JICA

Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA)

Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) is a Japanese government agency. Its mission is to support economic and social growth in developing countries and promote international cooperation in accordance with the Official Development Assistance (ODA) criteria set by the OECD Development Assistance Committee.

A characteristic of JICA's development assistance is bilateral aid, so called bilateral aid, which goes directly to individuals and organizations in the recipient country (recipient country). It is implemented through programs and projects, scholarships, humanitarian aid, assistance to refugees residing on the territory of the recipient country, debt relief, etc.

Beginnings of cooperation

At the beginning of its activities, PJAIT was only a beneficiary of Japanese aid, and then developed enough to become a partner in subsequent humanitarian efforts supported by Japan and aimed at the development of our eastern neighbors.

From 1999 to 2005, an IT training center for Central and Eastern European countries, the Third Country Training Program, operated under the auspices of JICA, in cooperation with the Polish Ministry of National Education. As part of this project, PJAIT conducted a one-year course. Training highly qualified IT specialists for Central and Eastern European countries in accordance with labor market requirements. The participants of the course were mainly university teachers from the following countries: Ukraine, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Moldova, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia.

Based on the experience gained from the JICA project and the Third Country Training program, in 2004 the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) in Poland and Ukraine, together with the governments of Japan, Poland and Ukraine, and the Polish-Japanese Academy of Computer Technology in Warsaw began cooperation aimed at transferring information technology to Ukraine. The Academy has implemented several educational projects in Ukraine.

The "Transfer of Information Technology to Ukraine" project, subsidized by the government of Japan, was implemented from 2004 to 2006, with the main goal of developing and introducing undergraduate studies via the Internet in Ukraine. Four Ukrainian academic institutions participated in the project: Lviv Polytechnic, Kyiv Polytechnic, Odesa Polytechnic and Kharkiv National University of Radioelectronics.

In April 2025, the Polish-Japanese Academy of Computer Technology and the Japan Agency for International Cooperation, initiated preparations for the next edition of educational courses aimed at residents of Ukraine who - as a result of the war - found themselves in Poland. The goal of the program is to equalize job opportunities in the IT sector by providing access to high-quality training and academic support.

The project is implemented in cooperation with NGOs in Poland. The originator and grantor is JICA - Japan International Cooperation Agency. This makes it possible to accurately enrolment beneficiaries who are most likely to benefit from the educational offer prepared by PJAIT. As part of this year's edition, we are continuing to implement the "Business IT Skills" courses :

🔹 Excel
Knowledge of Excel is one of the most versatile office competencies in Poland - in demand in administration, finance, HR and sales alike. Students learn to analyze data, create reports and automate tasks, which significantly increases their attractiveness in the job market.

🔹 WordPress
WordPress is the most popular website development system - it supports more than 40% of all websites. Knowing how to use it opens up job opportunities as a freelancer, in creative agencies or in-house marketing departments of companies.

🔹 Python
Python is a programming language widely used in data analysis, automation, web applications and AI projects. There is a rapidly growing demand for junior developers and IT professionals with Python basics - an excellent choice for those starting out in IT.

We are significantly expanding area support area with the introduction of three new components:

1. Postgraduate studies for refugees from Ukraine,
2. Online education for those outside major urban centers,
3. Support for scientific research in Ukrainian academic and research units.

The expansion of the program reflects our mission to strengthen international academic cooperation and build lasting educational relations between Poland, Japan and Ukraine.

For the first time, the "Business IT Skills" courses are also being implemented at PJAIT Gdansk, allowing us to reach out to the refugee community living in the Tri-City. The classes are taught by lecturers and specialists from PJAIT, and organizational activities are supported by the local university administration.

The course launch ceremonies took place on July 14 in Warsaw and July 21 in Gdansk. Both meetings had the official support of the Embassy of Japan and the PJAIT Student Government. We are honored that the students had the opportunity to listen to the speech of the Counselor of the Embassy of Japan, Mr. Akira Tajima. In Gdansk, we were honored for the first time by the First Secretary of the Embassy of Japan, Mr. Hideki Taniguchi. On the part of the University, the speakers were Professor, Dr. Maria Orlowska, Vice-Rector for Science at the Polish-Japanese Academy of Information Technology, and Ms. Marta Myszewska and Eliza Lipinska, coordinators of projects conducted with JICA.

In the 2025 edition, we plan to include nearly 200 participants, the largest coverage in the project's history.

The goal of the training series is for the trainees - people from Ukraine with higher education - to acquire new skills in the IT field, which will enable them to find their way in the modern job market in Poland. A total of 100 participants enrolled in all the courses, who will improve their skills in Excel spreadsheet, the WordPress web development tool, and learn Python programming. The IT training series, which lasts four weeks, is a pilot program during which trainees have specific tasks to complete.