Nikola Stoyanov: We are launching a project for dual education at the national level

The preparation of a national project for dual education has started. This decision was supported by the National Economic Council. The advisory body, in which all employer organizations participate, held a meeting today, on the initiative of Minister Nikola Stoyanov. Among the main topics discussed were the shortage of personnel and the improvement of their qualifications, the competitiveness of Bulgarian companies and the government's measures to control inflationary processes. This was announced today by the Ministry of Economy and Industry.

The purpose of developing a national project for dual training is to take measures at the state level for a wider application of this form of training, which in the long term will help to solve the problems with the lack of manpower and qualified personnel.

"We are discussing all state enterprises to effectively support dual education, as an additional incentive for its promotion throughout the country," Minister Nikola Stoyanov explained. According to him, several smaller projects in this field are already being implemented in Bulgaria, but there is a need for coordinated actions at the national level to present the dual form of education to students and their parents. "Our goal is to prepare a comprehensive concept with the Ministry of Education and Science and employer organizations in about a month, how to implement this in practice. After that, we will hope for your active support and for the actual launch throughout the country," the economy minister added. On the part of the employers' organizations, they expressed support for the decision and emphasized that this is a long-awaited measure at the national level.

The Ministry of Education and Science pointed out that one of the problems related to the qualification of personnel is the limited interest in vocational high schools by high school candidates. In this regard, actions were discussed and coordinated with the employer organizations in order to popularize the opportunities for realization in the various professions.

During the meeting, the current legislation regulating the access to the labor market of citizens from third countries was also discussed. Employers raised the issue of easing some of the administrative procedures and removing some restrictions that currently exist. "We will work towards easing the regime of foreign workers in our country, as well as for better information about the specific needs of workers, because at the moment there is no single electronic portal to provide such information," Nikola Stoyanov also pointed out.

The National Economic Council also discussed the government's measures to reduce inflation, as well as the necessary changes in the legislation for a lighter regime for opening bank accounts in Bulgaria for companies from abroad that want to operate on the Bulgarian market. A review of the legislation in other European countries is to be done and concrete proposals will be developed.

This is the first meeting of the Council, after almost a year and a half interruption of its activities. During meetings with employers' organizations, Minister Stoyanov undertook to restore the activity of this important advisory body. Representatives of all involved ministries and employer organizations in our country took part in today's meeting.