This report is part of a series of country projects within the OECD programme of work on Building Effective National Skills Strategies.
The OECD team wishes to thank the Bulgarian Steering Committee for this project for its strategic oversight. The Steering Committee included: Maria Gaidarova, Deputy Minister, Ministry of Education and Science; Vanya Stoyneva, Deputy Minister, Ministry of Education and Science; Ivan Krastev, Deputy Minister, Ministry of Labour and Social Policy; Karina Angelieva, Deputy Minister, Ministry of Innovation and Growth; Rossitsa Steliyanova, Programmes and Projects Manager, Bulgarian Industrial Capital Association; Dobri Mitrev, Chair of the Managing Board, Bulgarian Industrial Association; Julian Petrov, Chair of Education trade union, Confederation of Labour “Podkrepa”; Vaska Baklarova, Secretary‑General (incumbent), Union for Private Economic Enterprise; and Yassen Tsvetkov, Industrial Policy Advisor (alternate), Union for Private Economic Enterprise.
The OECD is grateful to the Bulgaria National Project Team for its invaluable guidance and input throughout the project and for convening participants and moderating discussions during virtual consultations. The Bulgaria National Project Team was co-ordinated by Vania Tividosheva, Director, and Polina Zlatarska, Chief Expert, Vocational Education and Training Directorate, Ministry of Education and Science. The team included, in alphabetical order, representatives from the Ministry of Education and Science: Dimitar Enchev, Chief Expert (incumbent), Finance Directorate; Kliment Hristov, Chief Expert, Policies for Strategic Development, Qualification, and Career Development Directorate; Nikolay Karamihov, Chief Expert, Policies for Strategic Development, Qualification, and Career Development Directorate; Aneliya Rusakova, Chief Expert (incumbent), Content of the Pre-School and School Education Directorate; Maya Slavova, Chief Expert (alternate), Higher Education Directorate; Elena Tarnichkova, State Expert (alternate), Content of the Pre-School and School Education Directorate; Krassimira Todorova, Chief Expert, International Cooperation Directorate; Boriana Tsvetkova, Senior Expert (incumbent), Finance Directorate; Iskra Yoshovska, Chief Expert (incumbent), Higher Education Directorate; from the Ministry of Economy and Industry: Zhecho Zhechev, Chief Expert, Economic Policy Directorate; from the Ministry of Innovation and Growth: Maria Todorova, Director, Policies and Analyses Directorate; from the Ministry of Labour and Social Policy: Iskra Petrova, Chief Expert, Labour Market Policy and Labour Mobility Directorate; and from the Education Bulgaria 2030 Association (non-governmental organisation/NGO): Velizara Georgieva, Projects Assistant (alternate) and Alexandra Mircheva, Project Manager (incumbent).
Our warm thanks go to the many government and non-government representatives who generously shared their insights during the workshops, expert and bilateral meetings, and via written input. Nearly 40 organisations and over 80 individuals participated in the various meetings that took place during the OECD’s virtual consultations. These stakeholders represented ministries, government agencies, subnational authorities, education and training institutions, businesses and business associations, unions and community associations, academia, civil society and other organisations (see Annex A for a full list of participating organisations). The OECD would also like to thank the Ministry of Education and Science (MES) staff for their active outreach, communication with stakeholders, and other support during the project.
While the report draws upon data and analysis from the OECD, Bulgarian authorities and other published sources, any errors or misinterpretations remain the responsibility of the OECD team. The opinions expressed and arguments employed herein do not necessarily reflect the official views of OECD member countries.
Ben Game was the OECD Project Leader responsible for co‑ordinating this OECD Skills Strategy project in Bulgaria. The authors of this report were: Pavel Kambersky, Ben Game and Tamar Friedman Wilson, OECD Centre for Skills, and Anna Vitoria Perico E Santos, OECD Directorate for Education and Skills, (Chapter 1. Key insights and recommendations); Anna Vitoria Perico E Santos (Chapter 2. Improving youth skills); Tamar Friedman Wilson (Chapter 3. Improving adult skills); Ben Game (Chapter 4. Using skills effectively in the labour market and at work); and Andrew Westwood, University of Manchester, and Ben Game (Chapter 5. Improving governance of the skills system). Assenka Hristova (external consultant) provided research, guidance and feedback throughout the project, while Pavel Kambersky provided research, drafting and translation assistance. In addition, staff from the OECD Centre for Skills, Directorate for Education and Skills, Directorate for Labour and Social Affairs and Economics Department provided feedback on the report.
Andrew Bell, Head of OECD Skills Strategies, provided analytical guidance and supervised the project. El Iza Mohamedou, Head of the OECD Centre for Skills, oversaw the project, while Stefano Scarpetta, OECD Director for Employment, Labour and Social Affairs, and Mark Pearson, OECD Deputy Director for Employment, Labour and Social Affairs, provided strategic oversight.
Véronique Quénehen and Jennifer Cannon (OECD Centre for Skills) provided support for mission organisation, report layout and design and publication planning, with input from Isabel Monaghan and Mikaela Malka, and Julie Harris copy-edited the report.