Innoweek WS 23/24

From 6 to 9 November 2023, the Department of Romance Languages held another Week of Innovative Teaching, for which we prepared several interesting events for students.

On Monday, 6 November, a lecture was held by Mr. Pavel Šembera, a graduate of the Faculty of International Relations of the University of Economics, a successful businessman and publicist, who told a hundred listeners about the specifics of trade with Latin American countries. In a funny and engaging way he presented his own, very successful professional trajectory and with many practical examples and personal experiences he brought the students closer to the issue of intercultural differences between the two regions and the resulting benefits and obstacles, which the students appreciated very much, because the orientation in intercultural issues is part of the content of many compulsory courses that they take at the FIR and the knowledge of which is important for their future careers.

On Tuesday 7 November, a lecture on Spanish architecture and design took place. The opening speech was given by the Commercial Counsellor of the Spanish Embassy, Mr. Jaime Alcaide, who introduced three important representatives of Spanish companies that are also represented in the Czech Republic. The first of them, Mr. Sergio Castro, spoke about La Roca and its cooperation with Laufen and Jika. The second speaker, Mr. David Álvares García, spoke about the problems of implementing an architectural plan from design to execution. The last speaker was Mr. Manuel Candel, representative of TORRECID, who presented the company’s main production programme and explained the process of its gradual transformation from a chemical company to a company focused on modern design and fashion.

The events for the Francophones this time were in the spirit of sustainable development and energy transformation. The excursion to the modern research and development centre of Valeo, a leading French supplier of components for the automotive industry, attracted almost thirty students on Tuesday 7 November. During a presentation given in French by Mr. Jean-Nicolas Montbrun, head of the ranging sensors department, they were able to learn about Valeo’s activities (globally and in the Czech Republic) as well as the latest trends in the automotive industry (e.g. electromobility or assisted driving). This was followed by a tour of the development centre, including, for example, a practical demonstration of fully automated parking. The students greatly appreciated the opportunity to see what goes on behind the scenes of a company that has been awarded 1,600 patents in the automotive industry in the past year (70 just in the Strašnice centre) and is developing very quickly in the context of the transition to electromobility.

On Thursday, 9 November, Mr Vincent Leroy, CEO of TotalEnergies for Central Europe, visited the University of Economics and gave a very engaging lecture in French not only on the activities and values of TotalEnergies, but also on the current topic of sustainable development. The audience learned how a multinational energy giant such as TotalEnergies is dealing with the energy transition, and that the company is constantly looking for new talent in many areas covering the fields studied at the VŠE and that knowledge of French is a competitive advantage. The lecture attracted ninety students and there was no shortage of questions in the ensuing discussion.

We would like to thank all the presenters – Mr. Pavel Šembera, Mr. Jaime Alcaide and representatives of La Roca, Orsan, Torrecid, Valeo and TotalEnergies – for their enriching contributions to the innovative teaching of our students and we look forward to further cooperation.