They were brought to the Czech Republic by the quality of their studies, a specific study programme, cultural and linguistic proximity, and also the quality of life and the level of study fees. Over 54,000 international students study at Czech universities, making up 18 percent of the total number. And the vast majority (9 out of 10) would recommend the Czech Republic as a study destination. Roughly a third of them would like to stay in the Czech Republic, even after their studies, and try to enter the labour market. This results from this year's research by the Czech National Agency for International Education and Research (Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports).
Maintaining and strengthening relations with international graduates is one of the important activities of the Czech National Agency for International Education and Research and Masaryk University. That is why, at the end of October, the Study in Czechia and Czechia Alumni initiatives organised an all-day Alumni meetup on the grounds of Masaryk University aimed at networking between international graduates and Czech university students and representatives of universities, business and partner networks. Visitors could take part in various meetings, informative workshops, cultural activities and an evening programme in the Fléda club, where the Study in Czechia (DZS) initiative, promoting study at Czech universities, celebrated its 20th anniversary.
The morning programme intended for representatives of universities was opened by, among others, Petr Suchý, vice-rector for internationalisation of Masaryk University. “I would like to welcome you to the premises of our university. I am always pleased when I can meet people who have an eminent interest - like us - in presenting the Czech Republic abroad and making our country more attractive. I would like to wish you the best of luck in your ongoing work with alumni. Working with students is just one piece of the mosaic we are trying to create, and it is logically followed by cooperation after graduation, which lasts much longer. And I think we still have a lot of work to do in this regard. That is also why I am happy about activities such as, for example, this year's second alumni meeting in Brussels. It took a lot of work, and it wasn't exactly cheap, but I still consider it an excellent investment - both financially and timewise. Thanks to such meetings, one realises how skilled our graduates are and how far they have come. A number of them even in a very short period after graduation.”
Brno is a great place to study in and for a career
The afternoon part of the programme was also open to students. They could take part in some of the four workshops focused on volunteering, life in Brno, video editing and the theme “From Campus to Career”. After that, they moved on to Fléda, where about a hundred international graduates and students were already waiting for the networking part together with the musical programme.
“I am pleased that today I can welcome students, graduates, representatives of Czech universities and partner organisations. Over 18 percent of students studying in the Czech Republic are international, which makes our country one of the most internationalised in Europe. I believe that you will enjoy all the advantages that living and studying in the Czech Republic brings, whether it is the availability of studies, the location in the centre of Europe or the quality of education. And I hope that your adventure in the Czech Republic does not end with a university diploma. Enjoy this evening and use it to make new friends and establish contacts that will help you enter the Czech labour market or get a better job,” stated Michal Uhl, director of the Czech National Agency for International Education and Research, wishing the participants of the event well.
One of the international graduates to participate was Iman Mehmandoust, a graduate of the Faculty of Informatics of Masaryk University from Afghanistan. “I started my master's studies in the Czech Republic thanks to a special government scholarship which only a handful of students received. I fell in love with Brno during my studies and decided to stay there even after graduation. There are really a lot of opportunities in IT companies here, so today I work in the international company Oracle. I remember my studies at MUNI very fondly - they were great years. So I couldn't miss today's university meeting,” said the Faculty of Informatics graduate.
International relations student Sofiia Sharova and business management student Artem Moloshtan, both from Ukraine, also came to watch the evening programme. “We love meeting new people and wanted to get out of our social bubble. It's great that such events are organised, thanks to which we can establish contacts with a lot of interesting people,” was their view.
The Czech National Agency for International Education and Research has been organising Student and Alumni Meetups for several years. This year's event, which was held in Brno for the first time, followed previous meetings in Prague and Ostrava. In addition to meetings in the Czech Republic, the Czech National Agency for International Education and Research also organises meetings abroad, most recently it took place in Sweden, Spain and Moldova, as well as in the USA. These events help Czech universities stay in touch with their graduates and provide them with space for the further development of cooperation.
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