"Our goal is to support high school students in the possibility to get to know the university-type environment and to enable them to draw inspiration for their professional focus and study of technology during their high school studies," says Prof. Jiří Máca, Dean of the Faculty of Civil Engineering. "Some of our teachers have been individually involved in teaching at the school on Dušní street for several years, and I see the interest of high school students when they come to see the faculty. We try to introduce the faculty to them as a student-friendly environment. That is why we would like to intensify this cooperation even further."
PaedDr. Marie Plíhalová, the director of the Higher Vocational School of Construction and Secondary School of Civil Engineering on Dušní street, is also looking forward to deepening mutual activities: "We have been cooperating with the faculty for a long time. We first established cooperation with the Department of Hydraulic Engineering many years ago, later the cooperation expanded to the Department of Concrete and Masonry Structures and we would like to cooperate with other departments to increase the motivation to study and interest in the field among students. In today's era of technology, I appreciate this opportunity for support, as technical disciplines still remain a bit in the shadows."
Prof. Zuzana Pešková, Vice-Dean for Pedagogical Activities of the Faculty of Civil Engineering of CTU, confirms the usefulness of the cooperation between the secondary school and the faculty: "Candidates feel more confident when they have already had some experience with university teaching. Entering the Faculty of Civil Engineering is more natural for them, less stressful, they can adapt faster. They know that many of their classmates are now engineers or architects and are graduates of our faculty. We also have several teachers, former students of Dušní, who have linked their lives with academic careers. This can also be motivating for future applicants."
Dr. Milan Zukal, a lecturer at the faculty, has been cooperating with the Dušní School of Civil Engineering since 2014. "First of all, as the Department of Hydraulic Engineering, we became an expert guarantor of the competition of Models of Water Management Structures, which is held at Dušní every year. Additionally, students started to visit the Water Management Laboratory at the faculty once a year, where practical measurements on models of water structures are prepared for them. At the same time, we give a lecture on water management for freshmen. Most of them show great interest."
According to Prof. Petr Štemberk from the Department of Concrete and Masonry Structures, who has been cooperating with the school in Dušní since 2018 and lectures the subject of Building Structures in the third and fourth year, students appreciate the opportunity to hear a university-level interpretation of the material discussed. "However, when teaching, it must be taken into account that these are high school students. However, even here it is possible to motivate many of them to pursue further professional direction."
Ing. Michal Kovářík from the Department of Building Technology has joined this year and teaches CAD in the first year. "For example, we prepared a demonstration of 3D printing technology for students in the faculty's 3D printing laboratory. From the very first moment, it is clear that they are interested in digitalisation in construction."
„VOŠS a SPŠS Dušní poskytuje obdivuhodný odborný rozsah. Studenti si mohou vybrat ze zaměření Architektura a stavitelství, Pozemní stavby, Dopravní stavby, Vodohospodářské a ekologické stavby a BIM projektování. A to jsou všechno oblasti, v jejichž studiu mohou zájemci dále pokračovat u nás na fakultě. My škole z druhé strany nabízíme dlouhodobou spolupráci a spojení s prestižní univerzitou, která má silné postavení jak v ČR, tak i ve světě,“ říká prof. Karel Kabele, proděkan pro rozvoj a vnější vztahy Fakulty stavební ČVUT.
"The Higher Vocational School of Construction and Secondary School of Civil Engineering on Dušní provides an admirable professional range. Students can choose from Architecture and Civil Engineering, Civil Engineering, Transportation Engineering, Water and Environmental Engineering and BIM Design. And these are all areas that prospective students can continue their studies at our faculty. On the other hand, we offer the school long-term cooperation and connection with a prestigious university that has a strong position both in the Czech Republic and in the world," says Prof. Karel Kabele, Vice Dean for Development and External Relations of the Faculty of Civil Engineering of CTU.
"I am very happy for the school that we have not only professors but also PhD students from the Faculty of Civil Engineering of the Czech Technical University. Together, they manage to create a fertile ground for the transition from the industrial school to university, which we can see especially in the last four years, when our students are increasingly interested in studying at university. At the same time, I am pleased that they return to us as teachers after their studies, thus further developing cooperation between schools and our pupils have the most qualified teachers," concludes the director of the schools on Dušní street, PaedDr. Marie Plíhalová.
