WELL-educated and qualified workers are one of the most important ingredients companies need to become successful. That Slovakia’s education system is not able to fully satisfy the expectations of employers is widely known. To determine the current direction of education in Slovakia – its weaknesses and potential solutions – the American Chamber of Commerce in Slovakia (AmCham) is holding a Conference on the Future of Education in Slovakia in Bratislava on October 30.
The conference is part of the AmCham Initiative 2012: The Year of Education, and will be held under the auspices of Education Minister Dušan Čaplovič, who will also deliver the first keynote speech. He will be followed by Beáta Brestenská, the president of the Infovek Association Project and František Jakab, chair of the AmCham Business-Academic Cooperation Committee and Cisco Networking Academy Program Manager. The latter two are also leaders of the 2012: The Year of Education initiative.
The conference will feature panels to discuss topics including, ‘Where is Slovak Education headed?’, ‘What are the current problems in the Slovak Education System?’ and ‘What are the solutions of 2012: Year of Education Initiative?’ The speakers include Kristiina Volmari from the Finnish National Board of Education, Branislav Ondruš, State Secretary of the Labour Ministry, and Robert Redhammer, the rector of the Slovak University of Technology (STU) in Bratislava.
AmCham Slovakia is not only raising questions, but also proactively seeking answers to them. It has formulated 10 + 1 priority criteria for the field of education focusing on universities, high schools, elementary schools, but also kindergartens and lifelong education, to find answers to questions like what qualities in graduates employers will look for in 10-15 years, whether Slovakia has quality teachers and how to determine quality high school and university graduates.
Within universities AmCham calls for a change in the system of university financing, supplementing the accreditation process with a complex quality monitoring scheme, creating a system for collecting feedback, the provision for clear identification and targeted development of several selected top-end universities, implementing a transparent system of stimuli, and creating tools and environments to enable effective cooperation of business and academia at all levels.
