Like a small miracle. Academic fields are experiencing a renaissance, students are attracted to the construction industry
The saying about a craft that has a bottom of gold has had a sad aftertaste in recent years. Students did not flock to the academic fields too much, and thus they were more likely to be closed than new ones would be opened. Now, however, the tables seem to be turning and there is renewed interest in working with hands.
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Interest in academic fields is growing. Young people are especially attracted to construction, electrical engineering and plumbing. Illustrative photo.
| Photo: Deník/Josef Beneš
There is a lot of interest, especially in fields in the construction industry. The situation will also improve for electricians, heating engineers or plumbers. However, the most traditional trades are still lacking on construction sites – mason, carpenter, roofer, plumber or locksmith.
“While ten years ago, 60 percent of those admitted to construction majors were enrolled in academic majors and 40 percent in matriculation majors, over the years this ratio has gradually changed, and now in construction majors 53 percent of students are admitted to academic majors and 47 percent to matriculation majors. ” announced the spokesperson of the Ministry of Education, Aneta Lednová.
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Petr Ševčík, director of the Association of Entrepreneurs in the Construction Industry, also sees the growth of population curves for students over the age of fifteen as the reason for the current increased demand for academic subjects. “Despite these positive numbers, however, the huge gap in the lack of skilled tradesmen that has persisted for more than a decade will not be filled. It will be crucial how many of these pupils enroll and start classes in September,” says Ševčík.
According to him, the companies themselves are able to employ newly trained students practically immediately. “Construction companies have been suffering from a labor shortage for a very long time. The discrepancy between demand and supply was partially hidden by foreign workers. However, we still mention the necessary fundamental and conceptual changes in the field of strengthening construction trades,” added Ševčík.
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Petr Kulda, the owner of the construction company STAKO in Hradec Králové, acknowledges the rising trend, where pupils are once again discovering crafts. “If there were no Ukrainian workers now, the construction industry would have already collapsed. The state of the current construction industry is catastrophic in this respect, but I am glad that it will hopefully finally be stopped and students will be interested in crafts again,” said Kulda.
The Union of Industry and Transport of the Czech Republic also welcomes the increase in the number of students in academic subjects. According to the association, the last few years show that the craft really has bottomed out and that the number of craftsmen is steadily decreasing. “Given the current situation on the labor market, however, current current interest will not be enough. This is a good signal for the future, but companies need to fill long-term vacant positions immediately,” said Miloš Rathouský, education manager of SP CR.