszka Mrówka (Manager, Employer Branding Department - HR area, ORLEN S.A.). The discussion was moderated by Julita Mucha, Head of the Career Office at the Warsaw University of Technology, who specializes in building relationships with employers.

The third panel dealt with drop-out. It considered the essence of the drop-out phenomenon and its potential consequences for various areas of public and social life, and touched on the mental condition of young people entering the labor market. The panelists were: Cezary Przybył (expert from the Polish Economic Institute), Jolanta Żyśko, MD, PhD (Vice Rector for Development, Professor at the Academy of Physical Education), Mateusz Żydek (spokesman and leader of the Randstad Poland communications team). The panel was moderated by Piotr Pokorny, co-founder and CEO at the Institute for Higher Education Development.

Meetings on Warsaw university campuses

On the second day of the event, those willing to participate could take part in selected workshops organized by the Warsaw Career Offices. It was an excellent opportunity for further networking, but also to learn about individual solutions or good practices in the career field applied by universities.

  • The SWPS Career Office invited to a meeting entitled "Technology in the Career Office. Presentation of systems for handling: internships, job offers and career counseling";
  • The KU Career Office invited to a meeting entitled "How to develop long-term relationships with alumni? And effective cooperation with business";
  • The WUT Career Office invited to a meeting entitled “A career as an engineer in Warsaw, welcome to the Warsaw University of Technology!”;
  • The MUW Career Office invited to a meeting entitled "Well-being in the work of a career counselor. How to take care of yourself in a rushing world? - Location: Ochota";
  • The UW Career Office invited to a meeting entitled “Effective cooperation with people with dysfunctions - practical aspects and good practices”;
  • The SGH Career Office invited to a meeting entitled “How to prepare and implement a mentoring program step by step?”;
  • The UKSW Career Office invited to a meeting entitled "How to meet the expectations of students? Ideas that work in the UKSW Career Office";
  • The AWF Career Office invited to a meeting entitled "From idea to action! Our success stories and careers in practice";
     
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