Mr. Assoc. Ing. Lukáš Vráblík, Ph.D. is the Head of the Department of Concrete and Masonry Structures at the Faculty of Civil Engineering of the Czech Technical University in Prague and has been working for over 11 years within the Valbek Group. We talked to him about the interest of students in civil engineering, which fields of study are most attractive and how to combine cooperation between schools and future employers, i.e. theory and practice.
Mr. Associate Professor, what is the general interest in studying civil engineering at universities?
Unfortunately, in recent years, interest has been declining, especially in classical civil engineering. However, I think it is a general trend that interest in technical education in general is declining. Students often choose attractive and modern fields of study and the so-called path of least resistance. They prefer rather simpler fields. This is probably also a reflection of our society, where people want to sail through university more easily. Unfortunately, once-prestigious fields such as statics or structural engineering are no longer in such high demand because they are demanding.
Which degree program is most appealing and why?
There is now a lot of interest in building economics and construction management, and civil engineering is also popular, but here again – not statics, but rather structural engineering. Architecture is such a “top” field. CTU has a separate faculty of architecture and this field is more art and urbanism oriented. At the Faculty of Civil Engineering, we also have a major in architecture and structural engineering, where the study is more practice-oriented and the cooperation of architects with engineers, structural engineers, etc. Which is very good, because graduates can look at things from more than one point of view, i.e. not only at their work from an artistic point of view, but also from a practical and functional point of view.
Architecture is a modern field in recent times and not all students study it because they are significantly talented and want to change or advance something with their perspective. Architecture has become a kind of equivalent of civil engineering. So then that kind of technical background falls away, which is more complex and more demanding. And that’s a great pity.
Which specialism is facing a shortage of students?
At the moment, we have a shortage of students in the construction and transport field, so bridge engineers, water engineers, geotechnical engineers, but also road and rail engineers. There is already a shortage of these professions and, judging by the interest of students, it does not look better in future years.
What could help?
This is a problem that I do not think can be addressed in the long term. Every political party is always proclaiming that the technical professions need to be prioritised and promoted, but it is not happening. It is necessary to influence students in secondary schools, to talk to them about civil engineering and to show them that we not only have a rich history of beautiful and functional buildings, but that these are prestigious and necessary fields for the future. Because there will always be building. Maybe it’s partly the fault of universities that they can’t do the right positive publicity for these fields.
So how can we get young people interested in construction?
I think it is a society-wide problem that these fields are perceived rather negatively. This is not helped by the media, which mostly reports that something hasn’t been done, that there are problems on construction sites, closures, that it costs more money than expected… Instead of celebrating that something has been done. I think there have been and are buildings that we can be proud of, but we can’t sell it properly. And with students – they choose to go into construction mostly because they either have some connections already, like a family tradition, or there are a few who enjoy the craft and want to go deeper into it.
Where do more students come to you from? From secondary vocational schools or from grammar schools?
It’s about half and half. The bachelor’s degree more or less replaces the curriculum of the vocational secondary school and of course extends the knowledge in the fields, mathematics and physics. Gymnasium students, on the other hand, have the advantage of a better foundation in science and are tutored in more vocational subjects. But few end up with only a bachelor’s degree. The study of civil engineering is very complex, which is why most students go on to graduate school.
On the other hand, it has to be said that most graduates of industrial schools are well prepared for practice. We see this here in Valbek, by the way, where there are several excellent engineers. A good industrialist is often more beneficial to a company than a bad engineer. We definitely need people who know their trade and enjoy it.
Is there also interest in doctoral studies?
Interest always depends on the current supply on the labour market. If most graduates today have two or three job offers, they are not very keen to continue their studies. Of course, there are those who outright want to continue with some scientific research work, but even so, they usually combine it with work somehow. When there was a crisis in the construction industry, interest in studying increased because it meant security and the possibility of staying in the field for many. It’s important for the school in terms of funding to have students at all levels, but I have to say that if students are already opting for a PhD, we have confidence that these are top people who will stay with us.
The school participates in many interesting projects, researches and competitions. Can you tell us about some of them?
Yes, we participate in a large number of projects, which are also a source of funding for us. There are two types of research – theoretical and practical applied. For general research, we participate in grants provided by the Grant Agency of the Czech Republic. In practical projects, the grant holder is the Technology Agency of the Czech Republic, where it is interesting that we always cooperate with an industrial partner who not only cofinances the project, but also takes care of its practical applicability. Valbek also participates in such projects. It is beneficial for all parties. We are also working on a project of the Ministry of Industry and Trade, where we are involved in the development of supermaterials. For example, concrete structures for shielding nuclear power plants. There are also projects to optimise the use of materials, energy, Green Deal, etc.
Valbek has also participated and is participating in several projects, e.g. TAČR (Technology Agency of the Czech Republic), or the Competence Centre, where several contractors such as Skanska, Metrostav, Stavby mostů Praha have worked. Our department also has a project with Valbek on high-value concretes.
What is the cooperation with future employers like? How does the school help?
Many students already have contacts during their studies, either through internships or some part-time jobs with design or contracting companies. From the point of view of practice, this is definitely beneficial for the school and it is visible, for example, in the work submitted. On the other hand, students often have to realise that they have to finish their studies first. We often encounter problems with deadlines and excuses like “I was at work”. Which, of course, we don’t like to hear. In terms of offering jobs to graduates, we work a lot with social media, do PR and generally try to connect companies with students as much as possible. Competitions and assigning thesis topics work very well, where the company puts up a reward for working on a topic that they address.
What is the cooperation with the Valbek group like? Have you found talent at the school who are now working at Valbek?
Yes, we offer students various competitions and the aforementioned assignment of thesis topics. We would also like to work towards some form of scholarships, where we would support selected talents financially in their studies if they then come to work for us for a certain period of time. Unfortunately, we are running into legislation here. In any case, if we find a talent, we will offer them a summer job to come and see how we work. Not only in the office, but also on site.
Are fresh graduates also successful on the job market, or do employers prefer an experienced engineer?
In practice, of course, both are needed. If a graduate has the desire and interest to enter the field, it is a pleasure to “educate” such a person to make everything work. Ideally, the student should already be “trained” at the school, in the form of a part-time job, and if the cooperation is mutually good, he or she can join us straight away without a probationary period. On the other hand, we struggle a bit with turnover because people want to try something else in a few years. But it’s actually fine.
Of course, more experienced colleagues are an asset to projects, but on the other hand, it can be a problem working in a team where they may not fit in 100%, or they want to do things differently than is customary in our company culture. Then it’s about communication and compromise. Either way, I would like to see young engineers willing to be taught by older colleagues from time to time, and the older ones in turn sometimes do things differently than they have been used to for years and be open to the newness and evolution that every industry naturally goes through. Then to work together to give positive publicity to civil engineering in the eyes of the public and to be able to praise ourselves for our projects.