More than 4,000 students acquire skills through internships within the framework of a project of the Ministry of Education and Culture to modernize vocational training. This was announced by the Minister of Education and Science Prof. Galin Tsokov during the forum “Sectoral Approach in Vocational Education and Training: Essence of Reforms for Skills Development” in Gabrovo.
“In less than ten months, more than 400 schools have been included in the project, and more than 600 teachers have undergone training for digital skills and the application of green skills in training in various professions,” said Minister Tsokov. According to him, the team at the Ministry of Education and Culture is working consistently for the development of dual education. “We also have an increase in enrollment in classes with dual education in 2024/2025 compared to the previous school year,” he emphasized and explained that there are 119 classes with 2572 students in this form of education. . For comparison, in the previous year there were 1,773 children in them.
“We constantly strive to support schools to create the best working conditions. Because these young people must be prepared to perform various professions in the dynamic development of the labor market”, Prof. Tsokov also said. He also emphasized the importance of active participation of business in all processes and thanked the universities that are active in this area.
Among the highlights of the forum was the importance of the new List of Professions for Vocational Education and Training – in sync with the amendments to the Law on Vocational Education and Training. It structures broad-based occupations with an upgrade of professional qualification degrees and an emphasis on digital and green skills.
According to Minister Tsokov, the implementation of the system project “Modernization of Vocational Education and Training” supports the initiated reform in vocational education and training. “One of the important achievements in the implementation of this project is the formation of twenty Sectoral Councils for skills, in which educational institutions participate , higher education institutions, employers, trade associations and trade unions. Using their expertise, we developed the new Vocational Education and Training List,” said the minister.
Within the framework of the forum, 17 vocational high schools from the Gabrovo and Veliko Tarnovo regions also participated in an exhibition where they presented the professions they study. There were demonstrations of programmable robots, electric cars, projects for various ecological systems and other inventions.
Among the participants in the meeting were the Deputy Minister of Education and Science Tanya Mihailova, the regional governor Maria Basheva, the deputy executive director of IA “Education Program” Ivan Popov, the head of RUO Gabrovo Georgi Marinov, as well as representatives of the academic community and the Sectoral Councils for skills in various fields, directors of directorates in the Ministry of Education and Culture, experts, business representatives, school directors, etc.
The event is part of the “Modernization of Vocational Education and Training” project, which is implemented with the financial support of the “Education” program 2021-2027 and the European Social Fund plus.