Marta Liberkowska, a former TV presenter, has become the public face of Gorzów’s revitalisation as communications officer for this Poland urban renewal
Mam pracę: Twarz rewitalizacji miasta w Polsce przy wsparciu UE
Gorzów is in the midst of a renaissance, and Marta Liberkowska is getting the word out.
Marta heads a seven-person communication team in the city’s promotional department. These days, there’s a lot to say. Gorzów has undertaken a wide-ranging urban renewal program to revitalise the city and attract new residents. A loan of €46 million from the European Investment Bank, the EU bank, will help pay for new roads, an extension of the tramway and other public transport, bicycle paths, recreation areas and education facilities.
While Marta was already working for the promotional office before the project, she says that her duties have been expanded and that her department was able to hire an extra person as a result of the loan. “The mayor of the city entrusted me with the additional task of communicating on the use of the European Investment Bank’s support for the city.”
Hers is a face and voice that many local residents already know. Marta started her career as a radio presenter in Gorzów and moved on to become a TV presenter at the local branch of Telewizja Polska. She joined Gorzów’s promotional office in 2017.
Marta’s job is one of millions supported by the European Investment Bank. By 2021, investments signed by the European Investment Bank Group in 2017 alone are expected to raise EU gross domestic product by 1.1% and to create 1.2 million jobs. Even in 2036, EU GDP will be 0.7% higher as a result of the EIB’s 2017 investments, and 650 000 extra jobs will have been added.
‘We’re struggling with a demographic crisis’
The EIB loan will also pay for a new vocational training centre that will be the largest in the city’s history with 1 000 students and over 200 employees. The centre will be housed in a former hospital. “Currently the buildings are standing there and deteriorating,” Marta says. “Thanks to the investment, they will be revitalised.”
The new education centre will try to address the labour shortages that Gorzów is experiencing. Unemployment is 2.8%, Marta says, the lowest in the city’s history. Gorzów has become local hub for the chemical, energy, pharmaceutical and automotive industries, and the city is doing all it can to attract much-needed workers. “We hope that after the completion of the investment, the population of Gorzów will grow, because we are currently struggling with a demographic crisis,” she says.
