On May 17, 2022, President Stevo Pendarovski hosted a delegation from the German Institute for Business and Management Heidelberg Skopje, representatives of the management of the Institute in Heidelberg and Frankfurt and part of the management of the State Dual University of Mannheim.
At the meeting, President Pendarovski was introduced to the establishment of the “Heidelberg Faculty in Skopje” as an institution for undergraduate and specialist postgraduate studies in the fields of data and computer science, banking, insurance and controlling, which introduces the German dual education system in Skopje, with theoretical and practical teaching following the example of the Mannheim State Dual University.
The German representatives were: prof. Dr. Ulrich Zeitel, Chairman of the Board of the Heidelberg Institute for Business and Management in Skopje, Executive Director of the FORUM Institute of Management and Professor at the University of Heidelberg in Germany, Dr. Brigitte Spielmann (Member on the Board of the Heidelberg Institute), prof. Dr. Georg Nagler (Rektor of The Baden-Württemberg Cooperative State University – DHBW) and Torge Fischer (DHBW Education Consultant).
They informed the President about the evaluation processes aimed at obtaining German accreditation at the Faculty, as well as the possibilities for establishing a German campus in Skopje, in order to expand the German dual university education in the Western Balkans.
President Pendarovski greeted the successful cooperation between the Heidelberg Institute Skopje and the State Dual University of Mannheim and expressed the expectation that it will contribute to the improvement of the Macedonian education system.
At the meeting, President Pendarovski pointed out that the exchange of experiences and transfer of knowledge and practices from the best German universities are an excellent opportunity for professional development and practical specialization of Macedonian students, adding that the introduction of modern concepts of dual education is important for creating qualified staff during the educational process and will have a positive impact on the overall Macedonian economy.