The first ever event at the Faculty of Physical Education and Sport of Charles University in Prague aimed at sharing practical experience. The fact that more than 60 students and staff of the school attended the event confirmed that the topic was really interesting.
According to employers, university graduates mainly lack practical experience. To change this situation, the Meet 2 Grow association has decided to gradually create the conditions for linking the commercial and academic spheres so that students - and possibly also school staff - get the opportunity to learn about the experience of professionals from practice, the transition from school to practice and the opportunity to use their theoretical knowledge in real projects and thus gain practical experience.
The first ever event at the Faculty of Physical Education and Sport of Charles University in Prague, focused on the above-mentioned objectives, was a workshop that took place on Monday 19 May 2014 from 1 to 3 pm in the P5 lecture hall. And that the topic of the labour market requirements for graduates of FTVS UK was really interesting to the students - and not only to them - was confirmed by the fact that more than 60 students and staff of the school attended the event.
The workshop, which was prepared by Matěj Laža, project manager of the Meet 2 Grow association and a recent graduate of the faculty, was introduced by a short speech by the Vice Dean of FTVS CU for Internal Affairs and Development, PhDr. Miroslav Petr, Ph.D., who welcomed the participants and summarized the importance of practical experience not only for the further employment of students on the labour market, but also for teachers.
What attracted the audience, however, were mainly guests from practice:
Ivana Watson, manager of Pure Health & Fitness company;
Viktor Schejbal, Player Development Manager, SPORT INVEST.
The first speaker was Viktor Schejbal, who introduced his employer and, above all, familiarized the workshop participants with the scope of his work, which surprised many listeners - at least according to the feedback - quite a lot. Only a few of them could imagine what the Player Development Manager at SPORT INVEST is responsible for and how broad his job description is, which sparked a rather heated discussion.
Ivana Watson's lecture did not focus only on her experience in the sports field - specifically with building a network of fitness centres Pure Jatomi Fitness on the "green field" - but she conceived her lecture more comprehensively. This gave the audience the opportunity to learn about the management principles she uses in her job.
Overall, we evaluate the first event between FTVS CU and Meet 2 Grow as a success. However, it must be stated that not everything was perfect. Nevertheless, we believe that the presentations gave the audience a lot of food for thought. And above all, many reasons to increase interest in gaining practical experience.
Comments of guests
„I was pleasantly surprised by the high number of students who attended the workshop and the discussion that developed on the topic afterwards," said Viktor Schejbal, who appreciated the interest of students and teachers in the presented topic. He added: "I wish the Meet 2 Grow association good luck in its efforts to gradually close the gap between the theoretical level preferred in studies and the practical one, which is mainly used in employment.“
„It was very refreshing for me to go back to school and to meet the generation that will gradually occupy managerial positions both in the Czech Republic and abroad. It also made me realise how beneficial and almost necessary it can be for students to realise how companies view students without experience, even with degrees. I hope that schools will start to support more of these types of workshops and I really appreciate that FTVS CU made the Meet 2 Grow pilot project possible," said Ivana Watson."