site.btaRetraining and Skills Development Essential for Bulgaria’s Future Labour Market, Conference Highlights

The professions of the future will require the retraining of personnel, said Deputy Minister of Education and Science, Acad. Nikolay Vitanov, during the Attractive Professions for a Sustainable Future national conference, held here on Tuesday. He noted that skills must become a national priority, not just a side effect of education.

The event is organized by the Bulgarian Industrial Capital Association (BICA) and presented new trends in the labour market, with a focus on the role of skills as the capital of the future. 

Regarding the connection between education and the labour market, decisions in Bulgaria have been made consistently and actively over the past eight years, said Deputy Floor Leader of the GERB–UDF Parliamentary Group Denitsa Sacheva. "Nowadays, employers are not simply looking for workers, but for people who can think, solve problems, and show creativity," she added.

“Our education system has a capacity that is used at only 50%,” said Co-Floor Leader of the Continue the Change - Democratic Bulgaria Parliamentary Group Nikolay Denkov. He explained that Bulgaria’s potential lies in its vocational high schools, which, however, are not properly connected with businesses, as well as in centers of excellence. Denkov is a former minister of education (2017 and 2021-2022). 

“No one can replace true professionals,” stated Deputy Ombudsman Maria Filipova in response to the idea that artificial intelligence will replace people.

The only ranking of its kind assessing the attractiveness of professions was presented during the forum - an analytical model developed by BICA experts and academics. It measures the prestige, development opportunities, and motivation for choosing key professions in 17 sectors important to the Bulgarian economy.

The conference is organized within a project on an integrated approach to providing motivated and qualified human resources, co-financed by the European Social Fund+ under OP Human Resources Development 2021–2027.

The conference was opened by Deputy Minister of Labour and Social Policy Natalia Efremova and Nikolay Vitanov. Among those present were Rumen Radev, Chairman of BICA’s Governing Board, representatives of the executive branch, social partners, employer and trade union organizations, human resources experts, scholars, and employers from leading sectors. The forum is moderated by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Milena Angelova, BICA’s Secretary General.