1. 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
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.