Right to Competence

The RIGHT TO COMPETENCE project ran from 1 September 2016 to 30 June 2018. Its main objective was to improve the competencies sought for by employers – the group of beneficiaries were 60 students of law at Kozminski University. 

 The project was a very extensive initiative, based on a couple of complementary pillars, and the logic of the undertaken activities involved broadening the areas of the offered support. The initial individual work and the determination of the participants’ balance of competencies let the participants get involved in the project, and the university could focus on the specific needs and motivations of the participants, and to shape the support path accordingly. This was followed by working in groups of people in a similar professional situation (competency workshops and project work), which boosted the confidence and motivation to ‘showcase’ one’s competencies and see how they ‘performed’ compared to certain specific requirements (certified training) and experiences and solutions from abroad (study visits). The project ended with another balance of competencies, which made it possible to determine the occurring change and establish the competency profile as a result of participation in the project – and offer recommendations for further professional development to our students.

Although the project has finished, we’re still taking advantage of its effects, implementing them in the daily practice of our university. Both the developed programmes and interactive teaching are taken advantage of by faculty members and new students of law alike. The competency interviews we conducted as part of the balance of competencies are used by the Career Development and Alumni Relations Office during e.g. competency diagnoses and preparations for interviews. Students can use professional literature purchased for the library. Thanks to the study visits it was possible to establish or strengthen our relationships with foreign HEIs and the scientific community – including the Philipps University of Marburg, Leicester Law School (University of Leicester), University of Brno, Bangor University. The project activities made it possible to enter into collaboration with a relatively large number of various institutions – private and public institutions, international organisations, and professional self-governments. All this contributed to the achievement of the project goals, becoming at the same time its added value, which pays off by improving the quality of education at Kozminski University.