The Dean of the Faculty of Civil Engineering at Brno University of Technology, Assoc. Prof. Karel Šuhajda, took part in a panel discussion at the Future Builders: Who Will Build in Czechia? conference, organized by the Czech Association of Construction Entrepreneurs. The conference focused on one of the key issues facing the construction sector today: how to attract the young generation to technical fields and how to ensure a sufficient number of qualified professionals for the future development of the industry.

Assoc. Prof. Šuhajda participated in the panel discussion “What changes does technical and vocational education need?” The debate followed a presentation of data on pupils’ and students’ interest in STEM fields and on trends in the number of graduates from faculties of civil engineering.

The presented data showed that the construction sector is facing not only the effects of demographic decline, but also the fact that technical subjects are not sufficiently attractive to some pupils at primary and secondary schools. At the same time, however, the data indicate that interest in studying at the Faculty of Civil Engineering at Brno University of Technology has been growing in recent years, with the number of applications to bachelor’s degree programmes steadily increasing since 2022.

The Faculty of Civil Engineering is well aware that applicants enter university with very different levels of knowledge in mathematics and physics. For this reason, the faculty has long been developing preparatory and remedial courses designed to help students make the transition to university studies and reduce the risk of failure in the first semesters. Supporting students after they enrol is one of the important ways to retain talented young people interested in civil engineering and technical fields.

The importance of civil engineering education is also confirmed by the labour market situation. Graduates of the Faculty of Civil Engineering are in exceptionally high demand, and most students are already involved in professional practice during their studies. According to a survey conducted among students taking their final master’s state examinations at the faculty in January 2026, 91% of students in their final year were already working, and two thirds of them planned to remain with the same employer. Only 1% of graduates intended to work outside the construction sector.

The FAST JOB DAYS career fair, held in February 2026, also demonstrated strong interest from employers. Job opportunities were presented by 77 companies, while additional employers had to be turned down due to capacity limitations.

“Construction is a field that will continue to need highly qualified professionals even in the era of rapid artificial intelligence development. Artificial intelligence may change the tools we use, but it will not replace the responsibility of a civil engineer, the ability to exercise technical judgement, or decision-making in the real environment of a construction site,” was one of the key messages of the discussion.

The Faculty of Civil Engineering therefore supports the popularization of technical fields from an early age. It is involved in activities such as technical workshops for children, the VUT Junior I and VUT Junior II programmes, the STEM – Future Shapers project, and the StaGram construction literacy programme. The faculty’s aim is to present civil engineering as a modern, socially important and promising field that offers broad career opportunities and has a direct impact on the quality of life in society.