The project “Establishment and operation of the Skills Council for the IT, Telecommunications and Cybersecurity Sector” is implemented under the European Funds for Social Development Programme (FERS), within Priority Axis FERS.01.00, measure FERS.01.10 – Support for adapting employees, enterprises and entrepreneurs to change. The organiser of the call FERS.01.10-IP.09-001/24 was the Polish Agency for Enterprise Development (PARP).

The project is implemented by the Polish Information Processing Society (Polskie Towarzystwo Informatyczne) under agreement no. FERS.01.10-IP.09-0010/25 concerning the organisation and operation of the Sectoral Skills Council.

• Project implementation period: 1 October 2025 – 31 December 2029
• Scope of intervention: supporting activities that facilitate the adaptation of employees and enterprises to changes in the labour market
• Project value: PLN 3,903,646.25

Project objective

The objective of the project is to carry out the substantive activities of the Sectoral Skills Council for IT, Telecommunications and Cybersecurity, tasked with implementing activities supporting the alignment of the formal and non-formal education system with labour market needs in the sector. The Council’s activities will focus primarily on identifying skills gaps and the sector’s development needs.

The Council will:

• obtain knowledge from entrepreneurs on qualification and occupational needs present in the labour market in the sector,
• issue and update recommendations on aligning the economy’s workforce with the current needs of entrepreneurs in the sector,
• initiate cooperation between entrepreneurs and higher education institutions as well as entities referred to in Article 2 (scope of the education system) of the Act of 14 December 2016 — Education Law, in order to integrate education and employers,
• identify actions aimed at acquiring in-demand competencies — in cooperation with public administration (including regional self-government at the voivodeship level), entrepreneurs’ organisations and educational institutions,
• cooperate with the Sectoral Skills Centres (Branżowe Centra Umiejętności).

Information-dissemination activities will be undertaken regarding qualification and occupational needs in the sector, as well as educational and awareness-raising activities among enterprises on the benefits of work-based learning and building cooperation between business and universities/schools. Identifying and analysing the sector’s qualification and occupational needs, and initiating broad cooperation, will enable the implementation of systemic initiatives contributing to addressing the identified labour market challenges in the sector.

Ongoing analysis and forecasting

The Council will regularly obtain information from companies operating in the IT, telecommunications and cybersecurity sector on current competency needs. The purpose of this process is not only to understand current market requirements, but also to forecast future needs related to technological development, digitalisation and sustainable development in these industries.

The Council will carry out tasks resulting from Article 4e(2) of the Act on PARP.

Sector definition (IT, Telecommunications and Cybersecurity — ITCB)

The IT, telecommunications and cybersecurity sector (ITCB) — in accordance with Annex 1 to Resolution No. 2/2024 of the Programme Council for Skills of 11 June 2024 approving the opinion on the list of sectors in which the President of PARP will entrust the organisation and operation of sectoral skills councils — comprises entrepreneurs conducting business activity under the following codes of activities (PKD 2007):

• J.58.2 — Publishing of software (excluding 58.21.Z — publishing of computer games)
• J.62 — Software-related activities and IT consultancy and related activities
• J.63.1 — Data processing; website (hosting) management and similar activities; web portals
• J.61.1 — Wired telecommunications activities
• J.61.2 — Wireless telecommunications activities (excluding satellite communications)
• J.61.3 — Satellite telecommunications activities
• J.61.9 — Other telecommunications activities
• S.95.11 — Repair and maintenance of computers and peripheral equipment

Experience and continuity

The Council will draw on the experience and achievements of:

• the Sectoral Skills Council — Informatics, operating 2016-2023
  and
• the Sectoral Skills Council — Telecommunications and Cybersecurity, operating 2019-2023.

The IT, telecommunications and cybersecurity sector is a high-technology sector and, as such, provides support for people with disabilities.

Target groups

The project’s target group is consistent with the description in the Project Selection Rules (page 14, subsection 5.3). In general, these are sector stakeholders, primarily entrepreneurs, their employees and job candidates, as well as other entities important from the perspective of the Council’s activities aimed at improving workforce competencies in the sector, including:

• providers of ICT products and services, including cybersecurity (hardware and software suppliers, integration services, IT infrastructure management services),
• specialised companies delivering cybersecurity products and services (hardware and software, consultancy services, cybersecurity audits, penetration testing, etc.),
• entities providing IT and cybersecurity training for users of products and services in the sector.