Dynamic changes in the labor market and rapid technological development place high demands on education. Supporting young people in studying technical fields was the main topic of this year's conference "Education Compass for the 21st Century," organized by the Faculty of Education at the University of South Bohemia in collaboration with the South Bohemian Region.
School directors engaged in discussions with representatives from the Ministry of Education, Youth, and Sports, as well as with representatives of energy companies and entrepreneurs. The common thread throughout the lectures and discussions was innovative approaches to technical education and its necessary connection to practice.
"The University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice recognizes the importance of timely responses to the demands of the future labor market and the associated transformation of education at all levels. We have been co-organizing the Compass 21 Conference for the fourth time now, and it is a logical outcome and response to the changes in education at elementary and secondary schools, as well as at our university. It is an opportunity to share, discuss, progress, respond to societal megatrends, and stay ahead. It is a chance to create a functional community with a vision – education and learning for the future," explained the significance of the event the Dean of the Faculty of Education at the University of South Bohemia, Helena Koldová.
An essential part of the conference was specific examples of linking teaching and practice, cooperation between schools and companies, and opportunities for funding technical education.
"I am convinced that schools, and especially their directors, have significant autonomy within the system and can greatly influence not only their school but also a part of society. If they manage to find strong partners who support them (financially, morally, or even with their time and energy), they can realize their ideas and visions. We have been fortunate to have such partners, and as a result, we can implement projects like the Technical Olympics (supported by the Faculty of Education at USB and ČEZ) or the Technical Basic School (supported by Dukelská Elementary School and its founders)," added Jaroslav Koreš, one of the invited guests and the director of the Secondary Technical School of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering in České Budějovice.
The Faculty of Education at USB offers professional education for graduates of technical fields who are experts in their specializations but lack the necessary qualifications to teach at secondary technical schools in electrical engineering or mechanical engineering, or technical lyceums. They can acquire this qualification through the specialization "Teaching of Professional Technical Subjects" at the Faculty of Education. In this way, the University of South Bohemia helps bring technical experts into the education process for students in areas such as polytechnics, energy, and applied technologies.
At the same time, the University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice educates professionals focused on natural science and technical fields (physics, chemistry, mathematics, and informatics) across its faculties and plans to expand the range of such study programs. For example, by introducing an inter-faculty technical study program "Applied Engineering Technologies," which will be based on the so-called STEM approach, integrating Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics.
