Support for addressing the challenges facing higher education in Bulgaria

INTERREG project "New Danube Management for Achieving Alignment between Higher Education and the Labor Market" - EDU-LAB

Since the beginning of 2017, on the initiative of the European Foundation for Education (European Fondation for Education e.V.), headquartered in Stuttgart, the Faculty of German Engineering Education and Industrial Management (FGEIM) of the Technical University – Sofia, together with three other Bulgarian institutions, joined the INTERREG project "New Danube Management for Achieving Alignment between Higher Education and the Labor Market", contract DTP1-1-115-4.1 with the acronym EDU-LAB. The project, with a total funding of 2.5 million euros, involving 9 other countries from the Danube region, sets the following objectives:

•    To reveal better professional opportunities for young people;
•    To use and apply practice-oriented curricula;
•    To support higher competitiveness of companies;
•    To strengthen regional economic development.

In fulfillment of the set objectives, on April 25, 2018, at TU – Sofia, a "Letter of Intent" for the establishment of an association with the working name "National Academy for Vocational Training" was signed. Participants in the discussion for the establishment of such an association are: TU – Sofia, the Bulgarian Chambers of Commerce and Industry, the German-Bulgarian Industrial and Commercial Chamber, the Industrial Cluster "Srednogorie", and the European Foundation for Education headquartered in Stuttgart. The document was signed by Prof. Georgi Mihov, Rector of TU, Eng. Petar Denev, Vice-Chairman of the BCCI, Dr. Mitko Vasilev, Executive Director of the GBICC, Eng. Nikolai Minkov, Executive Director of the Industrial Cluster "Srednogorie", and Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Schuster, European Foundation for Education headquartered in Stuttgart, the leading partner in the EDU-LAB project.

The efforts of the initiators are focused on providing support in addressing the challenges facing the education system in Bulgaria, and specifically – higher education. This highlights the urgent need for a more practical orientation of HE, for better linkage with the needs of business and new technologies, and for better alignment with the requirements and dynamics of changes in the labor market.

The main activities of the future association are directed towards the following areas, interconnected in a synergistic manner:

• Supporting universities in the implementation of dual study programs (if necessary, with accreditation of the bachelor's degree in Germany);
• Developing and offering qualification programs for mentors in companies, with the aim of conducting internships and the practical part of dual education;
• Ensuring the qualification of teachers in professionally oriented schools, particularly in professional high schools;
• Offering further improvement of programs, such as training for start-up companies, entrepreneurship, project thinking, advanced training;
• Organizing the transfer of know-how between universities and companies regarding study programs and in the field of science and research.

Of particular practical orientation are the electronic platforms, study modules, and courses planned for development and implementation in Bulgarian practice, aimed at improving the quality of preparation of young people graduating from Bulgarian universities, their mobility, and competencies for better alignment with the requirements of the labor market in European Union countries.