1. Introduction

Meaning and objectives of the professional practice course

The Polytechnic University of Jihlava (hereinafter referred to as "VŠPJ") is a public non-university university that places great emphasis on cooperation with the application sphere. A compulsory part of the curricula of all accredited bachelor's degree programmes is long-term professional practice, which distinguishes VŠPJ from other university-type colleges. The aim of the professional practice is to enable students to verify their knowledge and skills acquired by studying individual subjects of the respective field of study in practical activities in specific situations in business and public sector entities. The opportunity to practice theoretical knowledge in practice and to gain work experience already during their studies is a unique opportunity for students to increase their chances for future employment in the labour market. Students who demonstrate good knowledge, skills, moral qualities and an active approach in performing work tasks during their professional practice may even obtain permanent employment in a given organization after graduation from the VŠPJ.

The importance of the bachelor thesis in conjunction with professional practice

One of the objectives of successful completion of the professional practice is the preparation of a bachelor thesis on a topic agreed with the practice provider. The topic of the bachelor thesis should be based on problems that the organisation is addressing at the workplace where the student is completing the internship. During the daily contact with the staff of the organisation where the students carry out their professional practice, it is possible to obtain a number of essential sources, data and information to develop especially the practical part of the bachelor thesis. Such a full-fledged professional practice associated with the preparation of the bachelor thesis will significantly complement and enrich the students' knowledge and skills acquired through theoretical studies. This will ultimately help students to a large extent to successfully complete their studies at the VŠPJ and to better apply themselves on the labour market.