At the University of Ústí, construction disciplines could be taught

Ústí nad Labem - At the Jan Evangelista Purkyně University (UJEP) in Ústí nad Labem, construction fields could be taught. This innovation is a response to the needs of employers, who believe there is a shortage of technically educated graduates in the job market. Today, Lenka Šifaldová, secretary of the Economic and Social Council of Ústí Region (HSRÚ), informed ČTK about the intention and discussions with UJEP.
    Statistics from the Research Institute for Labor and Social Affairs indicate that technically educated graduates are lacking, with the field of construction ranking high among the needs of employers. "HSRÚ has identified support for aligning labor market needs with education as one of its priorities. It therefore positively welcomes UJEP's response to employers' needs," stated the chairman of HSRÚ, Radek Vonka.
    Ústí Region has the highest unemployment rate in the country; paradoxically, there is a lack of people educated in technical fields. According to a 2011 survey, companies in the Ústí Region were mostly missing graduates from vocational programs in engineering, textile production, clothing, and transport and communications. According to the statistics from the Czech Statistical Office, there are 52,000 people with university education in the Ústí Region out of approximately 687,000 residents over the age of 15.
    The university in Ústí is currently working on the possibility of teaching construction fields at the Faculty of Environmental Studies. A concept and proposal for a study plan are prepared. The next step must be obtaining a guarantor for the field, a qualified educator who will define the graduate profile and outline its potential application.
    "This is an area that UJEP representatives need to discuss with employers to best meet their needs. Representatives of the companies present at the meeting recommended not to specialize the fields too much. They are interested in generally educated graduates; their specialization will be handled directly by the employers," Šifaldová added.