University of agribusiness and rural development – Plovdiv, Bulgaria The role of university career center in the acquisition of career management skills Ekaterina Arabska & Kirilka Nenkova University of agribusiness and rural development – Plovdiv, Bulgaria E-mail: earabska@uard.bg; career@uard.bg UNIVERSITY OF AGRIBUSINESS AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT INTRODUCTION importance of knowledge, skills and competences employability provision career orientation and development building career management skills new missions of educational institutions role of university career centers access to quality education and training labor market needs new skills for new jobs consulting and guidance links and relations GOOD PRACTICES OF UARD CAREER CENTER ACTIVITIES OF UARD CAREER CENTER UARD’s friends Club Alumni Club Rector’s Golden List Projects work career guidance contact and communication events and dissemination permanent feedback analyses and reports WORK EVALUATION CRITERIA Applicability Impact Innovativeness Effectiveness Sustainability Dissemination of results CONCEPT AND FRAMEWORK OF FUNCTIONING specific regulations policy support networking activities on national level Abstract: The question of knowledge, skills and competences acquirement in higher education is a central one in contemporary educational paradigm, as well as the need to answer the requirements of labour market and establishing broad partnerships and relation to real life. The mission of educational institutions is changing and focused on employability provision through application of new methods in educational and management activities. Development of specific skills and competences in students which should be a common goal to all specialties and majors is an issue of many discussions and trials of classification. Current study presents the importance of building career management skills in terms of decision making substantiated by information provision and analyses, as well as guided orientation and consulting. The role of university career centers is presented through the example of University of agribusiness and rural development in Bulgaria discussing its main activities and concluding on its good practices in the work with students of different age, majors and groups. The work of a career center is considered in terms of the main criteria of its evaluation – applicability and impact, innovativeness, effectiveness, sustainability and dissemination of results. The paper outlines the concept and the framework of the functioning of career centers in higher education institutions putting a special accent on the need of specific regulations, policy support and networking activities on national level.   Key words: career orientation, career development, career management, skills. http://uard.bg