- 2015Pilot
- 2016Pilot
- 2017Pilot
- 2018Pilot
- 2019Implementation
- 2020Implementation
- 2021Implementation
- 2022Implementation
Background
The principle of dual training was introduced by amendments to the VET Act in July 2014. In August 2015, Ordinance No 1 of 8 September 2015 of the education minister sets the rules and conditions for the organisation and implementation of dual training.
This clear focus on the dual vocational education and training (DVET) system is essential for its further development. All participants in the process are convinced that the DVET system is stable and in line with economic development. In this sense, dual vocational training in Bulgaria was developed strategically from the core to the (social) peripheries and not vice versa, as often happens due to divergent and diverse interests.
Description
Piloting started in the 2015/16 school year for seven professions in five secondary VET schools in different regions of the country. In 2016/17, 12 professions and 17 schools in total were involved in the experiment. Dual VET(DVET) is supported by the municipalities and the social partners. The piloting phase was planned to continue until 2019. In 2017/18, the total number of learners in dual VET has reached 1 742, and in 2018/19 their number more than doubled, reaching 3 884 learners. The most popular courses are related to computerised numerical control machine, electronic engineering, transport equipment, gas, wood-processing, milk and dairy production technician.
Two major steps were taken in 2019 regarding DVET, which aimed to develop further the legal framework based on Art. 17a, para. 1 of the Vocational Education and Training Act (VETA) and the updated draft (draft suggests that it was not formally adopted but served as a guiding principle and methodological tool) VET development strategy of the Republic of Bulgaria for the period 2019-21.
Art. 17a, para 1 of VETA, and in connection to the policy of the economy ministry to promote the implementation of dual training in Bulgaria, empowered the economy minister to create and maintain an information database for employers who meet the requirements for participating in partnerships for delivering on-the-job training (dual training system).
The database was established with special Ordinance № RD-04-4 of 8 November 2019. It aims to encourage employers’ involvement in DVET and to reduce the shortage of staff in enterprises. The information database intends to support the process of linking education and business through a dual training system. The Ordinance specifies the terms and procedure for the inclusion of a single enterprise in the database of employers who meet requirements for work-based learning. The inclusion of employers in the database is intended to be voluntary and employers are not required to pay a State fee.
The information database with employers eligible to provide work-based learning was made publicly available on the website of the Ministry of Economy.
The database aims to encourage enterprises to invest in dual training. It provides information on the specialties that are most needed by the labour market as well as on opportunities for creating training classes on a regional/local level. The Ordinance facilitated the participation of the business world in the process of DVET and the unification of the information. It has two annexes which contain information for accessing the database by enterprises:
- annex 1 provides a model of an application for the inclusion of employers who meet the requirements for delivery of on-the-job training in the information database. The application is a prerequisite for employer inclusion in the database;
- annex 2 of the Ordinance contains a sample declaration in which employers prove that they fulfil the requirements for participating in a partnership for the implementation of DVET in accordance with Art. 17a, para 3. By completing this declaration, employers certify that they fulfil the requirements for participation in the dual training process and can contract educational institutions.
Another step forward was taken as the draft VET development strategy was updated, incorporating elements for DVET: the Bulgarian draft VET development strategy for the period 2019-21 was updated to reflect current VET developments, including dual education.
Additionally, the draft strategy covered the following aspects of DVET:
- creating regulatory, organisational and administrative prerequisites for transforming DVET from a pilot project to a policy;
- creating a database of companies involved in DVET;
- capacity building for organisational development and for supporting local and national employer-school partnerships;
- providing financial resources for the expansion of DVET on the basis of national funding, and joint financing from the European Structural Funds, including increasing publicity and raising awareness of the actions taken;
- implementing the European instruments and participating in international cooperation formats, including quality frameworks and cooperation platforms.
The update of the VET strategy was further amended by including forward-looking VET priorities in the Education 2030 strategy.
DVET, under the operational programme Science and education for smart growth 2014-20, assumed another operational model.
The executive agency of the operational programme (OP) Science and education for smart growth, initiated a discussion in June 2019 to design an updated, operational project to support the dual training system. The operation/project reflected the latest changes in legislation and was named Support for the dual training system. The operation started being carried out as a partnership, with the education ministry being the main beneficiary and the nationally representative employers’ organisations, being partners. Employers signed agreements with schools to participate in DVET and the social partners developed a partnership relationship with the applicant schools. The duration of the operation was set to three academic years.
One of the main goals of the Support for the dual training system project is to support the implementation of DVET by designing curricula, syllabi, national exam programmes for DVET, assessment tools, and teaching materials and methodologies at national level.
In 2020, the project Support for the dual training system continued, covering actions in five areas:
- activities which support the schools providing dual training such as training that increases the qualifications and competences of teachers in vocational training, training of methodological teachers, purchase of equipment and materials for dual training purposes, development of teaching aids and materials);
- activities to support the DVET system, such as development of curricula, national examination programmes for DVET, purchasing equipment and materials for VET classrooms, development of tools and support and methodological materials at national level- instructions and guidelines, including a summary of the main Acts, relevant to DVET;
- activities to support learners participating in DVET through the participation in a trial internship in the partner companies and providing support through the conduct of additional training activities such as foreign language courses;
- activities to support employers, such as training of mentors in pedagogical and methodological skills and information campaigns for attracting students and enterprises to participate in DVET;
- activities to support parents to improve the student-school relationship and parent-employer relations.
In 2021, more than 130 VET schools started to implement the Support for the dual training system project, introducing the first trial internships and purchasing education materials for teaching VET subjects.
Also in 2021, trial internships began and education material for VET subjects was purchased.
Training of mentors began in 2021 (funded by the Support for the dual training system project) to support employers.
Finally, training activities for enhancing VET teachers’ qualifications and skills were carried out.
In 2022, no systemic changes affecting DVET took place. The promotion of DVET and the increase of enrolment were the main priority, which was achieved through the most significant instrument available - the ESF project Support for the dual training system. In 2022, the scope of the VET system grew substantially, and the following actions were carried out:
- 26 curricula were updated or developed;
- 112 syllabi and 3 national examination programs updated;
- 274 teachers were trained (in trade-related and pedagogical skills);
- 5 780 students benefitted from trial internship in companies;
- 1 245 students participated in additional training activities(vocational or training in literacy and/or foreign languages)
- a toolkit for assessing the quality of DVET and for workplace training was developed by a tendered consortium of experts This is a practical guide for DVET, which summarises the experience gained from the Bulgarian-Swiss project, as well as from other DVET related pilot projects which were implemented in the country. The guide aims to support institutions, schools and companies in the organisation and quality assurance of DVET. The guide reflects the legislative changes that took place at the end of 2018 and were the result of a broad public consensus and support.
The total number of enrolments in DVET in Bulgaria exceeded the number of 11 000 students in September 2022 (2 106 enrolments only for the academic year 2022/23).
Bodies responsible
- Ministry of Education and Science
- Ministry of Labour and Social Policy
- Social partners
Target groups
Learners
- Learners in upper secondary, including apprentices
- Young people (15-29 years old)
Education professionals
- Teachers
- Trainers
Entities providing VET
- Companies
- Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs)
- VET providers (all kinds)
Other stakeholders
- Social partners (employer organisations and trade unions)
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 ways VET is funded at the system level. Policies include optimisation of VET provider funding that allows them to adapt their offer to changing skill needs, green and digital transitions, the social agenda and economic cycles, e.g. increasing the funding for VET or for specific programmes. They can also concern changing the mechanism of how the funding is allocated to VET schools (per capita vs based on achievement or other criteria). Using EU funds and financial instruments for development of VET and skills also falls 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.
VET standards and curricula define the content and outcomes of learning, most often at national or sectoral levels. VET programmes are based on standards and curricula and refer to specific vocations/occupations. They all need to be regularly reviewed, updated and aligned with the needs of the labour market and society. They need to include a balanced mix of vocational and technical skills corresponding to economic cycles, evolving jobs and working methods, and key competences, providing for resilience, lifelong learning, employability, social inclusion, active citizenship, sustainable awareness and personal development (Council of the European Union, 2020). The thematic sub-category also refers to establishing new VET programmes, reducing their number or discontinuing some. It also includes design of CVET programmes and training courses to adapt to labour market, sectoral or individual up- and re-skilling needs.
This thematic sub-category focuses on developing and updating all kinds of learning resources and materials, both for learners and for teachers and trainers (e.g. teachers handbooks or manuals), to embrace current and evolving content and modes of learning. These activities target all kinds of formats: hard copy and digital publications, learning websites and platforms, tools for learner self-assessment of progress, ICT-based simulators, virtual and augmented reality, etc.
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).
This thematic sub-category covers all developments related to work-based learning (WBL) elements in VET programmes and apprenticeships which continue to be important in the policy agenda. It includes measures to stabilise the offer of apprenticeships, the implementation of the European framework for quality and effective apprenticeships, and using the EU on-demand support services and policy learning initiatives among the Member States. It also covers further expansion of apprenticeships and WBL to continuing VET (CVET), for transition to work and inclusion of vulnerable groups, and for improving citizens’ qualification levels.
Teachers, trainers and school leaders competences
Competent and motivated VET teachers in schools and trainers in companies are crucial to VET becoming innovative and relevant, agile, resilient, flexible, inclusive and lifelong.
This thematic category comprises policies and practices of initial training and continuing professional development approaches in a systemic and systematic manner. It also looks at measures aiming to update (entry) requirements and make teaching and training careers attractive and bring more young and talented individuals and business professionals into teaching and training. Supporting VET educators by equipping them with adequate competences, skills and tools for the green transition and digital teaching and learning are addressed in separate thematic sub-categories.
The measures in this category target teachers and school leaders, company trainers and mentors, adult educators and guidance practitioners.
This thematic sub-category refers to all kinds of initial and continuing professional development (CPD) for VET educators who work in vocational schools and in companies providing VET. VET educators include teachers and school leaders, trainers and company managers involved in VET, as well as adult educators and guidance practitioners – those who work in school- and work-based settings. The thematic sub-category includes national strategies, training programmes or individual courses to address the learning needs of VET educators and to develop their vocational (technical) skills, and pedagogical (teaching) skills and competences. Such programmes concern state-of-the-art vocational pedagogy, innovative teaching methods, and competences needed to address evolving teaching environments, e.g. teaching in multicultural settings, working with learners at risk of early leaving, etc.
European priorities in VET
VET Recommendation
- VET agile in adapting to labour market challenges