Sustainable university-enterprises cooperation for improving graduate employability (SUCCESS)

• To modernize WBC universities through the strengthening University-Enterprise partnership in the areas of education and knowledge transfer based on the market needs with aim to improve student employability. Furthermore the project aims to enhance international cooperation and networking at the Regional/international level between universities and enterprises.

To achieve this, the following 5 specific objectives are defined:

• To develop relationships with the professional environment and to evaluate its needs and participation in education of students with aim to increase employability in WBC.
• To modernise 3 technical study programmes at each partner countries HEI by introducing practice-oriented teaching and modules with real- life problems from practice in the specific courses. Based on that, 4 courses within those study programmes will be updated. Modernisation of study programmes will also include introducing of entrepreneurship course at those 3 study programme.
• To reinforce existing and to establish new Start-up services at 8 WBC HEIS.
• To develop and implement internship programmes at the 8 WBC HEIs.
• To create wide university-enterprise network in the Region as well as to set up innovative cooperation platform for the sharing of good practice between academia and business environment.

By achieving earlier defined project objectives, and by establishing strong cooperation between universities and enterprises, we will support economic growth by creation of new enterprises and ensuring that business sector will have the skilled staff they need for the future. Synergic engagement of industry and HEIs in education will improve student employability. Updating curricula at 3 study programmes by introducing real-life problems from industry and introducing the entrepreneurship courses will help graduate employability as the students will get opportunity to get knowledge on problem solving methodology. Academic staff will improve their skills in practice-oriented teaching and will be familiarised with real sector experiences, that will be further used in teaching process as well. All mentioned will enable that teaching process become more relevant and engaging.

As business sector will be involved in delivery of the modules (that will be created within the project for specific study programmes), contacts between employers and students can also lead to opportunities for jobs. Internship programmes will increase student employability, by giving them concrete experience in the workplace. At least 20 students from each WBC HEIs will be involved in the Internship programme. The existing university structures will be reinforced by creating Start-up management services at 8WBC HEIs with aim to educate students in entrepreneurship and to provide them with basic knowledge necessary for creating their own business. Achieving this objective will increase self-employability of graduates in all WBC countries. These activities are organised as extracurricular activities.

Enterprise-university cooperation will be implemented through the network and platform that will be used as tool/place which brings all relevant stakeholder at one place. All idea for further cooperation (common projects), professional trainings etc. will be published at the platform.

By achieving the project objectives, newly established cooperation will be organized at the institutional level and it will be supported by the legal framework that will be created within the project. Furthermore, the universities will increase their structural (though Start-up services) and human capacities that will also improve their position in the society.