Technical University - Sofia and CRI have signed an agreement for strategic cooperation

Today (November 13, 2018), the Rector of the Technical University of Sofia, Corresponding Member of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Dr. Eng. Georgi Mihov, and the Chairman of the Confederation of Employers and Industrialists in Bulgaria (CEIB), Kiril Domuschiev, signed a Framework Agreement for strategic cooperation. The aim of the agreement is to strengthen the link between education and business through more joint projects that will find real solutions to the challenges faced by both employers and higher education. "There are not few problems in higher education. To begin with, we experience a shortage of funding. We are encountering increasing difficulties in modernizing the material base of the university. There is also a shortage of personnel in the energy and machine-building sectors, which are extremely important for Bulgaria. Unfortunately, the interest of prospective students in these specialties is insufficient. This is why the direct participation of business in the student training process is extremely important. This partnership will help us jointly conduct a more in-depth analysis of labor market processes, modernize the university's material base, and adapt our educational programs in real time according to companies' requirements for greater efficiency of their future personnel," said Corresponding Member of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Dr. Eng. Georgi Mihov, Rector of TU-Sofia. "I am very sympathetic to the role of the Technical University - Sofia, not only because I graduated from this university and am very pleased with the education and knowledge I received and with everything the university gave me to enable me to realize myself. I am sympathetic because the Technical University is where the most sought-after engineering specialists are created, whom the Bulgarian labor market greatly needs. It is a fact that there is a serious shortage of such personnel, and I hope that together we will continue to persuade the public and young people to pursue such specialties. In industry, the salaries of engineering personnel are growing, and good specialists can realize themselves there and receive a European salary. We have a lot of work that we can do together as a university and an employer organization, because you prepare the personnel, and we hire and develop them, and we need to work together in this direction. The growth of GDP, industry, and exports that we have achieved in recent years could be even more significant if there were well-prepared personnel. I hope that together with the highly respected Technical University, we can give an additional boost to the Bulgarian economy. Thank you also for the invitation to be a member of your Board of Trustees together with other respected colleagues from business," said Kiril Domuschiev, Chairman of the largest employer organization in Bulgaria, CEIB, who is also an alumnus of the Technical University of Sofia. The cooperation between the partners will develop through joint initiatives related to vacant positions and internships for TU-Sofia students in CEIB member companies. Greater business activity in the university's educational process is also envisaged through the participation of CEIB representatives and its member companies in presentations to students, lectures, seminars, or other events organized by TU-Sofia. Of essential importance are also the envisaged joint analyses of the current labor market situation with regard to the business's need for personnel, especially in sectors where their shortage is acutely felt.