Environmental Diversification Of Career Plans And Aspirations Of Young People In Rural Areas – Circumstances And Consequences

The article attempts at defining the circumstances and consequences of environmental diversification in rural education, career plans and aspirations of young people in rural areas in the context of developmental perspectives in the countryside. The Polish countryside is characterized by strong diversification in demographic, social and economic terms. The central and eastern regions have a tendency for depopulation (a relatively high percentage of people in post-working age, negative balance of internal migrations), they are largely agricultural (most of the population employed in the agricultural sector, scarcity of non-agricultural employment), while the incomes of local government authorities and human capital are at a low level. On the other hand, it is in Central and Eastern Poland that a larger percentage of young people continue their education at tertiary level and the results of pupils in elementary schools and junior high schools appear to be better, regardless of the unfavourable environmental circumstances.