RELEVANCE OF THE PROJECT

Although long overdue, any comparative analysis of short-cycle higher education in Europe and the United States is bound to face numerous challenges posed by the varying pace in the historical development of SCHE programs and by the huge variety of SCHE institutions and programs across different countries. In this connection, the project has strong potential in eliciting exchange of best practices in critical policy areas and in stimulating regional, state, national and international discussions on the vital role of SCHE in powering social and economic development. In addition, the project will increase understanding of the strong contribution of SCHE in life-long and life-wide learning systems of education that underline the knowledge-based societies across the countries of the European Union and the United States.

All three countries involved in this project have exhibited increased reliance on SCHE programs to address social and economic agendas. The need to respond to the dynamic labor market and the shifting needs of its workforce has prompted the Bulgarian government to undertake serious measures to revive its long-standing short-cycle professional education. In 2005, the Ministry of Education commissioned and funded a large-scale national study on the status and future development of its colleges (formerly known as institutes for semi-higher education). In May of 2007, in a nation-wide effort to restore SCHE, the Bulgarian policy-makers “upgraded” the title of the three-year-long (180 ECTS) “specialist in...” degree to a “professional bachelor” degree with a change in the Higher Education Law. Following the last amendment of the Bulgarian Higher Education Act, 9 colleges (among them the project’s partner, the International University College) have been accredited to grant higher education credits towards the “professional” bachelor of arts degrees, which enable those colleges’ graduates to continue their education towards master degrees by remaining in the exactly same professional field. This amendment, however, has not been supported by the state higher education institutions, which have been apprehensive of the decreasing numbers of students after Bulgaria’s accession to the European Union and its joining the common EU education market. In result, the importance of SCHE programs has been underestimated – a development that runs against the needs and preferences of the emerging business entities – both national and international investors. In this context, the presentation and popularization of best practices and experiences from the United States and the Netherlands in designing and providing SCHE programs tailored to the needs of the labor market is extremely important. The development and introduction of internationally compatible programs will bolster college level credibility and assist in the establishment of credit transfer systems between the secondary and higher education as a basis for SCHE development.

In the Netherlands, a short-cycle higher education degree that is new to this country, the Associate Degree, was officially introduced in 2006. The new degree reflects the government’s efforts to search for ways to open the higher education system to different student populations and to further the development of the seamless progression routes to higher level skills thus building on the promise of lifelong learning networks and the venues for recognition of prior learning. The new Associate Degrees are also designed to respond directly to the shifting demands of the labor market. As a national survey of employers and employees indicated in 2007, the introduction of the Associate Degree is considered the most important change in the national higher education system. In many respects, the developments regarding SCHE in Bulgaria and the Netherlands parallel similar approaches in many countries across Europe.

For the American participants in this consortium, the project is also extremely timely. The US State of Ohio is one case where a comprehensive network of public universities and colleges are actively searching for ways to collaborate in their efforts to remain competitive in the educational services offered and at the same time address state social and economic needs at the regional and state levels. These efforts are stimulated and supported by state decision-makers, whose final goal is to maximize the higher education’s capacity for fueling the state’s economic growth (Governor Ted Strickland’s State of the State Address, February 6, 2008). In outlining a strategy for economic development in the State of Ohio, Governor Strickland pledged to provide “access to high-quality, affordable associate and bachelor’s degree within 30 miles of every Ohioan” (State of the State Address, February 6, 2008). Actions to bolster all sectors of the state’s currently severely weakened economy are a strong factor behind this push to increase the level of education and training of Ohioans. In this context, tertiary short-cycle programs at the Associate Degree have a critical place in creating the seamless network of expanded opportunities for access to higher education and provision of highly-trained human capital to support regional and state economic development. As the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services Bureau of Labor Market Information has projected, the Ohio economy will need a 21.6% increase in new associate degree graduates for the period between 2002 and 2012 (OACC, 2008-2009). Different partnerships between colleges and universities have been stimulated by these developments and the strategic partnership between the University of Toledo and Owens Community College is one example of similar institutional collaboration.

Reference

OACC: Ohio Association of Community Colleges. (2008-2009). An Action Agenda to Maximize Ohio’s Use of Its Community Colleges, last retrieved on March 25, 2008 from http://209.235.200.150/pdf/oaccactionagenda.pdf