Abstract:

The current situation associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, the war in Ukraine, and other threats from the external environment have highlighted the importance of awareness and the need for education on risk management and crisis management. Changes in the environment encourage the creation of activities to mitigate the effect and subsequent impact of any risks that arise during the enterprise's life and could affect its further direction. It is the risk manager and the crisis manager that play an important role in the enterprise, whose activities consist of creating a resilient enterprise within the incorporation of methods, techniques and procedures from the given areas. FERMA (Federation of European Risk Management Associations) conducted a survey focused on Risk Management, Recovery, and Resilience during the period of COVID-19. FERMA's COVID-19 Survey Report highlights the importance of risk managers as a role in maintaining the resilience of enterprises before and during a pandemic. The survey showed that during the pandemic, risk managers in the enterprise formed a significant part of crisis management (risk managers significantly contributed to the resilience of enterprises during the ongoing crisis). Concerning the COVID-19 Survey, 75% of enterprises agree that the importance of the role of the risk manager in their enterprise will increase due to the development of the "risk environment". This has also been confirmed by current facts, as the whole of society is feeling the negative effects of the conflict in Ukraine. The worldwide trend is to create a bachelor's degree first because a bachelor's degree is the minimum requirement for education for the position of the risk manager and crisis manager. At the same time, this fact is also confirmed by the requirements of practice, where the risk manager is applied from the 1st level of higher education in various positions. It is the requirements of practice following the current state of scientific research in this area, that were taken into account in the innovation of the study program Crisis Management, within which specializations were created to cover all areas of the crisis manager. The aim of the article will be based on input analyses and results of own statistical survey to point out the need for education in risk management and crisis management and the possibility of increasing the quality of education in the field of crisis management through innovation of the crisis management study program within comprehensive accreditation. The conclusions of the article will be used in the pedagogical process and the preparation of materials for comprehensive accreditation at Department of Crisis management Faculty of Security Engineering University of Zilina.

The methodology of the article is based on empirical research using a questionnaire survey and guided interviews. Empirical research, analysis, and synthesis of knowledge from domestic and foreign literature, and comparison of data from statistical surveys were used to assess the current situation and draw conclusions. The article will specify the trajectories of education in the I and II level of higher education within the study program Crisis Management, as well as the knowledge, skills, and competencies imposed on crisis managers according to the achieved level of education.

Keywords:

Higher education, innovation, study program, risk management, crisis management.