Acquiring Marketing Communication Competences of the Future - Expectations of Polish Students

Higher education in specific professional competencies is each time a challenge to combine the expectations and capabilities of universities, the expectations of the labor market and the expectations of students. With regard to the competencies of the future, relevant to the marketing communications sector, the situation becomes further complicated due to the dynamically changing digital media and modes of communication. In Polish conditions, numerous research results are available, indicating the expectations of employers of the marketing communications sector. However, there is a lack of research dedicated to the competence offer of universities in this regard, as well as the expectations and interests of students. This article attempts to fill this gap. It presents the results of a survey of 156 students at Polish higher education institutions regarding the assessment of the presence of future competencies in the study plans of the majors they study and their perceived professional usefulness of these competencies. The results of the survey indicate the existence of a competence gap both between the offer of higher education institutions and the expectations of employers, as well as between the expectations of students and employers. This article was written as part of the implementation of the “Media and Communication in Education and Science” project, under the International Partnerships program, funded by the National Agency for Academic Exchange.