Tertiary education in the Czech Republic: Pros and cons of a combined form of study

Abstract

The study focuses on the benefits and drawbacks of the combined study form within the Czech tertiary education. Even today we may encounter a number of cases when jobs of experts from the practical world of business, in spite of their many years of experience corresponding to the deserved career ladder advancement, a younger applicant with a university degree but without the necessary competencies is given a management position, or they themselves are put into a situation in which they have to decide whether they will enhance their education or leave the position or company completely. On the other hand, there are young people who after secondary school graduation face the decision-making process regarding whether to go straight into the work process or to decide for further university education, which may be difficult for some of them, especially due to financial reasons. The current situation shows that the demand for highly qualified and socially committed people is not only increasing, but also changing. By 2025, at least half of newly created jobs will require a high level of qualification, that is, the European economy will need far more university-educated people than the contemporary one. What role can play (and it does play) the combined form of study? Does it set the path to the solution of the issue or not? Has its status changed in the educational process? How do students perceive the benefits of a combined form of study in comparison with the full-time form? The objective of the study is not the mere answer to the questions posed, but to show the current status of the combined study within the Czech higher education system, and to provide the feedback based on the quantitative and qualitative survey carried out at the Institute of Marketing Communications at the Faculty of Multimedia Communications of Tomas Bata University in Zlin from the students of the combined form on the implemented changes, in continuity with the opportunities leading to the reinforcement of the current position of the combined study form reflected in the clear preference of a PROs in connection with the increasingly complex development of the labor market requirements.