The PAC project aims to develop adaptive master's degree programs in engineering fields to better meet the needs of the labor market. It involves partnerships between universities and businesses to input employment needs into curriculum design. The programs will focus on skills and competencies required by industries, include virtual and practical learning components, and integrate work experience through internships. The goal is to transform engineering education from a traditional model to a performance-centered, employment-oriented approach.

1. PAC - PERFORMANCE-CENTERED ADAPTIVE
CURRICULUM FOR EMPLOYMENT NEEDS
Mohamed Tawfik, Maria Jose Albert and Manuel Castro
Spanish University for Distance Education (UNED)
Nevena Mileva
Plovdiv University
Alexander Gochev
Index-6® Ltd
Mihail Milev
Technology-enhanced, Performance-oriented Learning Software Solutions (Tepolsofts Ltd)
Damjan Ekert and Richard Messnarz
International Software Consulting Network GesmbH (ISCN)
Ken Slaven, Hector Pastor and Rebeca Rada
Adaptive Predictive Expert Control (ADEX)
PAC - Performance-centered Adaptive Curriculum for Employment Needs
Programa ERASMUS: Acción Multilateral - 517742-LLP-1-2011-1-BG-
ERASMUS-ECUE

2. The global competitive labor market and industrial sectorial trends have demanded
new requirements and restructuring in the prevailing engineering curriculum of the
European Higher Education Area (EHEA) in terms of:
• Linking the educational contents with the industrial real-world.
• Promoting cooperation between universities and enterprises.

3. Regarding to the Cedefop’s latest forecast on the demand and supply of skills, which
foresees a steady rise in knowledge- and skill-intensive occupations:
• The total number of job openings will reach around 80 million by 2020, with the biggest
increase in high-level managerial, professional and technical occupations.
• These higher level jobs are expected to increase to around 8.5 million over the next
decade, and to gain a share of more than 42% of total employment.
The experts with higher qualifications will therefore clearly be in the best position to take
advantage of these developments.

4. In response to these needs, the Performance-Centered Adaptive Curriculum for
Employment Needs (PAC) project was launched in order to develop business adaptive and
employment and labor market oriented master degree programs for computer, electronics,
and fiber-optics engineering.
PAC project is based on a partnership between European universities and enterprises and it
supports progress towards European-wide certification of qualifications.

5. PAC-Performance-Centered Adaptive Curriculum for
Employment Needs project
• Development of a master degree program in fiber-optics technology, control
systems, electronic and software engineering.
• Input business and employment into curriculum development.
• Considering concrete and specific new standards of industry at national and
regional level, not only in terms of formal qualifications but also in terms of
detailed new skills requirements and competences.
• Fostering employment by preparing qualified professional profiles in a
particular occupation.

6. PAC-Performance-Centered Adaptive Curriculum for
Employment Needs project
• Plovdiv University (PU).
• Spanish University for Distance Education (UNED).
• International Software Consulting Network GesmbH (ISCN).
• Adaptive Predictive Expert Control (ADEX).
• INDEX-6® Ltd.
• Technology-Enhanced, Performance-Oriented Learning Software Solutions
(TEPOLSoftS Ltd).

7. PAC-Performance-Centered Adaptive Curriculum for
Employment Needs project
• To ensure the sustainability and the successful realization of the PAC project, Plovdiv
University will cooperate with the UNED and the ISCN which has extensive experience
in the automotive and software industry labor market. So far, the partners have had two
successfully implemented projects - DIPSEIL and IPLECS - that will serve as a base
for the development of the present one.
• On the one hand, partnership with enterprises are crucial when it comes to matching
the needs for skills in the labor marke. In this regard our industry partners Index 6,
TepolSofts, ADEX, Global Communication Net AD, KCM Plovdiv and ZF
Friedrichshafen AG, will help us in skills and personal competence profile identification.

8. PAC-Performance-Centered Adaptive Curriculum for
Employment Needs project
• The project provides virtual mobility of students and teachers by developing open
educational resources on-line within the framework DIPSEIL (Distributed Internet-
Based Performance Support Environment for Individualized Learning) which is
released in 5 languages to organize different courses. These educational resources
comprise innovative ICT-based learning content, services, pedagogies and practice for
lifelong learning and vocational training.

9. PAC-Performance-Centered Adaptive Curriculum for
Employment Needs project
• Courses in forms of modules with tasks for performance are/will be available in
DIPSEIL. Students will work from the distance and in the labs of PU and UNED-DIEEC
for tasks where the practical performance is necessary. During the specialization
phase, students will work closely with the professionals from the supporting enterprises
using their environment, tools and equipment, and their experts support in form of
feedback and evaluation of tasks performance.

10. PAC-Performance-Centered Adaptive Curriculum for
Employment Needs project
• PAC training of the students will be further strengthened through relevant engineering
work experience. Two months internship programs will be opened for the participants
so that they can integrate learning with working life and further develop the
corresponding vocational skills. Knowledge,
• skills and competence assessment will be performed by each of the employees. As key
contributors to the initiative, they will present evaluation reports which will capture the
range of outcomes desired and will give an overview, of the results and lessons
learned.
• The implementation of the program will represent a significant step forward in the
transformation of the learning and educational process from a traditional lecture-
practice-test training approach to an innovative performance-centered one.
• The impact of the project will foster motivation and value in learning and will enhance
the relationship between skills providers and employers. At a regional level it will
support Bulgaria in its efforts to align its higher educational framework with modern
European best practice and standards.

11. PAC-Performance-Centered Adaptive Curriculum for
Employment Needs project
http://pac.dipseil.net/

12. PAC-Performance-Centered Adaptive Curriculum for
Employment Needs project
We next present the following contributions, that describe the role of each partner,
in this special session:
 Plovdiv University expertise and solutions in performance-centered adaptive
curriculum for the needs of industry in Plovdiv region. PU, INDEX-6 and
TEPOLSoftS
 European strategy for joint education and certification involving both industry and
universities. ISCN
 Curricular development required to support Adaptive Predictive Expert control
projects and business in industry. ADEX
 State-of-the-Art Remote Laboratories for Industrial Electronics Applications.
UNED

13. THANKS FOR YOUR ATTENTION!
Nevena Mileva
Plovdiv University
PAC - Performance-centered Adaptive Curriculum for Employment Needs
Programa ERASMUS: Acción Multilateral - 517742-LLP-1-2011-1-BG-
ERASMUS-ECUE