Partnership between education institutions and employers

On the 6 - 7 April 2009, the Czech Presidency hosted approximately 200 delegates from education institutions, companies and EU authorities at the Prague Congress Centre. The topic of this flagship Presidency conference was to strengthen the partnership between education institutions and employers.

The partnership between schools and employers, both at the level of the European Union as a whole and at the level of the individual Member States including the Czech Republic, is becoming an increasingly debated topic. In connection with this debate there arises a wide spectrum of issues – from questions on fundamental level, which relate to the very meaning and goals of such partnerships, to issues related to the motivations of the partners and the forms and content of such partnerships, and to practical matters and examples of good practice.

The aim of the conference, which was held on 6-7 April in the Prague Congress Centre, was to discuss the ways to achieve in practice the most effective forms of partnerships between education institutions and employers, to motivate both partners to cooperate in terms of recognition of the education and qualification frameworks, and matters related to the involvement of employers in education and training as well as the interlinking of education, research and innovations with companies.

In his concluding speech, Czech Education Minister O. Liška appreciated the contribution of the conference and emphasised that the cooperation between the education institutions and employers is of vital importance and may enable us to overcome the current global challenges, such as the ageing population, migration and the headlong technological developments, which significantly influence the methods of education and learning. At the press conference he then called for increased action and cooperation:

“We need to assume a constructive approach not only on institutional level, in the individual schools and businesses, but also on political level. We are in search of a dialogue between the private and education spheres on all levels. This dialogue is necessary in order to overcome the mutual distrust and misunderstandings and to attain a larger degree of awareness and cooperation. This is a must, given the rapid technological advances as well as the current economic downturn.”

In order to be meaningful, the partnership between schools and employers must provide support to the schools (its students and lecturers) in achieving their educational goals. It also represents a specific form of investment creating a favourable environment and a social, educational and qualification-providing potential, which can be used by companies. Eventually, such partnerships should be reflected in the results achieved by the students, in the knowledge and skills they will develop, in the attitudes and values which will represent their potential to act in matters of a personal, social and professional nature. The current political crisis further amplifies these needs.

The Czech Presidency enlivened the programme of the conference by including two interesting events. The first day of the debate was concluded by the performance of the student choir “BesHarmonie” from the Prague Grammar School of Jaroslav Heyrovský. The conductor of the choir, Libor Sládek, had been awarded the Golden Amos prize (Zlatý Amos) for the most popular teacher in the Czech Republic in 2000.

On the second day of the conference the participants voted the winner from among the four most successful graduates of the Junior Achievement - Young Enterprise Alumni Europe courses. The winning business plan was presented by Karoli Hindriks from Estonia, who was congratulated in person by Minister Liška.

contact:

Tomáš Bouška, Spokesperson of the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports for the Czech Presidency
tel.: +420 257 193 426, e-mail: tomas.bouska@msmt.cz