Blog Companies and schools united through the POSPOLU project

Technical school apprentices and students can gain hands-on experience through vocational training, develop valuable skills, and even earn several thousand crowns per month. This was a key topic discussed by project participants at a joint meeting in Prague, where they exchanged insights on project implementation.

Among the sixty-odd participants were representatives from the solution team, schools, companies, the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports, the Ministry of Industry and Trade, the social partners' commission, and numerous other organizations. Věra Vrchotová, representative of MOTOR JIKOV Group a.s., shared her experiences collaborating with schools and emphasized the importance of student internships in real company environments. Over eight years, the company established three training and simulation centers and maintains long-term cooperation with many technically oriented schools.

“Practical training introduces students to work in a real-world setting. They start in training centers and, once proficient, move directly into operational environments. They learn to work with an emphasis on quality, timeliness, and at the same time earn interesting wages,” explains Věra Vrchotová, Director of Human Resources Development. She adds that the established system of cooperation with partner schools for apprentice training exemplifies best practices that other schools and companies should follow. “Students from our partner schools begin their internships in the first year. After graduation, they are technically prepared to join production and can practically immediately integrate into the manufacturing process.”

Ing. Věra Vrchotová, Director of RLZ at MOTOR JIKOV Group a.s., and Ing. Bronislav Fuksa, Director of COPT High School in Kroměříž, who joined the POSPOLU project as part of the initial partnership group in 2013

The pilot phase of the POSPOLU project currently involves 16 vocational schools and companies working together to provide a real picture of the current state of technical education in the Czech Republic. The goal is to improve the organization and content of training, enhance graduates’ professional skills, and increase their employability. Practical experiences will be incorporated into so-called applied cooperation models, serving as sources of inspiration and examples of how schools and companies can collaborate effectively.

“Linking education with real-world practice within companies holds enormous significance for the future of industry. While annually about 170,000 secondary and university students graduate, only a small fraction are professionally prepared for technical roles. They are unfamiliar with company environments, processes, and lack work habits. We aim to change this,” states Miroslav Dvořák, Chairman of the Board and CEO of MOTOR JIKOV Group a.s.

The pilot phase of the POSPOLU project (Supporting School-Company Collaboration Focused on Practical Technical Education) runs from September 2013 to January 2015, focusing on testing partnership models between companies and schools with technical programs. The project is supported by a grant from the European Social Fund and the Czech Republic’s state budget.