An Erasmus+ initiative coordinated by the Bulgarian Industrial Association shows how artificial intelligence (AI) can help company mentors save time, give clearer tasks and feedback, and support learners more effectively in work-based learning. Other partners are the Modern Education Foundation (Bulgaria), TRIBEKA Training Lab (Spain), New Mindset Coaching and Training (Belgium), and CuratedAI (Belgium).
As companies face skills shortages and rapid technological change, work-based learning offers a direct way to prepare future employees in real workplaces. However, its quality depends greatly on the experienced staff who guide learners while also doing their regular jobs. The Erasmus+ project Artificial Intelligence in Apprenticeship Mentoring (AI in Mentoring) explores how AI can make this role easier without reducing the human side of learning.
Practical AI support for company mentors
The project focuses on the idea that AI should support mentors, not replace them. Company mentors can use widely available AI tools to turn a complex work task into clear steps, adapt an explanation to a learner's level, prepare questions to check understanding, draft practice tasks, organise notes on progress, or structure constructive feedback.
These uses can reduce time spent on routine preparation and help mentors focus on what technology cannot provide: professional judgement, trust, encouragement and direct contact with the learner. This is especially relevant for small and medium-sized companies.
The project has published a practical guide for trainers and company mentors. It follows the real mentoring process and offers examples, exercises and AI-supported approaches that do not require advanced technical skills. It also addresses data protection, safe use of AI and the need to check and adapt AI-generated content before using it with learners.
Skills matter more than tools
The project also highlights a wider challenge for AI adoption: access to technology alone does not lead to useful change. Employees need confidence, clear purposes and the skills to decide when AI adds value. In workplace learning, this means starting with a real mentoring need rather than with the tool itself.
Training and pilot activities in Bulgaria, Belgium and Spain show a move from general interest in AI towards practical use in everyday mentoring tasks. Participants reported greater familiarity with using AI for planning, feedback, progress monitoring and ethical decision-making. Trainers also observed that participants increasingly viewed AI as a practical assistant that can reduce routine work while keeping the mentor-learner relationship at the centre.
Supporting business participation in WBL
For employers considering whether to take learners from vocational schools, AI will not remove the need for a committed and skilled company mentor. It can, however, make parts of the role more manageable. Faster preparation, clearer tasks and more structured feedback can help companies organise workplace learning more efficiently while giving learners better support.
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| Please cite this news item as: ReferNet Bulgaria, & Cedefop (2026, September 30). Βulgaria: an Erasmus+ project assists mentors in work-based learning using AI. National news on VET |