Switzerland is well known for its successful dual system of vocational and professional education and training. It consists of upper-secondary and non-university tertiary education in which firms and educational institutions collaborate closely to provide both general education and vocational training.

Though the Czech Republic is also highly industrialized, and has a high demand for skilled vocational labour, the Czech system at the upper-secondary level remains far from effective and functionally efficient. The keynote lecture by the Swiss expert Prof. Ursula Renold will focus on the economics of the Swiss system, its institutional setup, built-in incentives, and the roles of key stakeholders in terms of its funding, regulation, coordination, and etc. Her presentation will be enhanced by rich empirical evidence. Concrete insights from the perspective of the private sector will be provided by a representative of Novartis/Basel. The non-scientific, policy-oriented keynote presentation and follow-up panel discussion aim to provide new first-hand insights to representatives of Czech stakeholders, policymakers, academics and interested members of the public.

The lecture will investigate the following questions:

What are the economics of vocational education and training?

Is there a role for the government due to market and other failures?

What are the roles of individual stakeholders from the education and employment sectors?

Who bears the costs, benefits, and risks?

How can the quality and relevance of vocational education and training be secured?

What does academic research tell us, and what is the role of evidence-informed policy making?