THE NEW MODEL OF EDUCATION OF UNIVERSITY STUDENTS IN THE FIELD OF FIRE AND RESCUE SERVICES

Education is a process of purposeful mediation, active formation and acquisition of scientific and technical knowledge as well as practical experiences. It is important that the process of education is up-to-date, varied and captivated. Formal learning is learning in educational institutions (e.g. University of Žilina), where are precisely defined objectives, contents, means and tools of education. Teaching is ongoing in a set time and in designated forms, usually within a classroom. On the other hand, non-formal learning takes place alongside the main streams of education and professional training. It is intended to complement formal education systems with a focus on the development of specific skills or abilities (e.g. sports activities, arts and crafts, language training). The third type is informal learning (non-institutional education), which is a natural part of everyday life. Unlike of formal and non-formal learning, it may not be deliberate. Even learners do not even need to be aware of and need to recognize how they contribute to their knowledge and skills. By combining formal, non-formal and informal learning, we can achieve more comprehensive and better results of the education process. This improvement will be beneficial not only to learners, i.e. students and teachers, but will ultimately be beneficial to the whole of society and practice as well. Innovative approaches and innovations in education must be a natural part of a modern school system.

The author of the contribution presents the current state of education of university students at a selected university in the Slovak Republic. The Faculty of Security Engineering at the University of Žilina educate and prepares future firefighters, rescue workers and experts in fire protection. The contribution also highlights the different types of education and options applicable to the process of educating of young people in the field of fire and rescue services. In order to improve the quality of the teaching process as well as the level of education, a new model of education is needed. This model, which uses a combined and innovative approach, consists of a package of different activities. The new model of combined learning and education is gradually being implemented in the education process at the Faculty of Security Engineering at the University of Žilina.