- 2022Implementation
- 2023Implementation
- 2024Completed
Background
According to OECD country reports, Bulgaria faces immediate challenges stemming from a steep demographic decline and uncertainties about future skills demands in the country. Factors like changing and increasing skills demands, coupled with economic, demographic, and technological developments pose considerable challenges, but can also represent opportunities for innovative responses to strengthen the education and training system. This requires rethinking approaches to skills, and considering that quality expertise on formulating a strategic approach to skills is recommended by the European Commission in its Skills Agenda, it was set as a milestone in the national roadmap on Bulgaria's OECD accession.
The national implementation plan (NIP) foresees the development of a national skills strategy for quality and inclusive lifelong learning with all relevant national, regional, sectoral stakeholders and social partners. Besides education and training provision, the national skills strategy may include guidance, incentives for improved skills provision by employers, increased participation by employees, validation of prior learning and targeted public approaches for reaching out to inactive and unemployed individuals, NEETs or individuals at risk of unemployment.
Objectives
The main objectives of project in cooperation with the OECD are:
- to identify the main opportunities regarding skills in Bulgaria;
- to develop tailored policy recommendations for improving Bulgaria's skills performance with the participation of the whole government, in collaboration with all ministries and stakeholders.
Description
The cooperation with the OECD, with its methodology for skills strategies, is an action decided in the context of the proposals of the European Skills Agenda in relation to national skills strategies. More precisely, the European skills agenda recommends joint action by the Commission and EU Member States to develop national skills strategies based on the relevant OECD methodology.
Activities related to the development of the skills strategy are also reflected in the national documents within the framework of the European Semester, as the strategy supports the implementation of the Strategic framework for the development of education, training and learning in the Republic of Bulgaria 2021-30.
The OECD skills strategy project is implemented in two phases:
- phase one: OECD skills strategy Bulgaria: assessment and recommendations project. In this phase the project is planned to assess Bulgaria's skills performance and provide recommendations for improving the skillset of young people and adults, for using skills effectively and for improving the governance of the skills system;
- phase two: Development of a project for a national skills strategy for the Republic of Bulgaria which is to be built on the findings and recommendations of the OECD skills strategy Bulgaria project and support their implementation with comprehensive guidance on elaborating a national action plan on skills policies.
The methodological approach for the...
The cooperation with the OECD, with its methodology for skills strategies, is an action decided in the context of the proposals of the European Skills Agenda in relation to national skills strategies. More precisely, the European skills agenda recommends joint action by the Commission and EU Member States to develop national skills strategies based on the relevant OECD methodology.
Activities related to the development of the skills strategy are also reflected in the national documents within the framework of the European Semester, as the strategy supports the implementation of the Strategic framework for the development of education, training and learning in the Republic of Bulgaria 2021-30.
The OECD skills strategy project is implemented in two phases:
- phase one: OECD skills strategy Bulgaria: assessment and recommendations project. In this phase the project is planned to assess Bulgaria's skills performance and provide recommendations for improving the skillset of young people and adults, for using skills effectively and for improving the governance of the skills system;
- phase two: Development of a project for a national skills strategy for the Republic of Bulgaria which is to be built on the findings and recommendations of the OECD skills strategy Bulgaria project and support their implementation with comprehensive guidance on elaborating a national action plan on skills policies.
The methodological approach for the implementation of the project includes desk research, stakeholder workshops, questionnaires and reports.
This is a large-scale project targeting the whole skills system. The 4 priority categories are exhaustive in terms of target groups in the skills system - young learners, students of all age groups, adult learners, teachers, VET providers, older workers and employees (55 - 64 year-olds), unemployed and jobseekers, persons in employment, including those at risk of unemployment, etc.
The thematic scope of the project is broad and comprehensive, as the skills system is, and its outputs aim to inform Bulgaria's whole-of-government strategic approach to skills, exemplifying its contribution to an agile, flexible, innovative, inclusive and quality assured VET.
From a governance perspective, the project for a national skills strategy in Bulgaria spans across multiple ministries and engages a wide array of stakeholders. It is not only aimed at raising awareness on the significance of a strategy but has also delineated a comprehensive action plan and collaborative approaches to advance it across sectors, encompassing both governmental and non-governmental entities.
The final decision on formalising the project outputs into official documentation is going to be subject to national consensus, which, given that the project completion happened during a caretaker government, lies ahead in the agenda of a regular government.
A major part of the implementation of phase one of the project was carried out in 2022. It included four missions of the OECD team in Bulgaria to carry out a review of the state of skills development policies formulated and implemented by ministries and agencies with different domains - education, labour and social policy, economy, finance, tourism, innovation, etc.
The completion of the first phase of the project was marked in June 2023 with the final report of the OECD, OECD skills strategy in Bulgaria:assessment and recommendations. This report was produced through extensive stakeholder involvement using questionnaires and holding workshops involving ministries, social partners, educational institutions, civil society organisations, etc. The report comprised recommendations in four categories identifying three opportunities for each category:
a. skills of youth
- opportunity one: ensuring that curriculum reform and assessment practices improve students' skills;
- opportunity two: developing a highly skilled teaching workforce;
- opportunity three: making vocational and higher education more responsive to labour market needs.
b. skills of adults
- opportunity one: increasing motivation among adults and employers to participate in adult learning;
- opportunity two: making education and training more flexible and accessible for adults and employers;
- opportunity three: improving the quality and relevance of adult education and training for adults and employers.
c. use of skills in the labour market
- opportunity one: activating the skills of vulnerable groups in the labour market;
- opportunity two: fostering return emigration and skilled immigration to Bulgaria;
- opportunity three: supporting enterprises to utilise workers' skills more effectively.
d. governance of the skills system
- opportunity one: developing a whole-of-government and stakeholder-inclusive approach to skills policies;
- opportunity two: building and better utilising evidence in skills development and use;
- opportunity three: ensuring well-targeted and sustainable financing of skills policies.
The report prompted the second phase of the project, aiming at the implementation of the recommendations from phase one. The second phase of the project was funded by the Technical Support Instrument (TSI) of the European Commission. In 2023 the following activities were carried out:
- a report identifying objectives and Bulgaria's priority policy actions for inclusion in the national skills strategy, building on the findings and recommendations of the OECD skills strategy: assessment and recommendations Bulgaria project;
- a report providing guidance on implementing a national skills strategy by the entire government, including agreed relevant activities, instruments, timelines and stakeholders' roles and responsibilities;
- a report providing guidance on developing a monitoring and reporting framework, including performance indicators for measuring the implementation progress.
The second phase of the project was under implementation until 26 September 2024, which was the official date for the project's completion. The project delivered the agreed-upon outputs, including a report identifying objectives and Bulgaria's priority policy actions for inclusion in the national skills strategy, building on the findings and recommendations of the OECD skills strategy: assessment and recommendations Bulgaria project (output one). Additionally, a report was provided offering guidance on implementing a whole-of-government national skills strategy, detailing agreed activities, instruments, timelines, and stakeholders' roles and responsibilities (output two). Another report outlined a monitoring and reporting framework, incorporating performance indicators for measuring implementation progress (output three). An outline for a communication campaign to raise awareness of a future Bulgarian national skills strategy was also developed (output four). Following the outputs, a follow-up report and a capacity-building workshop for the implementation of a future skills strategy were conducted (output 5).
Bodies responsible
- Ministry of Education and Science
- Ministry of Labour and Social Policy(MLSP)
- Ministry of Economy and Industry
- National employer organisations
- Social partners
- Ministry of Innovation and Growth
Target groups
Learners
- Learners in upper secondary, including apprentices
- Young people (15-29 years old)
- Young people not in employment, education or training (NEETs)
- Learners with migrant background, including refugees
- Learners at risk of early leaving or/and early leavers
- Learners with disabilities
- Adult learners
- Older workers and employees (55 - 64 years old)
- Unemployed and jobseekers
- Persons in employment, including those at risk of unemployment
- Low-skilled/qualified persons
- Learners from other groups at risk of exclusion (minorities, people with fewer opportunities due to geographical location or social-economic disadvantaged position)
Education professionals
- Teachers
- Trainers
- School leaders
- Adult educators
- Guidance practitioners
Entities providing VET
- Companies
- Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs)
- VET providers (all kinds)
Thematic categories
Governance of VET and lifelong learning
This thematic category looks at existing legal frameworks providing for strategic, operational – including quality assurance – and financing arrangements for VET and lifelong learning (LLL). It examines how VET and LLL-related policies are placed in broad national socioeconomic contexts and coordinate with other strategies and policies, such as economic, social and employment, growth and innovation, recovery and resilience.
This thematic category covers partnerships and collaboration networks of VET stakeholders – especially the social partners – to shape and implement VET in a country, including looking at how their roles and responsibilities for VET at national, regional and local levels are shared and distributed, ensuring an appropriate degree of autonomy for VET providers to adapt their offer.
The thematic category also includes efforts to create national, regional and sectoral skills intelligence systems (skills anticipation and graduate tracking) and using skills intelligence for making decisions about VET and LLL on quality, inclusiveness and flexibility.
This thematic sub-category refers to the integration of VET into economic, industrial, innovation, social and employment strategies, including those linked to recovery, green and digital transitions, and where VET is seen as a driver for innovation and growth. It includes national, regional, sectoral strategic documents or initiatives that make VET an integral part of broader policies, or applying a mix of policies to address an issue VET is part of, e.g. in addressing youth unemployment measures through VET, social and active labour market policies that are implemented in combination. National skill strategies aiming at quality and inclusive lifelong learning also fall into this sub-category.
This thematic sub-category refers both to formal mechanisms of stakeholder engagement in VET governance and to informal cooperation among stakeholders, which motivate shared responsibility for quality VET. Formal engagement is usually based on legally established institutional procedures that clearly define the role and responsibilities for relevant stakeholders in designing, implementing and improving VET. It also refers to establishing and increasing the degree of autonomy of VET providers for agile and flexible VET provision.
In terms of informal cooperation, the sub-category covers targeted actions by different stakeholders to promote or implement VET. This cooperation often leads to creating sustainable partnerships and making commitments for targeted actions, in line with the national context and regulation, e.g. national alliances for apprenticeships, pacts for youth or partnerships between schools and employers. It can also include initiatives and projects run by the social partners or sectoral organisations or networks of voluntary experts and executives, retired or on sabbatical, to support their peers in the fields of VET and apprenticeships, as part of the EAfA.
Modernising VET offer and delivery
This thematic category looks at what and how individuals learn, how learning content and learning outcomes in initial and continuing VET are defined, adapted and updated. First and foremost, it examines how VET standards, curricula, programmes and training courses are updated and modernised or new ones created. Updated and renewed VET content ensures that learners acquire a balanced mix of competences that address modern demands, and are more closely aligned with the realities of the labour market, including key competences, digital competences and skills for green transition and sustainability, both sector-specific and across sectors. Using learning outcomes as a basis is important to facilitate this modernisation, including modularisation of VET programmes. Updating and developing teaching and learning materials to support the above is also part of the category.
The thematic category continues to focus on strengthening high-quality and inclusive apprenticeships and work-based learning in real-life work environments and in line with the European framework for quality and effective apprenticeships. It looks at expanding apprenticeship to continuing vocational training and at developing VET programmes at EQF levels 5-8 for better permeability and lifelong learning and to support the need for higher vocational skills.
This thematic category also focuses on VET delivery through a mix of open, digital and participative learning environments, including workplaces conducive to learning, which are flexible, more adaptable to the ways individuals learn, and provide more access and outreach to various groups of learners, diversifying modes of learning and exploiting the potential of digital learning solutions and blended learning to complement face-to-face learning.
Centres of vocational excellence that connect VET to innovation and skill ecosystems and facilitate stronger cooperation with business and research also fall into this category.
This thematic sub-category refers to acquisition of key competences and basic skills for all, from an early age and throughout their life, including those acquired as part of qualifications and curricula. Key competences include knowledge, skills and attitudes needed by all for personal fulfilment and development, employability and lifelong learning, social inclusion, active citizenship and sustainable awareness. Key competences include literacy; multilingual; science, technology, engineering and mathematical (STEM); digital; personal, social and learning to learn; active citizenship, entrepreneurship, cultural awareness and expression (Council of the European Union, 2018).
Supporting lifelong learning culture and increasing participation
Lifelong learning refers to all learning (formal, non-formal or informal) taking place at all stages in life and resulting in an improvement or update in knowledge, skills, competences and attitudes or in participation in society from a personal, civic, cultural, social or employment-related perspective (Erasmus+, Glossary of terms, https://erasmus-plus.ec.europa.eu/programme-guide/part-d/glossary-common-terms). A systemic approach to CVET is crucial to ensure adaptability to evolving demands.
This broad thematic category looks at ways of creating opportunities and ensuring access to re-skilling and upskilling pathways, allowing individuals to progress smoothly in their learning throughout their lives with better permeability between general and vocational education and training, and better integration and compatibility between initial and continuing VET and with higher education. Individuals should be supported in acquiring and updating their skills and competences and navigating easily through education and training systems. Strategies and campaigns that promote VET and LLL as an attractive and high-quality pathway, providing quality lifelong guidance and tailored support to design learning and career paths, and various incentives (financial and non-financial) to attract and support participation in VET and LLL fall into this thematic category as well.
This thematic category also includes many initiatives on making VET inclusive and ensuring equal education and training opportunities for various groups of learners, regardless of their personal and economic background and place of residence – especially those at risk of disadvantage or exclusion, such as persons with disabilities, the low-skilled and low-qualified, minorities, migrants, refugees and others.
This thematic sub-category refers to initiatives that promote VET and lifelong learning implemented at any level and by any stakeholder. It also covers measures to ensure and broaden access to information about VET to various target groups, including targeted information and promotional campaigns (e.g. for parents, adult learners, vulnerable groups). Among others, it includes national skill competitions and fairs organised to attract learners to VET.
European priorities in VET
VET Recommendation
- VET agile in adapting to labour market challenges
- Flexibility and progression opportunities at the core of VET
- VET as a driver for innovation and growth preparing for digital and green transitions and occupations in high demand
- VET as an attractive choice based on modern and digitalised provision of training and skills
- VET promoting equality of opportunities
- VET underpinned by a culture of quality assurance
Subsystem
Further reading
Country
Type of development
Cedefop, & ReferNet. (2025). The OECD Bulgaria skills strategy project: Bulgaria. In Cedefop, & ReferNet. (2025). Timeline of VET policies in Europe (2024 update) [Online tool].
https://www.cedefop.europa.eu/sk/tools/timeline-vet-policies-europe/search/46213