The Second Season of Kaufland - UNWE Business Academy Has Started

The application process for the Second Season of Kaufland – UNWE Business Academy - joint practically-oriented business initiative between the UNWE and the leader in retail Kaufland, is now open.

The applications will be admitted until 18 February 2024 and the second season will officially start on 12 March 2024. For five months 3rd and 4th year undergraduates and Master`s degree students from the UNWE will gain knowledge from leading retail experts on key topics in the modern trade sector.

"The policy of UNWE is to bring training closer to practice. This Business Academy is the result of the cooperation between the largest business university in Southeastern Europe and the largest retail chain in Bulgaria. It provides many opportunities and advantages for our students to experience the real business environment. The percentage of students who stayed and will continue their career development at Kaufland after the first edition of the Business Academy is quite high", commented the Rector of UNWE Prof. Dr. Dimitar Dimitrov.

The first season of the initiative in 2023 had an outstanding success and deservedly won the first place in the Student Activities and Recruitment category in the fourth edition of the Employer Of Choice Awards.

Opening of the first Kaufland - UNWE Business Academy: Ivan Chernev, Managing Director of Kaufland Bulgaria EOOD & Co, Prof. Dr. Dimitar Dimitrov Dimitrov, Rector of UNWE, Prof. Dr. Tsvetana Stoyanova, Acting Vice-Rector for Institutional and Business Cooperation and Student Policies, Atanas Dimitrov, Director of the Inter-University Center for Career Development /from the left to the right/

A total of 30 young people from different specialities of UNWE take part in the pilot edition of the innovative project, and currently, one-third of them continue their development as part of the team of the leading retailer. They occupy various positions in key Departments of Kaufland such as Controlling, Accounting, Corporate Communications, Human Resources, Sales Directorate, etc.

As a result of the cooperation between the UNWE and Kaufland in support of future leaders in 2023 the large retail chain donated to the University a Full HD screen from the latest generation. The screen was installed in Maxima Aula and the CEO of the retail chain Ivan Chernev personally came to inspect the installation of the a new donation.

Ivan Chernev and the Rector Prof. Dr. Dimitar Dimitrov at the installation of the donated FULL HD screen

The Second Season of Kaufland-UNWE Business Academy's will once more give the young people the chance to participate in comprehensive specialised training which will be followed by a paid internship programme in various Departments at Kaufland Bulgaria's headquarters.

The programme focuses on building practical skills in line with the current business trends and challenges. It will include 15 lectures divided into 6 thematic modules covering all key aspects of the business environment in our country. Students will gain comprehensive knowledge ranging from planning and programming in a highly competitive environment to implementing orders in the market and building a brand identity as well as maintaining and developing a large team. For the most ambitious ones the Academy also offers additional courses to build the so-called "soft skills". One of the advantages of the Business Academy is the opportunity to develop real business solutions based on actual business cases. The programme also provides an internship in the company lasting several weeks which is fully tailored to the employment and needs of the participants.

All students who have attended at least 80% of the required 15 lectures, have participated in the business cases and have successfully completed their internship will also receive a scholarship of 2 500 BGN and a certificate for a pre-degree internship. Especially for the most active among them, Kaufland has prepared another prize of 1 000 BGN. The additional scholarship will be awarded to 10 students based on pre-set criteria described on the company's career page.