Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to review the use of “competence” as a concept and through the use of occupational competence standards in six European countries. Design/methodology/approach: Partners in an Erasmus+ project in each of the six countries prepared a review of the use of “competence” in their countries using a common template. The authors of this paper reviewed additional literature, summarised the individual country reviews and provided an analysis and commentary. Findings: “Competence” is becoming a widely used concept across Europe, but its interpretation and application both vary. Between them, the countries in the study illustrate the use of separate occupational standards, both as a national strategy and developed by self-governing professions; as well as competence embedded directly in qualification and training specifications. The use of separate standards as a mandatory component in national vocational education and training systems is questioned, while the use of appropriate standards for licensing and qualified status is largely endorsed. Research limitations/implications: The country reviews were conducted principally from the perspective of informing the developments taking place in the project, so were not comprehensive and also differed in emphasis between countries. Practical implications: The study points to the need to avoid promoting any particular model of occupational competence at a European level, as opposed to seeking common ground that will aid mutual recognition of qualifications. It also cautions against the uncritical transfer of models and policies from one national system to another. Originality/value: The paper provides additional evidence against “policy borrowing” without careful consideration of context, and contrasts the use of competence standards as part of a system-wide strategy with their tailored application for specific purposes.

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to describe a revised approach describing occupational competence, with particular reference to its application in two European countries at the level of specific occupational fields and in relation to the models used in national vocational education and training (VET) systems. Design/methodology/approach: An Erasmus+ project involved partners in five countries developing and trialling competence standards, following principles developed from approaches that have recently emerged in some British self-governing professions. Findings: The model used in the project avoids the narrowness that was characteristic of earlier British approaches to occupational competence. It provides a template that can be used for articulating the essentials of practice, including in emerging fields and those that cut across professions and occupations. It is also flexible enough to provide underpinnings for different types of VET system without making assumptions about the way that economies, labour markets and education systems are organised. Practical implications: A number of factors are outlined that improve the applicability of practice-based competence descriptions, including starting from occupational fields rather than job roles, focussing on the ethos and core activities of the field, and using concise and precise descriptions that are not limited to specific roles and contexts. Originality/value: A tested, practice-based model of competence is put forward that can be applied at the level of broad professional or occupational fields, is neutral in respect of national labour markets and educational systems, and offers a means of developing a common “language” of competence at a European level.

The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the education process, including the education and vocational training sector, where readiness to switch to remote learning was not common and obvious. In this exceptional situation, the need to digitise both didactic and organizational processes in institutions of continuing education and vocational training, and the need to ensure the quality of these processes has become even more evident. While skilful management with the support of diff erent tools, including improvement models, is a chance for educational units to survive in a turbulent environment and even to build a lasting competitive advantage. The article presents a proposal to support educational institutions in digitisation processes, developed as part of the international project Quality for digital education readiness in VET (Q4EDU), implemented in 2021–2023 by a partnership of seven institutions from four European Union countries (Polish, Greece, Cyprus and Italy). The proposed methodology is a comprehensive and universal solution for assessing the readiness of education and training institutions for the so-called deep digitisation, including pedagogical, technological and organizational aspects of their functioning. It offers the opportunity to monitor and improve the level of digitalisation through the use of an IT tool, based on the European framework DigCompOrg, and the opportunity to acquire and validate the competence of a digital education expert. The pilot phase in four partner countries has yielded promising results as expressed in the feedback of DigiRAsT users. The tool is available free of charge to staff interested in the development of the institution. Zarzadzanie cyfryzacją instytucji edukacyjnych – model doskonalący Pandemia COVID-19 zakłóciła proces edukacji, w tym sektor kształcenia i szkolenia zawodowego, w którym gotowość do przejścia na kształcenie zdalne nie była powszechna i wystarczająca. W tej wyjątkowej sytuacji jeszcze bardziej widoczna stała się potrzeba cyfryzacji, zarówno procesów dydaktycznych, jak i organizacyjnych w placówkach kształcenia ustawicznego i zawodowego oraz konieczność zapewnienia jakości tych procesów. Umiejętne zarządzanie przy wsparciu różnych narzędzi, w tym modeli rozwoju, jest szansą dla jednostek edukacyjnych na przetrwanie w turbulentnym otoczeniu, a nawet na zbudowanie trwałej przewagi konkurencyjnej. W artykule przedstawiono propozycję wsparcia instytucji edukacyjnych w procesach cyfryzacji, opracowaną w ramach międzynarodowego projektu Quality for digital education readiness in VET (Q4EDU), realizowanego w latach 2021–2023 przez partnerstwo siedmiu instytucji z czterech krajów Unii Europejskiej: Polski, Grecji, Cypru i Włoch. Proponowana metodyka jest kompleksowym i uniwersalnym rozwiązaniem pozwalającym na ocenę gotowości instytucji edukacyjnych i szkoleniowych do tzw. 86 Jolanta RELIGA, Anna WRONKA głębokiej cyfryzacji, obejmującej aspekty pedagogiczne, technologiczne i organizacyjne ich funkcjonowania. Oferuje możliwość monitorowania i doskonalenia poziomu digitalizacji poprzez wykorzystanie narzędzia informatycznego opartego na europejskich ramach DigCompOrg oraz możliwość nabycia i potwierdzenia kompetencji eksperta edukacji cyfrowej. Faza pilotażowych testów w czterech krajach partnerskich dała obiecujące wyniki wyrażone w opiniach użytkowników narzędzia DigiRAsT. Narzędzie jest dostępne bezpłatnie dla kadry zainteresowanych rozwojem instytucji.

This article presents the results of theoretical research on the issue of AI usage in higher education, highlights the specifics of AI application in universities in Poland and Ukraine, and outlines the findings of an original empirical study involving 1,051 respondents (students and university faculty members from Poland and Ukraine). Special attention is given to analyzing the similarities and differences in AI perception across two culturally related but socially different educational systems. Statistical models were used to verify the results (χ²-test, cumulative logistic model, Mann–Whitney U test). The research results enrich the current academic discourse on the responsible implementation of AI in higher education and lay the groundwork for developing recommendations on education policy, institutional strategy, and improving the faculty and students’ digital competencies in both countries.