Ericsson and Technical University of Sofia collaborate to prepare Bulgarian students for a 5G Ready Future

Ericsson (NASDAQ: ERIC) and Technical University of Sofia partner to launch the “Ericsson Educate: 5G University” program in Bulgaria in order to raise digital skills, knowledge, and awareness of 5G and emerging technologies among university students.

Bulgaria is the first country where Ericsson implements its global 5G University program as an optional subject in the curriculum of 3rd and 4th year bachelor students, as well as 1st year master students.

It provides a 64-hour in-depth training on 5G technology and standards. It will be held in Bulgarian by professors from the Faculty of Telecommunications based on Ericsson learning materials covering 5G RAN, 5G Core and 5G Cloud. The course lasts two semesters within the 2022-2023 academic year.

5G is a platform for service and innovation, with the capacity to positively impact societies, economies, people and the environment. As industries become increasingly digitized, governments, industries and the academic sector must work together to build a skilled 5G-ready workforce.

Antonio Passarella, Head of Western Balkans at Ericsson, says: “This 5G education collaboration with Technical University of Sofia represents a significant step forward in the direction of building an industry ready workforce in Bulgaria through strategic public-private partnerships. The young talent that will come out of these courses will play a key role in accelerating Bulgaria’s digital transformation initiatives, helping drive the next wave of sustained and inclusive socioeconomic development in Bulgaria, driven by science, technology and innovation.”

Professor Ilia Iliev, Dean of the Faculty of Telecommunications at Technical University of Sofia, states: ”We are delighted to partner with Ericsson to address the existing skill gaps and prepare the students to be 5G-ready so that they can play a positive role in driving the digital economy. We are also very proud that Ericsson has trusted the Faculty of Telecommunications to conduct the global 5G University program as an optional subject in the curriculum of 3rd and 4th year bachelor, as well as 1st year master students of the Technical University of Sofia. The goal of this program is to help students to understand in depth the impact of 5G on business, processes, competencies, and models as well as the socio-techno-economic paradigm.”

Ericsson, through its global education initiative Connect To Learn, is committed to positively impact 1 million children and youth by 2025 by providing access to digital learning and skill development programmes.