Abstract:

Employability of graduating students is an issue that every university shall consider during development of curricula, delivery of education and establishment of connection with industry aiming provision of practical skills, knowledge and professional orientation of students. The paper provides comparative analysis of perceptions of managers representing main employers in Bulgarian IT sector about required professional knowledge and transferable skills needed in the sector from one side and of students from specialties Software engineering and Computer science in University of Ruse. The comparison provides valuable information for analysis of existing curricula and recommendations for necessary updates and extracurricular activities for better professional orientation of students and response of employers’ requirements. Main challenges and opportunities for improvement of training with consideration of generational and national specifics are identified and analysis can be of help every educational institution that provides training or education in IT knowledge in Bulgaria.

Keywords:

Employability, transferable skills, IT education, University- industry cooperation.