If you have skills in a given sphere, like construction for example, but have no kind of certificate to vouch for them, you can obtain one by demonstrating them in practice. The “demonstration’ in front of a commission of experts from employer organizations as well as lecturers from professional secondary schools affords an opportunity to have your skills in a given sphere officially recognized and to obtain a certificate.

This is precisely the aim of the project “New opportunities for my future”, implemented under the Operational Programme “Human Resources”, which is worth BGN 5 million 800,000 or around EUR 2 million 900,000. The project is targeted at people who wish to improve their qualification, to keep their jobs or to find employment.

“There are given professional studies schools, which are authorized to conduct what is known as validation," Emiliana Dimitrova, expert at the Ministry of Education, Youth and Science explains. "For example, you have to refer to a school, if you know that it is a professional school in, say, construction and there you will have your chances appraised. If you have no certificate, but assert you have worked in that sphere, you will do an admission test. You will have to demonstrate practical skills, the process lasts no more than one-two hours and the expert lecturers will appraise your qualification level. If the person shows a potential for higher qualification, i.e. if there is something in your studies you need to add to, you will be given an opportunity to do so. And then return to the school for an exam to acquire that level of qualification. It could be connected with mastering an entire profession in the sphere of construction, but it could serve to testify to skills for a given position or just a portion of a given profession. For example, if you work at a laminate store, you will need a certificate vouching that you can assemble laminates. This part of the profession can be proved and the document obtained will help you find a job.”

Interest is greatest in professions in the spheres of tourism, construction, textiles and fashion design, transport, food technologies and electronics, agriculture, says Emiliana Dimitrova. Obtaining a certificate vouching for your qualification in a given sphere gives many people a better chance of finding work abroad, she says and adds:

“Quite a lot of people have taken advantage of the first stage of this process, which is getting competent consultations. More than 7,500 people have met with our consultants to find out where they can validate their skills and the competences they have acquired. The age group that is keenest is from 45 to 54. We have no way of knowing why this is the target group that has shown the greatest amount of interest, but it is a fact. The second keenest group is in the 55-64 age bracket and they comprise around 25 percent of all of the 7,500 people we have consulted. Their interest can be explained by the fact that they want to keep their jobs – you know what the economic situation in Bulgaria is like. Or people who are already on the labour market and are looking for employment or those seeking qualification; in this project they see their chance.”

Around 1,200 will be given an opportunity to obtain a certificate for their skills under the “New opportunities for my future” project. Eleven have received diplomas to date.

English version: Milena Daynova