The role of the Lublin Subzone of Euro-Park Mielec Special Economic Zone in development and taking advantage of human capital of the city of Lublin

Abstract

Special economic zone (SEZ) is an instrument for regional development. One of the purposes for SEZs creation in Poland, it was the creation of new jobs. In the majority of Polish zones this priority has been expressed in plans of development as the need for labor market activation and increase in the level of education and qualifications of employees. The authors state that the essence of the functioning of economic zones in Poland include not only new jobs creation but also the development of human capital. In particular, the aim of this article is evaluation whether and to what extent the Lublin Subzone of Euro-Park Mielec Special Economic Zone, which became the subject of research conducted by the authors, contributes to the development of human capital of Lublin city. The paper presents the results of studies conducted in enterprises from Lublin Subzone. In the first part of the article, the theoretical aspects of the importance of Polish economic zones for the shaping of human capital are discussed. In the second part the attention has been focused on the presentation of the results of surveys conducted in enterprises from Lublin Subzone. The research shows that the human capital of the city is an important factor in attracting investors to the Subzone, while investment implemented in the Subzone contribute to the creation of new jobs, especially for young people and with at least secondary education. The main channel of the development of human capital is internal training in the surveyed companies as well as natural opportunity to gain experience and skills in the course of work performed by the employees, or in the course of students practice. However, the adaptation of curricula in higher education to the needs of employers Subzone should have been improved.