PROJECT-BASED TEACHING AS A TOOL FOR BETTER PREPARED GRADUATES IN THE AREA OF SECURITY AND SAFETY

Commercial space calls for better prepared graduates of technical universities for managerial positions and decision making. As is evident from several recent surveys, students and graduates of technical universities are very well prepared in technical expertise, but generally the development of managerial skills and experience is not adequately provided by the technical universities. In addition, most of the companies support the idea that young people should learn these soft skills at the university.

Surveys of reputable agencies and own surveys of universities show a lack of theoretical coherence for students of technical universities with labor market requirements. One possible solution to achieve better preparedness of graduates of technical universities is project-based teaching.

The paper deals with application of project-based teaching in the specific field of study - in the area of the horizontal and vertical security and safety at the Faculty of Security Engineering of University of Zilina in Slovakia (FSE UNIZA). FSE UNIZA is developing educational, scientific and research activities in the area of ensuring comprehensive security of the society and the individual inhabitants as well. In the framework of this profile it links the theory and practice; it takes into account the special aspects of the security and safety environment and the security system of Slovakia on the one hand and the requirements of the current era and the strategic partners on the other hand. It aims at training the crisis managers, the employees of the fire and emergency units, experts dealing with managing the processes of protecting persons and property in all areas of the social life and the managers in the area of coping with the crisis situation in transport. The Faculty has built a stable position in the professional security and safety community in Slovakia and abroad.

This article describes the results of a pilot project of application of project-based teaching realised at the Faculty of Security Engineering.