partnerships between higher education institutions and industry – the iuc’s experience stanislav...
TRANSCRIPT
Partnerships between higher education
institutions and industry – the IUC’s experience
Stanislav Ivanov, Ph. D.
Academic Director
Gergana Dimitrova, Ph.D.
EU Projects Coordinator
International University College
3 Bulgaria Str., 9300 Dobrich, Bulgaria
Partnerships between higher education institutions and industry – the IUC’s experience
Partnerships between higher education institutions and industry in Bulgaria
The IUC’s experience
Partnerships between higher education institutions and industry in Bulgaria
A “Chinese wall” exists between the two sectors with limited partnership
Directions of partnerships:- Career centers – medium- Internships – limited- (Applied) research projects – very limited,
exclusively in the field of life and physical sciences
Partnerships between higher education institutions and industry in Bulgaria
Reasons for the academia-industry divide:- Too academic education in universities and
too practical in colleges (embedded in the Higher Education Act)
- Lack of entrepreneurial spirit in HEI management
- Industry representatives do not see HEI as partners / potential problem solvers
- Smaller companies are focused on survival and short-term goals
The IUC’s experience
Career Centre Centre for Vocational Education and Training Projects Department Centre for Scientific Research Centre for Entrepreneurship
The IUC’s experience- Internships for students, jobs for graduates- Trainings for company employees - Job fairs open for the general public- Guest lecturers and part-time lecturers from the industry- Training in tourism and hospitality for the local community in several
municipalities- Training of employees in private companies under the EU funded programme “I
can” - in English, German, Tourism and Hospitality, Entrepreneurship, Accounting, Finance, often tailored to trainees’ specific needs.
- Training in hospitality-related professions in the framework of projects financed by the World Bank and the Bulgarian Employment Agency
- Specific applied tasks - Research cooperation with the industry is initiated by IUC, not the industry- Alumni club- Meetings and forums involving representatives of business, students and IUC
staff
THANK YOU!
ANY QUESTIONS?