Located in the mobility district, the Polish Pavilion proved to be one of the most frequently visited pavilions (more than 1.5 million visitors) and awarded for, among others, its exhibition and architectural qualities. Between October 2021 and March 2022, it became almost a second home for 134 young people who were engaged to operate it. It was the place where they talked about Poland, its resources and achievements, and about the achievements and opportunities that cooperation with our country offers. The permanent exhibition was supplemented with a series of temporary exhibitions promoting individual regions, including the Lodz Voivodeship (November 2021) and the city of Lodz (December 2021), the host of the Green EXPO 2029. Poland's presence in Dubai was also used as an opportunity to build business relations. Among others, the following events took place: Polish-Arab Economic Forum (December 2021) and Polish-African Economic Forum (March 2022). Each event was attended by several hundred representatives of both sides.
University of Lodz was one of the five Polish universities involved in participation in EXPO 2020 to provide their students with opportunities for professional internships. The conclusion of partnership agreements with the Polish Investment & Trade Agency (PFR Group) and directly with the Polish Pavilion, made it possible to send 25 people from the University of Lodz to Dubai for paid professional internships, financed by a specific grant awarded by the Minister of Education and Science.
The EXPO 2020 internship opportunity in Dubai is an extremely valuable professional, cultural and social experience for students, which is internationally grounded
– says dr Joanna Górniak, coordinator of internships in Logistics at the Faculty of Economics and Sociology of the University of Lodz, and she adds:
The interdisciplinary nature of these internships is worth emphasising. Each student working at EXPO 2020 probably set themselves different individual goals and meticulously pursued them. However, their common denominator was the promotion of Poland on a global scale, which could definitely be seen during the monitoring visit. From the point of view of the person responsible for verifying the effects of the internships, I can confidently say that the experience gained by the students will pay off in the future.
Poland was one of the few countries that engaged students recruited from partner universities in a four-stage procedure to operate the national pavilion. This proved to be an excellent solution to harness the potential of the younger generation in promotion. Positive feedback about the students taking part in internships at EXPO reached both the university and the organisers.
International experience, functioning within the structures of a large corporation with a well-developed network of contractors, dealing with mental and cultural differences, improving foreign language skills, and finally, direct contact with representatives of companies and official delegations were the daily routine of those who decided to take advantage of the opportunity provided by the University of Lodz in cooperation with our partners
– sums up dr Jakub Doński-Lesiuk z Katedry Logistyki i Innowacji UŁ from the Department of Logistics and Innovations at the Faculty of Economics and Sociology of the University of Lodz, the ambassador of EXPO 2020 Dubai on behalf of the University of Lodz, and adds:
We are grateful for the opportunity for our students to participate in such a spectacular event, which is an excellent tool for building their future professionalism and shaping the right social attitudes. I would like to thank everyone with whom we have had the opportunity to work and who has been supportive for our students.
Special thanks go to Marta Zielińska, coordinator of the Regional Promotion and Cooperation with Universities Programme in the EXPO Dubai 2020 Team of the Polish Investment & Trade Agency, Adrian Malinowski, Commissioner General of the Polish Section at EXPO, and Piotr Kowalczyk, Head of Division in the Department of Scientific Programmes and Investment at the Ministry of Education and Science.
The project "Organisation of foreign internships for 25 students from the University of Lodz in connection with Poland's participation in the World Exhibition EXPO 2020 Dubai" was financed by the Minister of Education and Science with a grant of PLN 633,000. It was implemented by the Faculty of Economics and Sociology of the University of Lodz and provided the possibility of internships lasting from 3 up to 6 months. Students of the four following faculties took advantage of the internships: Faculty of Economics and Sociology (13 persons), Faculty of International and Political Studies (9 persons), Faculty of Philology (2 persons) and Faculty of Geographical Sciences (1 person).
Source: Department of Logistics and Innovations, University of Lodz
Edit: Promotion Centre of the University of Lodz