1. 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

2. Partnerships between higher education institutions and industry – the IUC’s experience Partnerships between higher education institutions and industry in Bulgaria The IUC’s experience

3. 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

4. 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

5. The IUC’s experience Career Centre Centre for Vocational Education and Training Projects Department Centre for Scientific Research Centre for Entrepreneurship

6. 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

7. THANK YOU! ANY QUESTIONS?