Abstract:

The processes of global changes and transformation have marked a new place of culture on the public scene, which in turn leads to a change in the professional situation of artists and creators. We can observe the changing roles and tasks of artists in contemporary socio-economic systems (Ilczuk, Krzysztofek, 2011). It seems important to indicate the competences facilitating the artists’ finding their way on the labour market (Ull, Martínez Agut, Aznar, Piñero 2010). By analysing the knowledge and skills conveyed in the course of education (Hull, Kimmel, Robertson, Mortimer 2016), we are able to indicate the factors which enable improving the quality of vocational education of artists and creators.

Vocational artistic education faces a difficult task, ensuring that artists acquire competences adapted to the labour market while respecting the students’ artistic skills. Curricula should also take into account the development of competences and practical skills responding to market needs (Drakaki, 2014). Graduates should be convinced that higher schools of art offer them the opportunity to develop their artistic skills and acquire (practical) skills needed to find a job following graduation. And potential employers should believe that graduates of higher schools of art have acquired in the course of their studies appropriate skills necessary to perform commissioned (entrusted) tasks or works at both the required professional and artistic level.

The problem research of our article is: Whether the skills acquired during education are adapted to the labor market of artists? It seems important to point out changes in the offer of education of artists and creators, which may increase the chances of graduates of higher schools of art finding their way in the labour market. The proposed changes were indicated by the graduates themselves as well as the potential employers.

The paper has been prepared on the basis of studies conducted between 2016 and 2018 in 15 (out of the 19 existing) higher schools of art in Poland. We used mixed research methods, both qualitative and quantitative. We have conducted the following:
• Individual interviews with the three groups of stakeholders of higher schools of art: graduates (28 in-depth interviews conducted in 2016); managers of higher schools of art (10 in-depth interviews conducted in 2016) and employers who employed graduates of art schools of art (28 in-depth interviews with representatives of public organisations, NGOs, and companies);
• Focus interviews with the management staff (rectors, chancellors) of art schools in Poland, conducted in 2016 and 2017;
• CAWI (Computer Assisted Web Interviewing) surveys, conducted every year between 2016 and 2018 with graduates of higher schools of art (surveys of ca. 2500 graduates from the years 2012-2017 were analysed).

Keywords:

Art school, competences, education, graduate.