Abstract:

In today's modern world, the Energy sector and the services it provides are a fundamental pillar of every country's economic life. Energy has become an essential part of society, driving appliances, powering and heating homes or businesses. Without energy, the modern economy cannot function. Energy is currently one of the key factors in economic growth and, in the conditions of gradual depletion of limited resources, is becoming strategic. In this context, it is clear that one of the most important security goals of each state is to ensure energy security which, in the Slovak Republic, is generally understood as a reliable energy supply, ensuring access to energy resources and fuels in the required quantity and quality at reasonable prices. In terms of energy security, Slovakia belongs to the category of vulnerable countries. As ensuring the sustainable growth of the national economy and competitiveness is conditioned by a reliable supply of affordable energy, one of the main priorities of the Slovak Republic from the point of view of energy policy is to ensure the reliability and stability of energy supplies.

Based on current security risks as well as the aspects of globalization, energy infrastructure is vulnerable as it is made up of a system with many interconnected elements and at the same time close links to other countries' energy infrastructures. Education and research in the field of security and protection of critical infrastructure systems and services with a focus on the energy sector, risk assessment and vulnerability of elements of energy infrastructure systems as well as preparedness to deal with emerging risk and crisis situations is provided by the Faculty of Security Engineering, University of Zilina, Department of Technical Sciences and Informatics. The mentioned department organizationally and professionally guarantees the preparation and direction of professional profiling of students in the study program Security and Protection of Critical Infrastructure focused on two key critical infrastructure sectors - energy and transport.

The aim of the paper is to present the connection of higher education with the needs of practice in the field of ensuring the security and protection of critical energy infrastructure systems and services at the Faculty of Security Engineering, University of Zilina through:
• research and publication activities in the field of security and protection of critical energy infrastructure systems and services,
• participation of practitioners in teaching,
• compulsory internship of students in energy companies during which students perform activities that allow them to master specific work procedures which they have studied only on the basis of theory,
• elaboration of the final thesis in which the students demonstrate their ability to independently acquire theoretical and practical knowledge and use them while the output is a specific, practical solution proposal,
• the presence of at least one member of the commission for the defence of final theses from the energy practice.

Keywords:

Higher education, practice, energy, critical infrastructure, security.