Education & training

Local people put a special emphasis on higher education. Upon finishing elementary school, 32% of children continue their education in vocational schools and 68% move on to secondary schools. An impressive 69% of all 20-64 year olds in the locality have obtained higher then basic education.

Excellent secondary educational facilities support the area’s needs, including 54 secondary vocational schools with 13,810 pupils, 34 secondary technical schools with 9,000 pupils and 46 grammar schools with 16,732 pupils. About 2,500 students practise at 11 colleges. 84% of students attend secondary schools which can be described as state schools and 16% of students attend private schools.
To service local industries the region produces 9,739 new high-quality graduates from its 5 universities and a further 15,657 secondary school graduates each year, adding to the pool of skills that the region can provide for modern enterprises.
The Region's 5 universities play a key role in contributing to its economy through the supply of graduate and post-graduate qualified staff, and the provision of research and development services to companies, and by contributing to the Region's innovative culture. Three important universities operate within the region including the VSB – Technical University of Ostrava, the University of Ostrava, and the Silesian University in Opava and Karvina.
The VSB – Technical University of Ostrava is the most important polytechnic school within North Moravia. All of the courses offered aim to develop the skills and personal qualities which employers value - problem solving, decision making, enterprise, communication, teamwork, computer literacy and basic business awareness together with practical experience during the degree course.
Local universities, colleges and training centres have close ties with employers to ensure skills and training match the managerial and technological needs of the Koprivnice locality’s industry. The curricula differ from the other regions in the Czech Republic. There is a higher percentage of engineering and electro technical specialist courses of study, and fewer food, textile and agricultural courses.
The promotion of lifelong learning, allowing individuals to achieve their full potential, is realised through the provision of some of the finest educational facilities. The area of retraining has achieved an extreme dynamic development. The Region is home to numerous adult education institutes and evening classes offering a wide variety of courses and topics, equipping graduates with skills relevant to a diverse range of industries. According to recent research, the most frequently taught courses include use of PCs, accounting, management, finance, marketing and foreign languages.