How can the competences developed at universities be better aligned with labour market needs across the V4 countries?

Four universities from Poland, Czechia, Slovakia and Hungary are jointly testing a Design Thinking-based model of university-employer collaboration. Students will work on real organisational challenges, while academic teams will use a shared methodology to identify and compare the competences needed by young people entering the labour market. 

About the project 

The transition from university to the labour market depends on more than holding a degree. Specific competences are increasingly important: problem-solving, teamwork, needs analysis, collaboration and the ability to develop solutions to real organisational challenges.

The Bridging V4 Universities and Business through Design Thinking project focuses on the gap between the competences students develop during their studies and employers’ expectations across the Visegrad Group countries.

The project partners will use a shared workshop model to examine: 

• which competences are needed to address real organisational problems; 
• which employer needs are shared across the V4 countries; 
• where national and sectoral differences emerge; 
• how universities can use Design Thinking to develop competences that are valuable at the start of a professional career.  

How we work 

One model, four countries 

Four workshops based on a shared methodology will be held in Poland, Czechia, Slovakia and Hungary. In each country, students from the partner universities will work in international teams on a challenge submitted by a company or institution. 

The process moves from a real organisational challenge, through Design Thinking activities, observation and feedback, to country-level analysis, a V4 comparison and the preparation of a shared toolkit. 

Figure 1. Project workflow: organisational challenge, Design Thinking, observation and feedback, country-level analysis, V4 comparison, and the V4 University-Business Design Thinking Toolkit.

Four workshops 

Applying a shared methodology in four countries will allow experiences from different labour-market contexts to be examined together and the competences needed to address real organisational challenges to be compared. 

Figure 2. Four project workshops: Wrocław, 21–23 October 2026; Bratislava, 17–19 March 2027; Olomouc, 14–16 April 2027; and Budapest, 19–21 May 2027, including the hosts and challenge contexts.

Research and methodological component

The workshops will also provide a setting in which the partners can collect material to better understand the competences required by students entering the labour market. 

The project will use: 

• participants’ self-assessments of their competences before and after each workshop; 
• facilitators’ observations of the teams’ work; 
• feedback from organisations participating in the project; 
• prototypes of solutions developed by students; 
• joint consultation and analysis by the partners.  

After each workshop, material will be produced on the competences observed in that country. Once all four stages have been completed, the partners will prepare a comparison of the results across the V4 region. 

Contribution of Wrocław University of Economics and Business 

WUEB leads the project and coordinates the partnership. The WUEB team combines expertise in international project coordination, Design Thinking methodology and business engagement. 

mgr Paulina Graczyk · project coordination and international partnership management 

mgr Kamila Łuczak · Design Thinking methodology 

mgr Maciej Krahel · business engagement 

Partners 

The project is delivered by four universities. Each partner is responsible for its national workstream and contributes to the joint comparison and final toolkit. 

Figure 3. Project partners: Wrocław University of Economics and Business as lead partner, Palacký University Olomouc, Comenius University Bratislava and Edutus University, with their principal roles in the project. 

What will be produced 

V4 University-Business Design Thinking Toolkit 

The project’s principal output will be an open toolkit enabling other universities and organisations to use the model developed through the project. 

The toolkit will include: 

• a Design Thinking workshop plan; 
• methodological guidelines; 
• tools and exercises; 
• competence assessment criteria; 
• student self-assessment forms; 
• feedback tools for employers; 
• observation sheets for facilitators; 
• case studies; 
• recommendations for adapting the model. 

The toolkit will be published on an open-access basis with the involvement of the Wrocław University of Economics and Business publishing house. 

The project in figures 

Figure 4. Key project parameters: 4 V4 countries, 4 universities, 4 workshops using a shared methodology, approximately 100 students participating directly, 1 shared toolkit and 1 open final webinar. 

Sustainable Development Goals 

The project supports three United Nations Sustainable Development Goals: SDG 4 Quality Education, SDG 8 Decent Work and Economic Growth and SDG 17 Partnerships for the Goals. 

Figure 5. Sustainable Development Goals linked to the project: SDG 4 Quality Education, SDG 8 Decent Work and Economic Growth and SDG 17 Partnerships for the Goals.

Contact 

Project coordination: mgr Paulina Graczyk 

Email: [email protected] 

Institution: Wrocław University of Economics and Business  

Funding and acknowledgements 

The project is co-financed by the governments of Czechia, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia through Visegrad Grants from the International Visegrad Fund. 

The project is co-financed by the governments of Czechia, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia through Visegrad Grants from the International Visegrad Fund. The mission of the fund is to advance ideas for sustainable regional cooperation in Central Europe.