Higher education is increasingly emphasizing sustainable development due to the growing awareness of environmental issues. Educators must be able to integrate sustainability principles into teaching, inspire students to behave responsibly, and promote environmental protection. In this article, we present an innovative approach through the secondary use of recycled electronic components to reduce electronic waste and practically teach students about sustainability. The project of making clocks from E-waste included stages from design to testing, providing students with practical skills and emphasizing the importance of recycling in technical education.

The present study characterizes the emerging era of Industry 5.0 (Gabriel, 2021) and highlights the importance of creative thinking for this future. Industry 5.0 deals with technological development not only through technical and economic evaluation, but also with the help of innovations. It moves the industry’s goals from optimizing production processes to sustainable, socially beneficial and, above all, human-centered production. The technological aspect should be balanced by strengthening human talents and investing in education. The article presents the results of the OECD’s PISA 2022 (OECD, 2024) global survey, which aimed, among other things, to determine the level of creative thinking among 15-year-old respondents from around the world, i.e., the future productive generation. A total of approximately 690,000 pupils, representing around 29 million pupils in 81 countries and economic regions around the world, participated in PISA 2022. The study also shows the teaching strategies that led to achieving the best results in the PISA 2022 tests for pupils from Singapore. In the Czech Republic, 430 schools and nearly 11,000 pupils participated in the survey (PISA 2022 National Report Creative Thinking, 2023). The results of this investigation were contrasted with the results of the Urban Figurative Test of Creative Thinking for primary school pupils in the Czech Republic. The results of this test, however, showed that fifth-grade pupils achieved the highest scores, which has also been proven by other research (Chalupa, 2012; Novotný, 2012). The study also points out social development and its influence on education, where creative thinking will be very important. Based on the results of various studies, this study also presents the competencies necessary in the Industry 5.0 era (Earp, 2024).

Currently, teaching programming in primary and secondary schools is already standard practice in many countries. Although teaching methods and tools vary, the goal remains the same: to teach students how to program, i.e., to create appropriate algorithms for solving various tasks. In our research, we focused on the influence of personal interest and career orientation as motivation for better performance in programming and algorithm design. The main objective of the research was to determine the influence of student motivation, personal preferences, and career orientation tests on programming results. The secondary objective of the research was to verify in the practical part whether elementary school students (eighth and ninth grade) are able to program an industrial machine that they will encounter at secondary vocational schools. A structured questionnaire and an unconventional device, the PLC Logo from Siemens, were used as testing tools. Research has shown that students who have the prerequisites for studying at a technical secondary school achieve better results in programming than students who do not have these prerequisites.

In recent decades, the state of the environment has deteriorated significantly, leading to increasing pressure for its protection and sustainability. Air, water and soil pollution have a negative impact on biodiversity and the health of ecosystems. Industrial companies are forced to comply with strict environmental regulations and voluntarily implement environmental management systems to minimize their impact on the environment. This trend has a significant impact on social and economic development, as well as on the quality of life and health of the population. The aim of this article is to expand the basic register of environmental aspects identified in machining according to ISO 14001, regarding the aging of machines in the machining process. Expanding the basic register of environmental aspects according to ISO 14001 is important for improving environmental performance and compliance with legislation, leading to cost savings and strengthening the reputation of the company. Identifying and managing aspects associated with the aging of machines helps prevent environmental accidents and supports long - term sustainability. The research focused on analyzing the impact of aging machine tools on emissions and energy consumption. The research was carried out in the following steps: defining parameters, collecting and analyzing data, interpreting results, conclusions and recommendations. Furthermore, the possibilities of recycling older machines and implementing new technologies were examined. The result of the research work was a register of environmental aspects for the machining hall, where it can be observed that older machine tools have higher emissions and energy consumption, require more frequent maintenance, but can be recycled. On the contrary, new technologies, such as energy - efficient machines, advanced cutting tools, energy recovery, low - impact cooling systems, automation and digitalization, and adhesive machining, can significantly reduce environmental impacts. The implementation of these new technologies and processes not only contributes to environmental protection but also increases the efficiency and competitiveness of industrial enterprises, which is key to their long - term sustainability, growth and continuous improvement. Sustainable development makes it possible to meet the current needs of the human population without compromising the living standards of future generations and the preservation of the planet's ecosystem.