<div>Chamber: A third of graduates leave for abroad</div>

Prague - The construction crisis is affecting not only construction companies but also graduates of construction faculties, of which there are three in the Czech Republic. One third of them therefore leave for abroad, another third leaves the field. In an interview with ČTK, Karel Vaverka, a board member of the Czech Chamber of Authorized Engineers and Technicians Active in Construction (ČKAIT), said this.
     "The absorption of graduates is currently at zero. Design studios are not accepting new hires and graduates themselves cannot work. The law requires university graduates to have three years of practical experience. If they want to stay in the field, they have to go abroad," Vaverka stated.
     According to him, the most sought-after countries are Canada, the USA, the UK, Ireland, and Australia. Czech graduates compete mainly on price. "They are cheaper than locals," Vaverka pointed out, adding that while this is beneficial for graduates, it means a brain drain for the Czech Republic.
     Many people, according to Vaverka, are completely leaving the field. He illustrates this with the example of his small construction company in Třebíč. "I have a guy in my company who graduated in architecture from the construction faculty in Prague three years ago. He is excellent and talented, but still, he is leaving for a municipal office because I don't have work for him. Even though he could be a good designer, he is going to work as a clerk," Vaverka described one case, noting that there are many more similar cases now.
     The Engineering Chamber currently has over 29,000 members, and the Chamber of Architects has another 3,500. However, not all of them are actually engaged in practice. Vaverka estimates that about eight to nine thousand would like to design if they had work. Another five to six thousand are those who are gaining the experience needed for authorization after school. In total, around 18,000 people would like to earn a living through design in the Czech Republic. However, work is available only for a fraction of them.
     "In 2011, 460 billion crowns' worth of construction work was completed in our country. Only one percent of that is the value of design and engineering work. This represents work for about 5,000 people," Vaverka calculated, noting that normally, about seven percent should be allocated for design and engineering work.