The FINANCIAL — Almost 100 percent of Caucasus University’s Master’s graduates are employed, while up to 90 percent of Bachelor’s graduates are in work as well.
The FINANCIAL — Almost 100 percent of Caucasus University’s Master’s graduates are employed, while up to 90 percent of Bachelor’s graduates are in work as well. “Demand for our graduates is very high,” Kakha Shengelia, President of Caucasus University, told The FINANCIAL. “It is constantly being said that the unemployment rate in Georgia is very high, but in reality any good specialist is needed and in demand. I know of many businesses that cannot find properly qualified staff to work for them.”
Caucasus University has up to 300 graduates of both masters and bachelors degrees a year.
“All graduates who study well are either employed or have their own businesses. There are many examples of our graduates working abroad. They work in many different cities including Baku, Yerevan, Moscow, New York, London, Prague, Tokyo, even Buenos Aires. We are spreading Georgia’s fame throughout the whole world.”
Q. Who are the main employers of your graduates?
A. They are employed in all sectors. The biggest employers are banks and audit firms as well as big companies like Pepsi, Coca-Cola and Metalurgi Rustavi.
Q. Caucasus University was founded with the support of the USA. What are the possibilities of studying in the US for your students?
A. Lots of our students study in the USA. 20-30 students go there each semester. So we give them double-diplomas. We have the first 4 year American Ph.D programme in Georgia which was financed by USAID and is very successful.
We offer the most double-diplomas in the Caucasus and many international programmes. Our students currently study in the USA, UK, France, Japan, South Korea, Argentina, Canada etc. We want to make learning abroad one of the necessary components for graduating from Caucasus University.
Currently about 100 of our students are studying abroad. We choose them by ratings. The university finances a lot of them but we have many cases where we just help a student to study abroad while the student pays for themselves.
Q. How does USAID support the University?
A. USAID helps us to create good programmes. This concerns Bachelor, Master as well Ph.D programmes. At the same time, they have supported us in several projects including a lecturers exchange programme and trainings for businesswomen. If not for the support of the USA and this fund we would not have been created at all.
Q. Caucasus University was founded in 1998. What has changed in the system since then?
A. The systems of then and now are totally different. The way that we have developed since 2003, when Saakashvili’s government came into power, has really been a time of building an entirely new education system. There was great corruption in the system at the time. We could not even run examinations properly. Corruption was later abolished however, and we along with the whole system made significant progress.
As for the University, Caucasus Business School was founded by the American State Department and USAID. This was an entirely American project. Lots of people still know Caucasus University as Caucasus Business School. There are several good universities but the first American school in the Caucasus still has the biggest fame in the region.
I hope that the new government will pay more attention to education and that the system will grow as a result. This automatically means our growth. We are currently one of the most competitive universities in Eastern Europe and we have possibilities to develop even further.
Q. Is the volume of students also different now to how it was back then?
A. The country’s youth is completely different. The general level of knowledge of students nowadays compared to in that period is incomparable. The young generation today has a deal more knowledge. I’m glad that such a generation is growing and that they will soon be the ones to rule the country.
Q. You said that the education system is developing greatly. But what western standards must still be adopted?
A. What we are missing is discipline. Curriculums have to improve significantly. Lecturers are of quite a low level as well; the system really lacks good lecturers. There are only a few good teachers of each subject. Part of the young generation, who have been educated abroad or worked there, are returning to Georgia to teach here, but it is not enough.
As for us, from the beginning we had our curriculums taken from American universities and have continued to do so up till now. We have been following the Western standard guidelines for all these years.
Q. Which are the most and least demanded faculties at the moment?
A. Our school of Business has been maintaining its huge popularity as well as Law. Tourism and IT are gaining more and more popularity with time. Engineering is quite in demand also. Humanitarian faculties are the least popular. Fortunately, psychology is still in slight demand unlike philology or history.
Of course, this is not good. But the market rules the process. I still think that the state has to support the situation; a little interference is necessary.
Q. How do you see the role of universities in this process?
A. Private universities can’t interfere in this. It is the responsibility of the state and therefore state universities. My responsibility is to offer good programmes in the directions which are in demand and to produce qualified professionals; the specific faculties are not most important to us.
Q. How would you evaluate the business environment in the country?
A. On the whole the situation is good. But I hope that the new government will change a lot and improve the general situation significantly. It is difficult to make a prognosis at a time when there are big changes happening in the government. Business must become totally independent from the state. The only communication between business and state must be in the paying of taxes. Our hope for the future is that it will be much better than the current situation.
Q. What are the main challenges for foreign and especially American businesses in Georgia?
A. Their main interest when starting a business in Georgia is how safe their capital will be here. So the safety of their capital is the main challenge for them. Investors are also interested in low taxes. high living standards additionally support investors entering the country. A lack of any of these factors may become a challenge for foreign businesses.
The entrance of more American businesses is very positive for the country. What it means is that American money will be in the country and as a result the USA will be more interested in the safety and prosperity of Georgia.
Q. What is your advice for today’s young generation? How can they gain success in business?
A. I advise everyone to be hardworking. Only in that way will they have the possibility to grow in to good professionals. If they do work hard, then I’m sure that they will gain great success. Hard work is the only way for any student to become a good employee or run their own business.
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