HR
a leader in
the Education
of the Future
Doc. Ing. Pavel Mertlík, CSc., is the rector of ŠKODa aUTO University, the only private university
founded by a multinational company. The school offers applicants unique study programs
combining economic and technical focus with extensive experience during their studies, teaching
experts, an individual approach, a wide range of scholarship and motivational programs, travel
during the study to more than sixty partner universities and many other benefits.
You are one of the private universities
operating in the Czech Republic.
Please introduce it to us and tell us
what makes it unique?
We are the only Czech university
founded by a large international industrial
company. Our study programmes
combine economic and technical
education
offering students a unique system of
internships with extensive, intensive
language training that will allow all
students after two years of Bachelor‘s
studies to complete an internship or
study abroad. As the only such school
in the Czech Republic, ŠAVŠ offers
students a dual-system of study in
cooperation with partner companies—
students enrolled in this program
together with full-time study complete
extensive continuous business practice
throughout their studies. The result of all
this is 100% employment of graduates,
usually in very interesting jobs in the
Czech Republic and abroad.
How is your cooperation between the
school and the company?
ŠAVŠ has partnership agreements with
about forty companies in the Czech
Republic, in addition to which it has
over thirty foreign partners which are
mainly, but not only, companies from the
Volkswagen Group. Internships take place
in partner companies, which is mandatory
for students in the 5th term of bachelor‘s
studies; it is pedagogically managed and
during this internship the student obtains
the assignment of their bachelor‘s thesis, on
which they usually cooperate with experts
from the relevant company. Students of
the follow-up Master‘s study can choose
internship as an optional subject in
academically oriented study programs; in
professionally oriented programs, practice
is a similarly integral part of study as in
bachelor‘s programs. However, cooperation
with companies is much broader; the
essential part is contract research, applied
projects of various scope and focus, as well
as ‘tailor-made’ educational activities.
Your school has become a member of
Autoklastr. What do you promise from
this membership?
We are a member of the Association of
the Automotive Industry-AutoSAP, so we
have contacts with a number of companies
in the automotive industry. However,
membership in Autoklastr will certainly
enable us to expand and deepen our
contacts with member companies, among
other ideas in the area of joint projects.
Where are you heading in terms of your
further development?
Three key development directions represent
strengthening the technical components
of study programmes, including topics
in the field of electromobility and ICT,
institutional accreditation in the field of
education economics, accreditation of the
doctoral study program and transformation
into a university-type college.
Rector, thank you for the interview.
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