The promotion of continuing engineering education and university involvement into regional development

Abstract

Outside pressures (governmental, financial, and public) are increasingly forcing universities to change together with social changes in the economy and society in which they are embedded. This paper deals with the changes mat can he met, particularly in the case of the teaching function of universities. The growing demand of short courses, re-qualification of labour forces pressed by growing unemployment, and the involvement of universities into regional development programs requires from the universities a redistribution of internal human resources, needing from pure research to ban implementation of knowledge. Teaching and implementation of total quality management systems (ISO 9000 series) in factories and other institutions the organisation of informational centres for the marketing of universities. the anation of informal business advise/support systems, and the active involvement of universities into EU-supported regional development programs an making progressive movement in the country. The signing of the Bologna declaration obligates the universities to be more visible in efforts of broadening the country's intellectual, social, technological dimensions with the aim to approach European social and cultural space.