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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.
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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
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