Acta Musealia

Baťa Company put a great emphasis on educating their employees and their families. Bata's School of Work, which integrated theoretical education and practical experience in the factory, was founded in 1925. At the same time, thanks to compulsory accommodation in halls of residence, the education could also form the overall life style of the students, or young men and young women as they were known. The School for Girls had already existed since 1929, until 1933 it was, however, organised as a family skills school. Bata's School of Work was scheduled as a three-year course, nevertheless as early as the 1930s Baťa Company established a Secondary Technical School. In the school year 1933/34 a Specialist Engineering School opened, which, in 1937 expanded into the Technical School divided into three departments: engineering, electro technical and technology for shoemaking industry and chemistry focused on leather and rubber processing. It was a four-year school, divided into two levels: a two-year Professional School followed by a two-year Master School, where only the best school-leavers of the first level were admitted. Later a hosiery department was added and the school was run on three levels. The last, and highest, level was the two-year Technical High School. Within the framework of the Technical School existed also the Trade School which educated future employees of repair and company shops. The Technical School also offered courses for former students who wished to obtain a qualification in different field as well as specialised courses for the company employees.
Tomášov was to become a specific institution in the framework of Baťa educational system, providing education for future managers of the company. The prerequisite for being accepted to Tomášov was finished training on the shop floor and completed education at one of the professional secondary schools.
In 1933 a two-year Business School opened in Uherské Hradiště as a subsidiary of the Business Academy. In the school year 1937/38 Tomáš Baťa Business Academy was established in Zlín.
Having become the Lord Mayor of Zlín in 1923, Tomáš Baťa declared his objective to reform the school system in the town. That was the beginning of Zlín experimental education an example of which is Masaryk Experimental Differentiated School.
Baťa Company contributed considerably towards building and running new schools, primary, secondary and grammar; new kindergartens were opened and, between 1932 and 1936, also foreign languages schools.
Importance assigned by Baťa Company to language skills of their employees resulted in opening a Private Secondary Language School in 1934.
In 1932, Tomáš Baťa Higher Public School was founded; it organised lectures for general public focusing on various topics. The Study Institute, within the framework of which originated departments of pedagogy, economy and a study institute for business cooperation became its successor. Specialised libraries were available in all three departments and archives of Tomáš Baťa were integrated in the Study Institute.

Keywords: Baťa, educational system, work, education