The Academy of Competences debuted in 2006. Throughout (almost) 20 years – with the support of Partners – we have trained almost 14,000 people and completed exactly 849 classes. The next opportunity to develop key competences and meet with practitioners is approaching. We have prepared a package of organisational information.
A variety of possibilities
This year, choosing the activities turned out to be a big challenge. We have received over 60 proposals from companies, non-governmental organisations and institutions. Initially, we planned to organize 1 event per day, but the applications were so interesting that we have decided to expand the programme of the Academy of Competences from 15 to 22 meetings.
When inviting Partners to cooperate, we were guided primarily by the results of the training needs survey. The programme will include classes that touch on each of the thematic areas that were at the top of the ranking. There will also be a few thematic surprises – we took care of diversity and active forms of work. We preferred applications from Partners who proposed engaging workshops, practical exercises and training games. This is the format of work that were the most popular among people studying at the University of Lodz in the survey. We also paid attention to accessibility – some classes will be held on-site, in the training room of the University of Lodz Career Office, some – online, on MS Teams.
Thematic areas
Each edition of the Academy of Competences is about ideas for small improvements. This time we are testing the concept of thematic weeks:
Personal development (24-28 March)
The event will open a week of workshops and webinars aimed at supporting resources and individual potential.
Among them: stress management techniques, personal effectiveness and time management, the Growth Mindset approach, LinkedIn, creating engaging presentations, self-presentation and public speaking, planning using personal forecasting methods and working on balance in the digital and real world.
Tools (31 March – 4 April)
The second week consists of proposals presenting useful tools, software and work methods in a practical way.
This set includes: Canva – in a package with recruiter tips and a chance to polish your CV, data analysis with Power BI and Excel (at two levels of advancement), use of Microsoft Azure and AI, online content verification tools, business process modelling with BPMN and selected tools for creating games and applications.
Business skills and the job market (7 – 11 April)
The Academy of Competences 2025 will conclude with a week of classes covering key industry competencies and navigating the labour market.
The package includes: a business simulation that will take teams to a gold mine, trends on the labour market, support in finding your professional path, competences of the future developed by Design Thinking, labour law in recruitment, workshops on budgeting and raising funds for your idea and – as the finale of this year's edition – the basics of Polish sign language and an introduction to DEI (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion).
How to register?
You can register via the Career Development Portal (events tab). A (free) account on the Portal is required.
Please register thoughtfully – as in previous years, we will prepare certificates only for those who participate in all meetings they sign up for. Some workshops and webinars are held in parallel – you should pay attention to this while registering.
Who can participate in the Academy of Competences?
The classes are intended primarily for people studying and pursuing a PhD degree at the University of Lodz. Participation of people from outside the University of Lodz will be possible only in the case of available places for individual workshops and webinars. This also applies to graduates of our university.