Future economic professionals: development of practical skills and competencies in higher education from the point of view of international employers

Abstract

The authors aim to determine the importance of practical preparation of future accountants, auditors and entrepreneurs during the study both from the point of view of the companies with transnational scope of activity that belong to the group of the Czech Republic's most attractive employers and from the point of view of the students of the University of Economics in Prague (Czech Republic) in the field of accounting and financial management, who very often gain positions in such companies. Another aim is to verify what emphasis the practice in the international context places on providing the students with knowledge of business and market laws in relation to the abovementioned professions. The research was conducted by using a questionnaire survey at the beginning of 2018. The chi-square test of independence was used in view of the categorical variables. Practical preparation is important for both groups of respondents (i.e. 139 students and 24 relevant companies-employers). During the study, it was established that most students are already employed (75% of the bachelor and 95% of the master programmes students), which shows that the students in the accounting and corporate financial management field of study have a very close contact with practice. Although most students at both levels of education are already employed (88%), only 52% of them work in the field which is identical to their educational programme. Satisfaction of companies with students is conditioned by their practical preparation during the studies, which, however, is most often non-existing. The companies' representatives, as well as students, recommend that practical subjects be incorporated in the course of study. Also, emphasis should be placed on the development of professional competences of auditors and accountants, as well as on entrepreneurships' training, which should be in the form of simulated professional environment during the classes. Taking into consideration the results of the new research and scientific studies, we consider the recommended procedures to be justified and relevant internationally.

Availability of human capital and the development of the public infrastructure in the context of business activities of SMEs

“…It is necessary to support the development of competencies and digital literacy (Batko & Rohlikova, 2018). Berkova et al (2019) also recommend including practical subjects in the curriculum. Additionally, emphasis should be put on the development of professional skills as well as student-oriented training carried out by companies in the form of simulated professional environment in classrooms, with the reason being that in practice young people often fail to find work.…”

Differences of Opinion among Students of Czech Higher Education Institutions on the Competences of Accountants Required by the Labour Market

“…The methodological basis of this research is a study that documents the preparation of Czech higher education students for future economic professions from the perspective of innovations in education [28]. The method and conceptual approach of this research were inspired by several researches.…”

Developments in the income situation of the agricultural sector in selected the EU member states

“…Other authors focus on the importance of institutional investors to strengthen the economic prosperity of farms and their preferences at a regional level as well (Sadaf et al, 2019;Sapolaité et al, 2019;Vekic et al, 2020). Several authors have emphasized the importance and development of human labour resources at an international level and emphasized the collaboration among universities and enterprises in order to realise the strategic development of employees (Berková et al, 2019;Griffin & Coelhoso, 2019). Any country can develop its performance and high technology exports, but the skilled labour force is needed.…”