site.btaBTA School Celebrates Fourth Anniversary at Imperial Eagle Festival

The Bulgarian News Agency (BTA) will mark the fourth anniversary of its BTA School with an unconventional celebration involving its mentors’ participation in the Imperial Eagle Festival in Topolovgrad, BTA said on Friday.

The event will take place on 18–19 October. The programme features a visit to the Paleokastro (Topolovgrad) archaeological site. The itinerary also includes stops at the Environmental Centre, Levka (Lesser Kestrel); the rock-hewn Church of St Panteleimon (near Mihalich); Bukelon Fortress (near Matochina); and St Athanasius Monastery (Zlatna Livada), commonly presented as Europe’s oldest active monastery.

The itinerary also includes stops at the Lesser Kestrel Recovery Centre in the village of Levka, the rock-hewn church in the village of Mihalich, the Bukelon fortress near Matochina, and the monastery in Zlatna Livada – the oldest active monastery in Europe.

At the end of October, paid student internships at BTA are set to begin under the Ministry of Education and Science’s From Higher Education to Employment project.

The first four agreements have already been signed with Sofia University St. Kliment Ohridski, the University of National and World Economy (UNWE), New Bulgarian University (NBU), and the University of Veliko Tarnovo St. Cyril and St. Methodius.

Over 50 students have applied for internships at BTA within a two-week period, seeking placements in the International News Department, Home News Department, Economic News Department, the Directorate for Knowledge and Culture “LIK” (LIK Magazine), Marketing, and the Photo and Video Department.

Since BTA School’s founding, 186 trainees have successfully completed the programme, with 10% subsequently joining the agency as staff. The majority are from Sofia University, followed by UNWE and NBU.

On the occasion of its fourth anniversary, BTA School received an official letter of appreciation from Prof. Dr Veselina Valkanova, Dean of the Faculty of Journalism and Mass Communication (FJMC) at Sofia University “St Kliment Ohridski”.

“I am confident that our collaboration will continue to support our common objective, preparing professionally competent and motivated young people, committed to responsibility and high standards in journalism, communications, and publishing. The Faculty of Journalism and Mass Communication consistently seeks to bridge academic education with real-world professional practice,” Valkanova wrote.