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?