The Rector of the “Todor Kableshkov” High Transport School, Ass. Prof. Nencho NENOV: There is a growing interest in transport education

 

The High Transport School is an educational institution with a history of 85 years. It is accredited as such and has also acquired a certificate for the implementation of a Quality Management system under EN ISO 9001:2000. The Transport School is a co-founder and member of the Bulgarian virtual university and associated member of the Francophone University Agency (AUF). Since the academic year 2004/2005, the school has implemented the European Credit Transfer System (ECTS) and issues state diplomas, recognised in Europe. As of May 2006, the school has established an authorised ECDL training and test centre.

 

Current priorities are a number of international projects, among which are the “Establishment of a regional R&D and learning centre for railway transport”, as well as “Technologies for safer European railway level-crossing facilities”. The school has built and enhanced its unique campus, the main component of which is the training facilities with well-equipped halls and laboratories. One of these is the JAVA – laboratory, which is unique for the sector of higher education in Bulgaria; the simulation equipment, modern lecture and meeting halls.

 

With a view to the further development of cooperation between educational institutions, it is highly expedient to focus upon improvements in language training. The introduction of state-of-the-art technologies and new management structures bring forth the need for such training, which aims at teaching the students to think, not just to accumulate knowledge. Transport and business require ambitious and enterprising young people, who are self-disciplined and adaptive to the new conditions of work and employment.

 

The “Todor Kableshkov” High Transport School offers its students a multilateral training, the purpose of which is to build a total system of personal and professional values. We aim at the formation and development of such skills, which are necessary for many spheres of work practice and for the interaction with information and communication technologies. The broad-range training of the students allows them to pursue careers in all sectors of inland transport – such as executive and expert positions, transport machine building, telecommunications, signalling systems, logistics, civil engineering, electrical energy. This horizontal and vertical mobility provide opportunities for a much narrower specialisation via Ph.D. programmes, post-graduate qualification and re-qualification. The school maintains close contacts with the business sector. The good coordination of these contacts is performed by the Centre for career development, established at the Transport School.

 

The provision of practice-oriented training, combined with the opportunities for the acquirement of different professional qualifications, has been a tradition in the school. A proof thereof is the growing interest to the students on the part of various companies, which would rely upon highly qualified experts in their activity.

 

Among the most important forthcoming events is the annual scientific conference with international participation “Transport 2006”, which will be hosted by the High Transport School for the 16th year running. This forum, which will be held on 9th-10th November, has established the reputation of the school as a prestigious an leading scientific R&D centre in the sphere of transport and transport infrastructure as a result of the long-standing fruitful cooperation with similar high schools and institutions abroad. The participation of over 120 scientists and lecturers from Austria, Byelorussia, Germany, Greece, Portugal, Russia, Slovakia, Serbia, etc. with more than 130 reports and scientific presentations has become a tradition.

 

Part of the conference will involve a meeting of the project team under the Sixth Framework Programme of the EU “RRTC” during which the establishment will be announced of a Regional R&D and training centre for railway transport in the “Todor Kableshkov” High Transport School. It is also envisaged that the school will participate in the inception meeting of a new European project “Technologies for safer European railway level-crossing facilities”, which is coordinated by the Institute for Traffic Safety and Automation at the Technical University of Braunschweig. Nineteen institutions from eight European countries and Japan participate in this project.

 

The school is preparing a seminar on the issues of training in rail transport safety with the participation of the main transport companies.

 

The historic traditions, significant experience, exceptional training facilities and student potential are prerequisites for a serious expansion of the High Transport School on the educational market, as well as the market of R&D and the practical implementation of new concepts, in the coming years, thus establishing itself as a regional R&D and training centre for inland transport.

 

In June this year, the school acquired State accreditation for a further period of six years. The assessment means that the High Transport School complies with all legal requirements as to its transformation into a transport university. It is highly probable that next year this will become a fact.