2024

Amendment of the Recognition of Professional Qualifications Act, April 2024

The main purpose of the amendment of the Act is to align the provisions of national legislation in the field of recognition of professional qualifications with the changes brought in by Directive (EU) 2018/958 of the European Parliament and the Council of 28 June 2018 on the proportionality screening before the adoption of new regulation of professions. This alignment with Directive (EU) 2018/958 is intended to help prevent excessive restrictions on access to or pursuit of professional activities and to ensure transparency and proper functioning of the internal market.

National programmes for the development of education adopted by the Council of Ministers Decision No 295 of 24 April 2024

One of the approved national programmes (NP) is "Vocational Education and Training". It has been developed in accordance with priority area 7 "Realization in the professions of the present and the future" of the Strategic Framework for the Development of Education, Training and Learning in the Republic of Bulgaria (2021-2030). It is guided by the key factors influencing vocational training, namely modern material and technical facilities and up-to-date curriculum content, corresponding to the modern technological achievements in the economic sectors. The programme enables state and municipal vocational schools and secondary schools with vocational classes to improve the educational environment and encourages partnership with businesses in the implementation of practical training and the development of teaching and examination documentation, involving employers' representatives and higher education institutions in the process. The involvement of business in the upgrading of facilities and curricula will ensure quality vocational education in line with labour market needs. The programme allows students to demonstrate their professional knowledge, skills, and competences by participating in national competitions in professions. The competitions are organised on the principle of broad inclusion with partner participation of representatives of industry organisations, universities, and NGOs.

The programme aims to:

1. Providing material and technical facilities in accordance with the current technological achievements in the sector and providing quality vocational training in a practical working environment in partnership with businesses to improve practical skills.

The indicator for the achievement of this objective is the upgrading of the educational environment for vocational education and training in partnership with business in at least 17 vocational training schools.

2. Modernization of vocational education and training curriculum and examination content in line with the relevant state educational standard for the qualification of the profession.

The indicator for achieving this objective is the development of 16 model curricula, 15 curricula, 4 national examination programmes.

3. Encouragement and promotion of acquired knowledge, skills and competences through the presentation of students' achievements in vocational competencies.

The indicator for the achievement of this objective is the organisation of 24 national competitions in professions.

Adult Education

National Employment Action Plan 2024

The Council of Ministers Decision No 327 of 9 May 2024 adopted the National Action Plan for Employment in 2024.

The Employment Strategy of the Republic of Bulgaria 2021-2027 sets the ambitious target of 35.4% of the Bulgarian population aged 25-64 engaged in training each year by 2030. In order to achieve this target, annual training measures, programmes, and projects are set to be implemented with funding from the state budget, the National Recovery and Sustainability Plan (NRSP), and the Human Resources Development Programme (HRDP).

Within the framework of the operational objective of “Improving the quality of the workforce in the context of the digitalisation of the economy and the just transition to climate neutrality”, as well as maintaining employment and improving the adaptability of employees, it is expected that the activities for adult training foreseen at the Centre for Human Resource Development and Regional Initiatives (CHRDI) within the Employment Agency will increase the employability of unemployed persons through inclusion in training for the acquisition of professional qualifications and key competencies. In this regard, in 2024 opportunities will be provided for inclusion in training for the acquisition of professional qualifications, acquisition and improvement of key competencies, on-the-job training in the form of internships, for persons with qualifications and without work experience in the profession, apprenticeships under the guidance of a mentor, for persons with primary and lower education and without qualifications, on-the-job training (dual training system) and validation of professional knowledge, skills and competences. The Labour Office Directorates will also provide services of information, counseling and guidance, motivation, and vocational guidance.

Under "Component 2: Training for DI-GI skills and competences" of Investment C1.I3 - LP "Provision of digital skills training and creation of an adult learning platform" activities are foreseen for training unemployed and employed people in digital skills. In 2024, e-voucher trainings will be launched, with priority given to digital skills trainings. Eligible for digital skills training will be unemployed, employed and inactive people. Digital skills training will be delivered in a unified approach through the development of common training curricula, e-learning resources and e-assessment tools at the four main levels - basic, intermediate, advanced and highly specialised in line with the European Digital Competence Framework DigComp. The digital skills training will be delivered in person or online. Opportunities will also be provided to directly sit an exam and certify digital skills acquired through self-learning. Examination and certification of digital skills acquired after training or through self-learning will be carried out remotely online in the e-module of the Digital Competence Certification Centre of the CDCRI, with the unified digital skills assessment tools.

Creation of a virtual platform for digital skills training for adults under the project "Provision of digital skills training and creation of an adult learning platform"

The main objective of the creation of the virtual platform for digital skills training for adults is to increase access and provide more opportunities for quality training using the possibilities of digital technologies. The development and implementation of the platform will provide flexible and accessible forms of learning such as online distance learning courses and e-resources for self-directed learning.

It is foreseen that all e-learning courses for unemployed and employed persons, organised within the framework of the active labour market policy and funded by the state budget and the ESF+ under the Human Resources Development Programme, will be conducted only through the platform.

The virtual e-learning platform will be linked to the Information System for Competence Assessment (My Competence), which presents competence models with a description of the skills and competences required for the successful performance of key jobs and tools, as well as to databases and electronic registers, such as the National Labour Market Database of the Employment Agency (EA), the Electronic Register of Vocational Training Centres of the National Agency ("NAVET") for Vocational Education and Training, etc.

Amendment of the Vocational Education and Training Act (VET Act) in March 2024

The main objective of the amendment of the Act is to facilitate the modernisation and improvement of the legal regulation of public relations in the field of vocational education and training. The changes are along the following directions:

- List of vocational education and training professions

The changes to the List of Vocational Education and Training Professions are in line with the reform commitments under the National Recovery and Sustainability Plan and the Strategic Framework for the Development of Education, Training and Learning in the Republic of Bulgaria 2021-2030, Priority Axis 7: Realisation in the Professions of the Present and the Future, Objective 7.1 "Vocational education and training in line with the dynamics of the labour market", Measure: "Development and implementation of a new List of Vocational Education and Training Professions". The amendments are also in line with the main conclusions and recommendations of the subsequent impact assessment of the VET Act.

- Protected professions and professions for which there is an expected shortage of specialists on the labour market

Conditions are created to optimise the processes for updating the lists of professions.

- Quality assurance of vocational education and training

Quality assurance of VET is clearly defined as a process that includes all stages in the context of the European Quality Assurance Framework for VET (planning, implementation of activities, self-evaluation, and analysis of performance), as updated in the 2020 Council Recommendation on VET for sustainable competitiveness, social equity, and resilience.

- Vocational Qualifications Framework Programmes

The framework programmes for the acquisition of vocational qualifications are optimised as regards the age of the persons to whom it will apply, the provision of vocational education with the possibility of upgrading to the highest level of vocational qualification in the profession concerned, and the organisation of both initial and continuing vocational training leading to a fourth level of vocational qualification.

- State educational standards

The State Education Standards for the acquisition of a qualification in a profession are aligned with the reform of the qualifications system with the possibility of upgrading degrees, defining the set of units of learning outcomes for the acquisition of a qualification in a part of a profession and presenting criteria and means of assessment for each unit of learning outcome related to the introduced possibility of learning to achieve units of learning outcomes.

- Distance learning in an electronic environment for persons aged 16 and over

The possibility of distance learning in an electronic environment is introduced for persons aged 16 and over, subject to certain conditions. This is in line with the 2020 Council Recommendation on Vocational Education and Training for Sustainable Competitiveness, Social Equity, and Resilience. The regulated option provides access to vocational training to a wider range of individuals, tailored to their individual needs. A diverse portfolio of relevant, flexible, attractive, and quality learning pathways (including e-learning), allowing an optimal combination of learning and work-life balance, would significantly increase the interest of employees in further training.

- Dual system of education 

Requirements for the professional experience of the mentor as well as the extension of the scope of the professional qualification (from profession/specialty to vocational field) have been updated, thus providing greater opportunities for employers, including SMEs, to designate the responsible employee for the practical training of students in a real work environment in the respective enterprise. 

Allowing a methodology teacher to perform the functions of a work-based learning teacher and a vocational training teacher is an encouraging approach to include smaller schools in the dual training system, creating the conditions for greater flexibility in determining the staffing of the teacher in charge according to the specificities of the school and the number of students involved in the dual training system.

- Training for the achievement of individual units of learning outcomes included in the state educational standards for the acquisition of qualifications in professions

Training for the attainment of individual units of learning outcomes is introduced in the vocational training system for persons aged 16 and over as an opportunity to acquire knowledge, skills, and competencies corresponding to the units of learning outcomes in the state education standards in a flexible and phased manner, aiming to improve the employability and being according to the individual needs of the learners.

- Accumulation and transfer of units of learning outcomes in vocational education and training

The proposed legal provisions on the accumulation and transfer of units of learning outcomes in vocational education and training are an opportunity for persons who have achieved individual units of learning outcomes to accumulate them until the recognition of a qualification in an occupation or in a part of an occupation, as well as to transfer them from one occupation to another in the same field of education, thus ensuring flexibility and permeability in the qualifications system.

- Validation of professional knowledge, skills, and competencies

The aim is to establish a mechanism for the regular collection of data by the National Agency for Vocational Education and Training on the validation of vocational knowledge, skills, and competencies carried out by vocational training centres, which will facilitate effective monitoring and analysis of the process in its entirety.

- Reducing the administrative burden in the licensing, respectively registration, and procedures under the VET act

- Introducing more favourable conditions for the operation of vocational training centres

- Introduction of general professional competencies related to environmental protection and specific professional competencies in the use of information technology

Introduce environmental competencies as part of general vocational training. Emphasis is placed on the specific digital competencies required for the exercise of the profession in the context of the technological transformation of the economy.

- Register of vocational colleges

Additional requirements are introduced regarding the data to be entered in the Register of Vocational Colleges. In this way, traceability of activities and data storage are ensured to enable the analysis of the training provided for the acquisition of the highest vocational qualification in the vocational education and training system.

2023

National Vocational Education and Training Programme No 14

National Programme "Vocational Education and Training" No. 14 within the 21 National Programmes for the Education Development 2023 has been designed in accordance with Priority Area 7 "Realization in the Professions of the present and future" of the Strategic Framework for the Development of Education, Training and Learning in the Republic of Bulgaria (2021-2030). It aims at providing facilities in line with the current requirements of the labour market, providing qualitative vocational training in real working conditions and facilitating their realisation on the labour market, modernising the curriculum content for vocational education and training at national and sectoral level, as well as developing and updating national examination programmes for the compulsory state examination for the acquisition of vocational qualifications.

Two modules under implementation:

• Module 1 "Modernisation of the facilities and material base".
• Module 2 "Modernisation of teaching and examination content"

State educational standards

In 2023, a number of state educational standards have been set for the acquisition of qualifications in professions according to the List of Professions for Vocational Education and Training of the Vocational Education and Training Act. This enables the transfer, recognition and accumulation of individual learning outcomes in VET achieved in formal, non-formal and informal contexts.

Modernisation of vocational education and training 

A project proposal of the Ministry of Education and Science (MES) has been approved under the direct grant procedure BG05SFPR001-3.001 "Modernisation of Vocational Education and Training" within Priority 3 "Linking Education with the Labour Market" of the Education Programme with a total budget of BGN 70 million. 

The project is of strategic importance and is aimed at modernising vocational education and training in order to prepare a skilled and sustainable workforce prepared for the challenges associated with the transition to a digital and green economy. It is foreseen to implement activities for: 

• development and implementation of a new List of Vocational Education and Training Occupations and a new curriculum; 
• the introduction and implementation of flexible pathways, micro-qualifications and credits in VET; 
• improving the skills and competences of vocational teachers and students; 
• developing and introducing educational resources with innovative digital learning content;
• conducting student placements in real work environments and increasing the attractiveness of vocational education and training among students and parents.

Developing Centres of Excellence in Vocational Education and Training

The procedure BG-RRP-1.014 "Establishment of Centres of Excellence in Vocational Education and Training" is open for investments under the Recovery and Sustainability Mechanism. The procedure is in implementation of the policy of the Ministry of Education and Science in the area of education and is funded under Component 1 "Education and Skills", Investment 2 (C1.I2) "Modernisation of Educational Infrastructure" of the National Recovery and Sustainability Plan.

The main objective of the procedure is the provision of modern and high-tech facilities in vocational schools with a view to transforming them into Centres of Excellence in Vocational Education and Training ("CoE VET"), which will provide the opportunity for modern vocational training of students within the school education, responding to the societal transformations in the 21st century and the changing requirements of the labour market. The total amount of funding is 97 million BGN. Twenty-eight vocational secondary schools have been identified to receive the status of CoE VET.

Integrated territorial investment concepts

The procedure BG16FFPR003-2.001 "Concepts for Integrated Territorial Investments (ITI)" is open for applications with concepts for ITIs envisaging funding from various programmes including the Education Programme for the period 2021-2027.

The Education Programme 2021-2027 activities that will be implemented through the ITI approach are targeted at:

• adult literacy with a total budget of 65 million BGN.
• integrated programmes at municipal level for desegregation of schools, prevention of secondary segregation and anti-discrimination with a total budget of BGN 26 million.
• development of the dual training system in vocational education and training with a total budget of BGN 86.8 million.

National Employment Agency

In 2023, unemployed people have the opportunity to participate in training for the acquisition of professional qualifications or key competences, organised and funded by the National Employment Agency. The trainings are carried out within the framework of the National Action Plan for Employment 2022 by the State Enterprise "Bulgarian-German Centre for Vocational Training", the Centre for Human Resource Development and Regional Initiatives at the Ministry of Labour and Social Policy and projects of the social partners.

2022

The Employment Promotion Amendment Act, which makes changes to the Vocational Education and Training (VET) Act, is in force from June 2022. The change affects the minimum educational level requirements for inclusion of persons over 16 years of age in training for the lowest level of vocational qualification. The possibility of including persons without education in training for the acquisition of a vocational qualification is regulated, on condition that vocational education is combined with literacy training. This creates conditions for improving the employability and labour market integration of unemployed persons from disadvantaged groups on the labour market. The main objective is to activate an essential labour resource in the context of a declining labour force due to demographic processes.

The National Vocational Education and Training Programme, 2022 is aligned with the strategic priorities of the Republic of Bulgaria for the period 2021-2030 and is in line with the Action Plan to the Functional Analysis of Vocational Education and Training Policy, 2020. It has been developed in line with Priority Area 7 "Realization in the Professions of the Present and the Future" of the Strategic Framework for the Development of Education, Training and Learning in the Republic of Bulgaria (2021 - 2030). It aims to provide material facilities in accordance with the modern labour market requirements, to provide quality vocational training in actual working conditions and to facilitate their realisation on the labour market, to modernise vocational education and training curricula at national and sectoral level, as well as to develop and update national examination syllabuses for the compulsory state examination for the acquisition of vocational qualifications.

In 2022, a number of state educational standards have been set for the acquisition of qualifications in occupations, according to the List of Occupations for Vocational Education and Training of the Vocational Education and Training Act. This enables the transfer, recognition and accumulation of individual learning outcomes in VET achieved in formal, non-formal and informal contexts.

The developed Professional Competency Assessment System MyCompetence is functioning successfully and provides standards for the knowledge and skills required for occupying over 500 positions in 25 economic sectors, online tools for competency assessment, job analysis and evaluation, an e-learning academy and automated online information processing. Its main users are enterprises, managers and specialists in human resources management, labour market institutions, schools, universities, workers, vocational training centres, employees, unemployed, university and school students.

The list of state-protected occupational specialties for the 2022/2023 academic year has been updated, with 50 protected specialties. They are in the fields of mechanical engineering, metallurgy, mining, architecture, construction, transport, electrical engineering and energy, applied arts, etc. The list of occupational specialities for which there is an expected shortage of specialists on the labour market for the 2022/2023 academic year has also been updated. There is an expected shortage of 78 occupational specialties, which include machine technicians, machine operators, electricians, electrical fitters, chemical technologists, biotechnologists, glass workers, ship operators, sign language interpreters, polygraphers, etc.

The National Recovery and Resilience Plan of Bulgaria, adopted in May 2022, foresees further modernisation of the regulatory framework in the field of vocational education and training. The modernisation process is ongoing and by the Vocational Education and Training Act will be introduced changes to the VET Occupations List; training in fewer but broader spectrum occupations aiming to create employment conditions in similar occupations, including pass-through to similar sectors; preparation, guidance and motivation for entry into vocational training, including the provision of vocational education and training for those who have dropped out of the system; defining and implementing flexible pathways and forms to reach and train different groups of learners, incl. offering online and distance learning; reforming the content and updating state education standards and plans and programmes to include and build on knowledge and skills requirements for 21st century occupations: digital, green, transferable, key competences.

The National Plan by “Investment 3” foresees the provision of digital skills training and the creation of an adult learning platform. The project aims to increase access and quality training opportunities for adults (persons aged 16+) by leveraging the potential of digital technologies for online training on the one hand, and increasing the overall digital skills and competences of the workforce to enhance employability and participation in online training on the other. The project will be implemented in two components, including the development and implementation of a national virtual platform for online adult learning and the delivery of training to the workforce to acquire basic and intermediate level digital skills and competences.