Blog The sectoral agreement for the engineering industry in the South Bohemian Region celebrates its first anniversary.

At the headquarters of the Regional Authority, a meeting was held to mark the first anniversary of the Sectoral Agreement for the Engineering Sector in South Bohemia. The event was attended by Governor Jiří Zimola, Member of the Assembly Petr Podhola, Director of the Labour Office in České Budějovice Ivan Loukota, Bohumil Mužík from the Confederation of Industry and Transport of the Czech Republic, Chairwoman of the Sectoral Council for Engineering and HR Director at MOTOR JIKOV Group a.s. Věra Vrchotová, Jan Šindelář from the Secondary Industrial School of Automotive and Technical Studies, and other prominent representatives from companies and primarily primary schools. The Sectoral Agreement for the Engineering Sector, developed within the framework of the public procurement project *National Qualification System II* and initiated by the Sectoral Council for Engineering, has completed its first year of implementing defined measures. Its goal is to improve conditions for teaching technical subjects and trades, primarily by increasing students’ motivation to pursue education in these fields and fostering collaboration between primary and secondary technical schools. A key element is the partnership between secondary vocational schools and primary schools with employers. Partners of the sectoral agreement include not only employers and schools but also representatives from ministries, the Regional Authority, the Confederation of Industry and Transport of the Czech Republic, the Chamber of Commerce of the Czech Republic, and the Labour Office. Governor Jiří Zimola expressed his satisfaction that the sectoral agreement, signed last year, remains active and does not fall into dormancy. “I highly appreciate the cooperation established with schools and companies involved in the implementation of the agreement. Thanks to everyone for their efforts, and I look forward to celebrating the second anniversary and again reviewing concrete results,” said Zimola. Věra Vrchotová summarized the achievements within the sectoral agreement: “To make technical schools more attractive and filled with students, we as employers and entrepreneurs must pool our efforts and support children even in preschools and elementary schools, so that later we have enough of the skilled workers we need. Therefore, we provide technical toys and building kits to kindergartens, equip technical workshops in schools, and organize excursions to our facilities. It is also important to communicate to parents that technical education is meaningful and promising. Hence, we focus on media campaigns and promoting technical fields.” Bohumil Mužík from the Confederation of Industry and Transport of the Czech Republic later reflected on the origin of this unique solution tool for the labor market: “Sectoral agreements were piloted within the *National Qualification System*, and engineering was chosen as one of the key fields. This was due to its importance in the Czech economy and the high engagement of the Sectoral Council for Engineering and its members. Our aim was to connect not only employers but also schools, the Labour Office, and other institutions to meet labor market demands. We also examined all submitted declarations for sectoral agreements and identified common issues across disciplines. These ‘cross-cutting topics’ were then elaborated into specific areas by the sectoral councils. You can find the summary of suggestions and opinions from the sectoral councils on the websites www.nsp.cz and www.sektoroverady.cz.” Ivan Loukota from the České Budějovice Labour Office confirmed that South Bohemia had the lowest unemployment rate in the entire country in April: “Our region has over 150 companies with more than 100 employees, and the engineering sector significantly contributes to this. Initiatives like the sectoral agreement and the IQ Industry project help prevent graduates from ending up on Labour Office statistics and assist them in finding good employment. I am glad we managed to bring companies and schools together under the Regional Authority’s leadership.” Part of the meeting was the ceremonial handover of an important output of the Sectoral Agreement for Engineering – the professional maps. These maps of South Bohemia display technical secondary and higher vocational schools and training centers where primary school students can enroll, as well as companies involved in implementing the agreement that welcome graduates of technical secondary schools with open arms. Attendees received the maps from representatives of primary schools, who noted that some students had already visited company facilities and realized that engineering is no longer a dirty job. Thanks were also extended to Jan Šindelář for organizing insightful excursions at the Secondary Industrial School of Automotive and Technical Studies. The final discussion focused on issues related to legal adjustments and amendments within education legislation, as well as the financing of the entire educational system. Everyone agreed that investments in education are among the most crucial priorities.