On 11 September this year, a contract for the establishment of the BCU in Różanystok was solemnly signed and a symbolic cheque for the creation of the new facility was handed over in person by the Deputy Minister of Education and Science, Dariusz Piontkowski, to Father Dr Tadeusz Jarecki, Superior of the Salesian Society, St Stanislaus Kostka Province in Warsaw. The meeting was also attended by Voivode of Podlasie Bohdan Paszkowski, starost of Sokółka Piotr Rećko, Podlasie school superintendent Beata Pietruszka, the mayor of Dąbrowa Białostocka Artur Gajlewicz, and the director of the Polish Chamber of Commerce of Furniture Manufacturers Michał Strzelecki.
The Superintendent expressed his conviction that the centre would contribute to changing vocational education in Poland, but also to the development of the economy. Young people and adults will train to become carpenters and upholsterers at the BCU during the implementation of stationary activities: vocational training, courses and industry training. The investment activities include the construction of a completely new educational building: a hall, dedicated to the operation of the BCU of the Furniture Industry. The hall will be equipped with modern equipment, i.e. innovative machinery, the elements of which are essential for the implementation of modern vocational training. Additional equipment for the BCU will be the Mobile Education Centre (Meblo-Bus), which will make it possible to reach those people who will not have the possibility of stationary courses and training, as a complementary activity to the remote learning platform. In this way, a technologically advanced education, training and examination center will be created and a space will be created for close cooperation between business (furniture manufacturers) and vocational education in the field of the furniture industry.
The BCU, which will be run by the Warsaw Province, will be the only one in the whole country for this particular field. The centre will support the development of vocational education (branch and technical) with additional high-tech education, training and examination centres in the specific branch. The multi-faceted project demonstrates that cooperation between different stakeholders - schools, entrepreneurs, industry organizations, research institutes and universities - is the most important in vocational education. Our partner in implementing the project in Różanystok is the All-Poland Chamber of Commerce of Furniture Manufacturers.
-We offer such integral development to young people, we care for their intellectual and spiritual development, but we also teach them a specific profession to introduce them as mature persons into a specific professional life - declared Father Tadeusz Jarecki. Learning at the Vocational Skills Centre will be conducted in accordance with professed Salesian values and respect for human rights and dignity. We want to develop in our pupils a sensitivity to ecological, sociological and ethical problems. The BCU's activities will also include professional conferences, open days and study trips. Implementation of both projects will begin as early as 2023. The first courses and training at the Industry Skills Centre will start as early as the end of 2024.
The institution responsible for the Investment is the Ministry of Education and Science. Funding was received under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan. The project operator is the Foundation for the Development of the Education System.
