Barriers in Career Planning for Students in Poland and Italy
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.12775/PBE.2025.006Keywords
career planning, professional development, professional barriers, labour market, support for studentsAbstract
In the face of dynamic changes in the labour market, this study analyzes the barriers to career planning among students in Poland and Italy. It serves as a crucial tool for understanding the challenges faced by young people. A diagnostic survey was conducted among management students at the WSB Merito University in Poland, and Università degli Studi del Sannio-Benevento in Italy to identify the main difficulties and barriers to career planning. The research sample was selected purposively, focusing on management students as a representative groupof young individuals facing career planning challenges, in accordance with best practices in social science research. The results indicate regional differences: in Poland, issues related to the requirement for full availability and transportation difficulties are predominant, while in Italy, low wages and employment instability are more prevalent problems young people face. Students in both countries actively seek to gain practical experience through work and participation in various training programs. The study highlights the need to focus on developing effective support strategies for students, addressing these differences and better aligning education with labour market demands and contributes to the development of a career management model that supports young people in transitioning from the education system to the labour market. The research findings represent an attempt to create a career management model that
supports young people in transitioning from the education system to the labour market.
References
AlmaLaurea (2014). Condizione occupazio nale dei laureati. XVI Indagine 2013 [Employment Conditions of Graduates. XVI Survey 2013]. Retrieved 15 December 2023 from: https://www.almalaurea.it/sites/almalaurea.it/files/docs/universita/ occupazione/occupazione12/almalaurea_indagine2013.pdf.
AlmaLaurea (2023). Summary Report. Retrieved 26 June 2024 from: https://www.almalaurea.it/sites/default/files/2023-11/Sintesi%20Rapporto%20Profilo%202023_EN.pdf.
Anelli, M., Basso, G., Ippedico, G., & Peri, G. (2023). Emigration and Entrepreneurial Drain. American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, American Economic Association, 15(2), 218–252, doi: 10.1257app.20210194.
Arthur, M.B., Hall, D.T., & Lawrence, B.S. (Eds.) (1989). Handbook of Career Theory. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Bańka, A. (2007), Psychologiczne doradztwo karier [Psychological Career Counseling]. Poznań: Stowarzyszenie Psychologia i Architektura, doi: 10.14691/PDK.2016.
Becker-Pestka, D., Kołodziej, J., & Pujer, K. (2017). Rozwój osobisty i zawodowy: wybrane problemy teorii i praktyki [Personal and Professional Development: Selected Issues in Theory and Practice]. Wrocław: Exante.
Benati, K., Lindsay, S., O’Toole, J., & Fischer, J. (2023). Career Planning and Workforce Praparation During Economic Downturn: Perceptions of Graduating Business Students. Education+Training, 65(3), 403–415, doi: 10.1108/ET-10-2021-0389.
Buczkowska, D. (2014). Studia i co dalej? Jak bezkolizyjnie wejść na rynek pracy [Higher Education and Beyond: Facilitating a Seamless Transition Into the Labour Market]. In: M. Makuch (Ed.), Współczesny rynek pracy. Zatrudnienie i bezrobocie w XXI wieku [The Contemporary Labor Market: Employment and Unemployment in the 21st Century] (pp. 175–185). Wrocław: Wydawnictwo CEdu Sp. z o.o.
Bohdziewicz, P. (2008). Kariery zawodowe w gospodarce opartej na wiedzy (na przykładzie informatyków) [Professional Careers in the Knowledge-Based Economy: The Case of IT Specialists]. Łódź: Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Łódzkiego.
Brain Drain Fear Stalks Italy Again (2023). Retrieved 10 December 2023 from: https://dottorato.it/content/brain-drain-fear-stalks-italy-again.
Briscoe, J.P., Hall, D.T., & Frautschy DeMuth, R.L. (2006). Protean and Boundaryless Careers: An Empirical Exploration. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 69, 30–47, doi: 10.1016/j.jvb.2005.09.003.
Cardoso, P., & Moreira, J.M. (2009). Self-Efficacy Beliefs and the Relation Between Career Planning and Perception of Barriers. International Journal for Educational and Vocational Guidance, 9(3), 177–188, doi: 10.1007/s10775-009-9163-2.
Economic Survey of Italy (2021). Retrieved 05 December 2023 from: https://www.oecdilibrary.org/sites/f0ed28b7-en/index.html?itemId=/content/component/f0ed28b7-en.
Education and Training Monitor (2020). Retrieved 15 December 2023 from: https://op.europa.eu/webpub/eac/education-and-training-monitor-2020/countries/
italy/poland.html.
Hall, D.T. (2004). The Protean Career: A Quarter-Century Journey. Journal of Vocational
Behavior, 65(1), 1–13, doi: 10.1016/j.jvb.2003.10.006. Italy Youth Unemployment Rate. Retrieved 15 December 2023 from: https://ycharts.com/indicators/italy_youth_ unemployment_rate_lfs.
Jackson, D., & Tomlison, M. (2020). Investigating the Relationship Between Career Planning, Proactivity and Employability Perceptions Among Higher Education Students in Uncertain Labour Market Conditions. Higher Education, Springer, 80, 435–455, doi: 10.1007/s10734-019-00490-5.
Jemini-Gashi, L., & Kadriu, E. (2022). Exploring the Career Decision-Making Process During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Opportunities and Challenges for Young People. SAGE Open, 2, doi: 10.1177/21582440221078856.
Kowalik, Z., & Magda, I. (2021). Rynek pracy w Polsce – przemiany i wyzwania. Ubezpieczenia społeczne [The Labour Market in Poland – Transformations and Challenges. Social Insurance]. Teoria i Praktyka, 3, 5–22, doi: 10.5604/01.3001.0015.3183.
Lanthaler, W., & Zugmann, J. (2000). Akcja JA. Nowy sposób myślenia o karierze [Action I AM. A New Way of Thinking About Careers]. Warszawa: Twigger.
Mainiero, L.A., & Sullivan, S.E. (2005). Kaleidoscope Careers: An Alternate Explanation for the “Opt-Out” Revolution. Academy of Management Perspectives, 19(1), 106–123, doi: 10.5465/ame.2005.15841962.
McNamara, L.C., McKee, M., & Stuckler, D. (2021). Precarious Employment and Health in the Context of COVID-19: A Rapid Scoping Umbrella Review. European Journal of Public Health, 3(4), iv40-iv41, doi: 10.1093/eurpub/ckab159.
More Brain Drains, Less Entrepreneurship. Retrieved 15 November 2023 from: https://www.viasarfatti25.unibocconi.eu/ notizia.php?idArt=25137.
Morrison, C., Dashtipour, P., & Keles, J.Y. (2023). Learning from Labour: Critical Pedagogy for Working Students. Project Preliminary Report. Retrieved 15 December 2023 from: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/369921351_Project_Preliminary_report_Learning_from_Labour_Critical_pedagogy_for_working_students.
Negoiţă, G. (2020). The Career Model of 21st Century Adopted by Higher Education Graduates. European Review of Applied Sociology, 13(21), 27–37, doi: 10.1515/eras 2020-0008.
Newman, K. (2011). Sustainable Careers: Lifecycle Engagement in Work. Organizational Dynamics, 40(2), 136–143, doi: 10.1016/j.orgdyn.2011.01.008.
OECD (2023). Stat, Higher education graduation. Retrieved 15 December 2023 from: https://stats.oecd.org/.
Pastore, F., Quintano, C., & Rocca, A. (2022). The Duration of the School-to-Work Transition in Italy and in Other European Countries: A Flexible Baseline Hazard Interpretation. International Journal of Manpower, 43(7), 1579–1600, doi: 10.1108/IJM-03-2021-0135.
Perchinunno, P., Bilancia, M., & Vitale, D. (2019). A Statistical Analysis of Factors Affecting Higher Education Dropouts. Social Indicators Research, 156(2–3), 241, doi: 10.1007/s11205-019-02249-y.
Piorunek, M. (2021). Młodzież o karierze – postrzeganie kariery na etapie adolescencji i wczesnej dorosłości [Youth and Career: Perceptions of Career During Adolescence and Emerging Adulthood]. Lubelski Rocznik Pedagogiczny, 40(2), 88–89, doi: 10.17951/lrp.2021.40.2.87-106.
Poland Youth Unemployment Rate (2023). Retrieved 01 December 2023 from: https://ycharts.com/indicators/poland_youth_ unemployment_rate_lfs.
Rudnak, I., Čarvašova, A., Garamvolgyi, J., Hambardzumyan, G., Vardanyan, L., & Beran Sladkayova, M. (2023). Gender Differences in Career Planning Among Young Adults. European Journal of Business Science and Technology, 9(2), 231–248, doi: 10.11118/ejobsat.2023.012.
Samek Lodovici, M., & Semenza, R. (2012). Report: Precarious Work and High Skilled Youth. Milano: Franco Angeli.
Savickas, M.L. (1997). Career Adaptabilitys: An Integrative Construct for Life-Span, Life-Space Theory. The Career Development Quarterly, 45(3), 247–259, doi: 10.1002/j.2161-0045.1997.tb00469.x.
Simmons, J., Hans-Georg, W., Forret, M.L., & Sullivan, S.E. (2021). A Longitudinal Investigation of the Kaleidoscope Career Model, Networking Behaviors, and Career Success. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 138(3–4): 103764, doi: 10.1016/j.jvb.2022.103764.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Agnieszka Czarnecka, Monika Miętkiewicz, Ilona Ziemkiewicz-Gawlik, Grzegorz Wojciech Pietrek
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Stats
Number of views and downloads: 192
Number of citations: 0
