SABER Workforce Development Bulgaria Country ... - World...

BulgariaWORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT SABER Country Report

2014

Dimensions Status1. Strategic Framework

Bulgaria’s institutional framework for setting workforce development (WfD) strategicpolicies is grounded in legislation that creates clear roles for government ministries,industry and other stakeholders. There is sustained recognition of the importance ofskills and WfD by the country’s leaders. This has been reflected in several importantstrategic documents. However, these statutory provisions have not yet translatedinto a shared policy agenda and sustained commitment to achieve forward lookingpriorities for preparing the workforce for the economic opportunities of the future.The lack of broad and relevant data on skills gaps continues to hinder the design andimplementation of policy interventions with high potential to improve the WfDframework.

2. System OversightBulgaria has a robust normative framework that includes occupational competencystandards and a national qualifications framework for the assessment andcertification of individuals’ skills. However, many of these standards have not yetbeen integrated into the curricula for technical and vocational education. Studentsare tracked into vocational education too early, thus preventing full formation ofbasic competencies, which can be an obstacle to acquiring the more specializedknowledge and skills demanded by employers. Budget resources tend to prioritizethe creation of low skilled jobs for quick mitigation of unemployment at the expenseof investment in innovation in vocational education and training (VET) that couldunderpin longer term competitiveness. VET and skills training system performanceare not routinely analyzed and there is no system for quality assurance andaccountability that informs and supports evidence based WfD policymaking.

3. Service DeliveryThe Bulgarian system permits a diversity of state and non state providers to offertraining services. Partnerships between employers and public training institutions arelimited, despite private sector engagement at the strategy level. VET providers aregiven few incentives for setting and achieving learning outcome targets, and therelevant ministries impose few requirements to facilitate evaluation. At the systemlevel, while administrative data are collected, they are not intensively used foridentifying opportunities for resource optimization or measuring the impact ofprograms on learning and employability.

BULGARIA WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT SABER COUNTRY REPORT |2014

SYSTEMS APPROACH FOR BETTER EDUCATION RESULTS 2

Table of ContentsExecutive Summary ............................................................................................................................... .............. 31. Introduction............................................................................................................................... ..................... 7

2. Country Context........................................................................................................................ ...................... 93. Overview of the Results............................................................................................................................... .. 114. Aligning Workforce Development to Key Economic and Social Priorities..................................................... 12

Socioeconomic Aspirations, Priorities and Reforms .................................................................................... 12

SABER WfD Ratings on the Strategic Framework ......................................................................................... 13

Policy Goal 1: Articulating a Strategic Direction ...................................................................................... 13

Policy Goal 2: Fostering a Demand led Approach to WfD........................................................................ 14

Policy Goal 3: Strengthening Critical Coordination for Implementation................................................. 15

Directions for Policy Development ........................................................................................................... 16

5. Governing the system for Workforce Development ..................................................................................... 18

Overall Institutional Landscape..................................................................................................................... 18

SABER WfD Ratings on System Oversight..................................................................................................... 18

Policy Goal 4: Ensuring Efficiency and Equity in Funding ........................................................................ 18

Policy Goal 5: Assuring Relevant and Reliable Standards........................................................................ 20

Policy Goal 6: Diversifying the Pathways for Skills Acquisition................................................................ 21


6. Managing Service Delivery ............................................................................................................................ 26

Overview of the Delivery of Training Services .............................................................................................. 26

SABER WfD Ratings on Service Delivery ....................................................................................................... 27

Policy Goal 7: Incentivizing Diversity and Excellence in Training Provision............................................. 27

Policy Goal 8: Fostering Relevance in Public Training Programs ............................................................. 29

Policy Goal 9: Enhancing Evidence Based Accountability for Results ..................................................... 30


Annex 1: Acronyms............................................................................................................................... ............. 34Annex 2: The SABER WfD Analytical Framework .............................................................................................. 35Annex 3: Rubrics for Scoring the SABER WfD Data ........................................................................................... 36Annex 4: References and Informants ................................................................................................................ 43Annex 5: SABER WfD Scores.............................................................................................................................. 46Annex 6: Validation Workshop Report.............................................................................................................. 47Annex 7: Structure of the Bulgarian Education System .................................................................................... 49Annex 8: Authorship and Acknowledgements .................................................................................................. 50



Executive Summary

After a decade of sustained growth averaging morethan 5 percent a year, the Bulgarian economycontracted sharply as the global economic crisis hitthe country in 2008. The subsequent recoveryremains very modest. The employment rate amongthe working age population (aged 16 to 64) over thepast three years has been persistently below precrisis levels. Unemployment more than doubled from5.7 percent in 2008 to 12.4 percent in 2012,unleashing job seeking emigration, especially amongthe young Bulgarians. The government hasresponded with a series of short term measures(e.g., subsidized employment) to restore growth andemployment. In the longer term, however,continuously building a skilled workforce will befundamental for Bulgaria’s competitiveness and forpromoting sustained growth and shared prosperity,especially in light of the country’s projected sharpdecline in the workforce due to population aging. Inlight of the above, the government is considering anumber of reforms of the education sector, includinga new underlying law on preschool and schooleducation and amendments to the law on vocationaland technical training.

At the request of the Government of Bulgaria, toinform the reform process and the national publicdebate, the World Bank applied a new standardizedtool –Systems Approach for Better EducationResults Workforce Development (SABER WfD) – tosystematically assess Bulgaria’s policies andinstitutions for workforce development. ThroughSABER WfD, system level data based on existingpolicies and practices in Bulgaria (as reflected inlaws, policy and operational documents, as well asstakeholder interviews) were collected and analyzedacross three Functional Dimensions of WfD: StrategicFramework; System Oversight and Service Deliveryand nine related Policy Goals (Figure 1). The resultingdata for each Policy Goal were then scored on a fourpoint scale corresponding to a latent, emerging,established or advanced level of development.

The SABER WfD results for Bulgaria reveal that thecountry’s workforce development system hasreached an established level in terms of Strategic

Framework arrangements, while the SystemOversight and the Service Delivery Dimension of thesystem are at an emerging level of development.These ratings reflect the strengths and the areasrequiring further development as detailed below. ForBulgaria to progress to advanced level ofdevelopment of its WfD system, the Governmentmay consider a number of immediate priorityreforms and actions, including:

• Delaying the vocational education track untilafter compulsory schooling (i.e., after grade 10);

• Optimization of the network and improvingthe quality of public VET, including throughintroduction of performance based measures;

• Development, institutionalization androutine implementation of labor force and employersurveys for assessment of the demand for skills inthe workforce, the current and future gaps in orderto increase the relevance and alignment of VET tothe present and future market needs.

The following paragraphs summarize the status ofdevelopment by Functional Dimensions and containa more detailed presentation of suggested directionsfor policy development.

Strategic Framework

Bulgaria’s institutional framework for setting WfDstrategic policies is grounded in legislation thatcreates clear roles for government ministries,industry and other stakeholders. There is sustainedrecognition of the importance of skills and workforcedevelopment in several strategic documents.1However, these strengths have not yet translatedinto a shared policy agenda and sustainedcommitment to achieve specific priorities, backed bybudget allocations and proposals owned by thegovernment and other stakeholders. The lack of

1 Explicit strategies exist in multiple areas such as the National Programfor Development of Education, Science and Youth Policies (2009 2013),the National Strategy for the Development of School and PreschoolEducation (2006 2015), and the National Strategy for Lifelong Learning(2008 2013), all of which are supported by relevant legislation (e.g.,Public Education Law and Law on Vocational Education and Training).



broad and relevant data on skills gaps continues tohinder the design and implementation of policyinterventions that have the potential to improve theWfD framework in Bulgaria. Analyses of emergingskills needs are rarely initiated, yet such analysesneed to be conducted on a regular basis in order toidentify forward looking priorities for WfD anddevelop appropriate policies. Despite consensus onthe importance of non government stakeholders inWfD, their effective participation in policy dialogueremains ad hoc and inadequate.

Directions for policy development:

Assess the demand for skills in the workforce, as wellas current and future gaps, through regular laborforce and employer surveys. Such surveys wouldfocus on learning outcomes and competences, withresults being measured in terms of traineeemployment outcomes and employer satisfaction.The longitudinal SABER WfD study for Korea showsthat back in the 1970s Korea had the same rankingsfor its WfD system as Bulgaria today. By 2010,Korea's scores moved up to advanced in terms ofstrategic framework and system oversight, andestablished in terms of service delivery. This progressis partly explained by the routine collection (sincethe 1970s) of robust information on the country’slabor market conditions and the demand for skills,generated by government research institutions.Bulgaria may consider the development andinstitutionalization of its own routine data collectionmechanism. Alternatively, the OECD’s Program forthe International Assessment of Adult Competencies(PIACC) and the World Bank’s STEPs surveys are nowbeing used by many countries to assess, for the firsttime, the skills possessed by the entire working agepopulation and which of those skills employers mostvalue.

Build consensus on the strategic actions required tobest prepare the workforce for the jobs andeconomic opportunities of the future. This consensusneeds to be based on international and domesticeconomic and social trends. The strategic visionneeds to reflect the rapid aging of the population inBulgaria (calling for strong lifelong learning system)and to refocus the education system to build

stronger foundation in basic skills instead of earlyacquisition of specialized occupational skills.

Position the National Council for TripartiteCooperation as a key player in the workforcedevelopment consultations. Given the NationalCouncil for Tripartite Cooperation’s mandate forreviewing and commenting on draft regulations onemployment and vocational training, it appears to bewell positioned to play a leading role in fosteringcontinued consultation, dialogue and collaborationto arrive at consensus and priority action among themany WfD stakeholders.

Expand the coverage of the Bulgarian UniversityRanking System. The collection of information ongraduates’ labor market outcomes by degreeprogram and institution could be expanded to coveralso the graduates of non tertiary VET institutions.

System Oversight

Bulgaria boasts a robust normative frameworkrelated to the assessment and certification ofindividuals’ skills in the form of occupationalcompetency standards and a national qualificationsframework (NQF). However, many of thesestandards have not yet been integrated into thecurricula for technical and vocational education andlabor training, and some occupational competencystandards are still to be developed. Further, theexistence of the occupational competency standardshas not yet led to the prioritization of budgetallocations so that the capacity for achieving thesestandards can be strengthened.

A particular structural issue of the education systemis the early tracking of students (after grades 7 and8) into the vocational education stream. The networkof vocational schools has remained unreformed,despite the wave of school optimization thataffected the general schools in Bulgaria following the2008 decentralization and per capita financereforms. As evidenced from all PISA2 rounds,

2 ISA Program for International Student Assessment – a program designedand implemented by OECD for assessment of students at the age of 15.Bulgaria participated in all PISA assessments except in 2003. Performancedata are available for the assessment rounds in 2000, 2006, 2009 and 2012.



including the most recent assessment in 2012,Bulgarian vocational schools, with a few exceptions,have become magnets of low student performance.More than half of the 15 year old students invocational schools (53.2 %, PISA 2012) arefunctionally innumerate and score below the criticalthreshold of mathematical achievement, comparedto 28.6 % of innumerate students in the profiledsecondary schools. While non vocational schoolsmanaged to improve their PISA performance overtime in all the three tested domains – reading, math,and science – vocational school performancedeteriorated in reading and science and stayedunchanged in math (see Table 1).

Table 1. Performance of vocational and profiled generalsecondary schools in PISA 2009 and 2012

Subject

Profiled SecondarySchool

Vocational Schools

PISA2009

PISA 2012 PISA2009

PISA 2012

Math 461 475 415 416

Reading 475 489 407 403

Science 475 488 425 421

Within the group of vocational schools, there arehuge internal inequalities, with low studentperformance concentrated predominantly invocational schools providing training for the first andsecond degree of professional qualification. Schoolsproviding the third degree of professionalqualification fared better, but very few achievedscores in the national student assessment and PISAcomparable to the results of the profiled schools.

Early vocational training prevents vocationalstudents from having full exposure to a completebasic general education curriculum and hampers theacquisition of generic and transferable skills. It alsoreduces the likelihood for progression to tertiaryeducation. This is an issue with serious implicationsfor the adaptability of the Bulgarian workforce in a

fast changing economic and technologicalenvironment.

While the imperatives of a fast aging populationhave been recognized in the national LifelongLearning Strategy, measures such as a nationwideoccupational and career guidance system and aframework for the recognition of prior learning haveyet to be scaled up.


Consider delaying the tracking of students intovocational education. In light of the proposed newstructure of pre university education envisioned inthe draft new Preschool and School Education Act,vocational education may be delayed until aftercompletion of compulsory schooling (i.e., after grade10). The draft amendments to the VET Law and thegovernment’s plans to introduce elements of thedual vocational education system present anopportunity to reconsider the early vocationaltracking, modernize the curriculum and optimize thenetwork of vocational schools. Taken together, thesemeasures may have a strong positive impact on thequality and relevance of education, as evidenced bythe strong educational performance of countriesthat have implemented similar reforms in the past(see Box 4 on the 1999 education reforms in Poland).

Fully integrate the occupational competencystandards into the curricula for technical andvocational education and labor training.

Implement regular analyses of the performance ofthe VET and skills training system, its costeffectiveness and labor market impacts. Forinstance, regular cost benefit evaluations of youthtraining programs across Latin America haverevealed significant labor market impacts, morestable funding, and an improved delivery model.

Service Delivery

The Bulgarian system permits a diversity of state andnon state providers to offer training services. Thispositive feature can help increase access andencourage competition and excellence in trainingprovision. In the context of limited regulatory



capacity, however, it also requires increased effortsto ensure quality assurance and accountability,which is the weakest link in Bulgaria’s WfD system.

At the institutional level, providers are given fewincentives for setting and achieving learningoutcome targets, and the relevant ministries imposefew requirements to facilitate evaluation. At thesystem level, while the Ministry of Education andScience (MES) and the National Agency forVocational Education and Training (NAVET) collectadministrative data, it is not intensively used foridentifying opportunities for resource optimizationor measuring the impact of programs on learningand employability. In addition, these data andconcomitant reports are not consistently madeavailable to the public.

Partnerships between employers and public traininginstitutions are limited, despite private sectorengagement at the strategy level. The lack ofwidespread and sustained partnerships poseschallenges for keeping instructional materials,facilities and course offerings up to date and limitsthe resources and opportunities available tostudents. This also constrains opportunities forteachers to gain industry exposure. In addition, thesystem for initial and continuing education forinstructors is centralized, which hinders both thediffusion of new techniques and training providers’ability to introduce new programs in response tomarket needs.


Involve the local area economic committees ineducational and training planning. This will ensure acloser alignment between skills supply and demandin line with regional economic and social conditionsand prospects. These committees, if wellrepresented by leading firms in the area, are acritical source of labor market intelligence and mayprovide information that is often not captured bysurveys.

Encourage practical cooperation within the triangleof schools, businesses and the research anddevelopment sectors and create opportunities forteachers to gain exposure to industry. One possiblemechanism is to formalize the role of employers andempower them with executive authority on theboards of training institutions. In Singapore, forinstance, a representative from private industrychairs the board of the Institute of TechnicalEducation and the Institute's constituent collegeslikewise involve private sector representatives ontheir boards.

Include specific provisions in the draft new VET Lawon quality assurance in TVET. This may include theassignment of specific roles to the proposed newNational Educational Inspectorate. The system couldalso benefit from the development andimplementation of an internal system of qualitycontrol for the VET schools. Such a measure needs tobe complemented by schemes to support thecapacity of VET schools to create and implementinternal quality control systems.

Develop a web based platform for exchange of goodpractices in VET provision. This platform should havenationwide coverage of VET establishments andshould draw from international experience as well.

Develop a system of quality assurance andaccountability of the WfD system in Bulgaria thatinforms and supports evidence based WfDpolicymaking. By launching the Bulgarian UniversitiesRanking System, Bulgaria has made important stridesto gather and publicly disseminate regularly data onemployment, earnings, and employer satisfactionwith higher education, by field and institution type.This experience may be expanded further to coverthe broader WfD system in Bulgaria, and be used toprovide information to guide individuals' decisionsabout their training choices.



1. Introduction

This report presents a comprehensive diagnosticassessment of Bulgaria’s workforce development(WfD) policies and institutions. The results are basedon a new World Bank tool designed for this purpose,SABER WfD. SABER WfD is part of the World Bank’sinitiative on Systems Approach for Better EducationResults (SABER)3 whose aim is to provide systematicassessment and documentation of the policy andinstitutional factors that influence the performanceof key areas of national education and trainingsystems. The SABER WfD tool encompasses initial,continuing and targeted vocational education andtraining that are offered through multiple channelsand focuses largely on programs at the secondaryand post secondary levels.

Analytical Framework

The tool is based on an analytical framework4 thatidentifies three Functional Dimensions of WfDpolicies and institutions:

• Strategic framework, which refers to thepraxis of high level advocacy, partnership, andcoordination, typically across traditional sectoralboundaries, in relation to the objective of aligningWfD in critical areas to priorities for nationaldevelopment;

• System Oversight, which refers to thearrangements governing funding, quality assuranceand learning pathways that shape the incentives andinformation signals affecting the choices ofindividuals, employers, training providers and otherstakeholders; and

• Service Delivery, which refers to thediversity, organization and management of trainingprovision, both state and non state, that deliverresults on the ground by enabling individuals toacquire market and job relevant skills.

3 For details on SABER see http://www.worldbank.org/education/saber4 For an explanation of the SABER WfD framework, see Tan et al 2013.

Taken together, these three Dimensions allow forsystematic analysis of the functioning of a WfDsystem as a whole. The focus in the SABER WfDframework is on the institutional structures andpractices of public policymaking and what theyreveal about capacity in the system to conceptualize,design, coordinate and implement policies in orderto achieve results on the ground. Each Dimension iscomposed of three Policy Goals that correspond toimportant functional aspects of WfD systems (seeFigure 1). Policy Goals are further broken down intodiscrete Policy Actions and Topics that reveal moredetail about the system.5

Figure 1: Functional Dimensions and Policy Goals in theSABER WfD Framework

Implementing the Analysis

Information for the analysis is gathered using astructured SABER WfD Data Collection Instrument(DCI). The instrument is designed to collect, to theextent possible, facts rather than opinions aboutWfD policies and institutions. For each Topic, the DCIposes a set of multiple choice questions that areanswered based on documentary evidence andinterviews with knowledgeable informants. Theanswers allow each Topic to be scored on a fourpoint scale against standardized rubrics based onavailable knowledge on global good practice (Seefigure 2). Topic scores are averaged to producePolicy Goal scores, which are then aggregated intoDimension scores. The results are finalized following

5 See Annex 2 for an overview of the structure of the framework.



validation by the relevant national counterparts,including the informants themselves.

The rest of this report summarizes the key findingsof the SABER WfD assessment and also presents thedetailed results for each of the three functionaldimensions. To put the results into context, thereport begins below with a brief profile of thecountry’s socioeconomic makeup.

Figure 2: SABER WfD Scoring Rubrics



2. Country Context

Bulgaria joined the European Union (EU) in 2007,following a turbulent political and economictransition in the 1990s. Its per capita GDP of $7,158in 20116 qualifies it as an upper middle incomeeconomy. In the decade prior to the 2008–09 globalfinancial crisis, Bulgaria enjoyed sustained economicgrowth, averaging more than 5 percent a year. Aftera sharp decline in GDP in 2009, growth has resumed,but only modestly. The crisis has required thegovernment to focus its attention on mitigatinggrowing unemployment and on maintaining fiscalstability.

The country has a population of about 7 millionpeople, consisting of three large ethnic groups:Bulgarians (84.8 percent); Turks (8.8 percent); andRoma (4.9 percent)7. The population is projected toshrink by 18 percent between 2000 and 2025,reflecting the impact of low fertility and emigration.The population is aging rapidly: according toestimates by the Bulgaria National Statistics Institute(NSI)8 the ratio of those aged 65 and older to thosebetween the ages of 15 and 64 will rise from 25percent in 2011 to 47 percent by 2040. Emigration isconcentrated among those aged 20 to 39 years,accounting for between 60 and 75 percent of theannual emigrants between 2007 and 2011.Reflecting negative demographic trends, Bulgaria’slabor force is also projected to decline from 3.4million in 2011 to 3.2 million by 2020.9

At present, the sectors employing the largestnumber of workers are: manufacturing, wholesaleand retail industry, education, health and socialservices, and construction. However, in theaftermath of the 2008 financial crisis, employment inthe first two sectors and construction hassignificantly declined. In contrast, administrative andsupport services, financial services, insurance and

6 http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/NY.GDP.PCAP.CD.7 NSI, 2012, http://censusresults.nsi.bg/Census/ (Data based oninformation provided by the population that answered the question ofethnic self identification – 91 percent of the whole population).8 NSI, 2012, http://www.nsi.bg/index.php Population forecastconvergence scenario9 Labour force by gender, Bulgaria, CEDEFOP, Skills forecasts, Bulgaria2012.

ICT industries have all been sources of employmentgrowth. Unemployment has been rising steadily inrecent years, reaching 12.4 percent in 2012, morethan twice its 2008 level (5.7 percent).Unemployment is concentrated among those withlower levels of education. In terms of skills supply,the majority of Bulgarians have completed secondaryschooling and about 20 percent have a tertiaryqualification. According to Eurostat data for 2011,the unemployment rate was 25.5 percent amongthose who had not progressed beyond lowersecondary education (ISECD levels 0 2), while it was9 percent among those with upper secondary andpost secondary non tertiary education (ISCED levels3 and 4), and 5 percent among those with tertiaryeducation (ISECD levels 5 and 6). Compared to thecorresponding unemployment rates in EU countries,the rate among the least educated in Bulgaria hasgrown significantly since the beginning of thefinancial crisis.

In 2012, Bulgaria was among the 7 EU countries withthe highest level of early school leavers. The schooldropout issue affects the VET schools (4.2 percentdropout rate)10 much more than the general schools(1.6 percent dropout rate). Students fromdisadvantaged backgrounds are more likely to attendVET gymnasiums and schools; hence the higherdropout rates have a disproportionate impact ontheir communities compared with the generalpopulation. Education attainment variesconsiderably by ethnicity: about 70 percent of ethnicTurks and 93 percent of ethnic Roma in Bulgariahave not completed secondary education, comparedto 30 percent for ethnic Bulgarians. According to theNSI,11 at the beginning of 2011, 23.2 percent ofRoma children aged 7 to 15 did not attend school, arelatively high proportion in relation to the ethnicTurkish minority (11.9%) and ethnic Bulgarians(5.6%). Similarly, the illiteracy rate among the Romapopulation (11.8%) is significantly higher than that ofethnic Turks (4.7%) and Bulgarians (0.5%). There arealso disparities between urban and rural areas: morethan 70 percent of the urban population hascompleted at least upper secondary education

10 NSI, 201311 NSI, 2011 Population Census – Main Results, NSI, Sofia, 2012, p. 30 31.



compared to only 40 percent of those who live inrural areas.12

Learning outcomes in Bulgaria have beendeteriorating. According to the Program forInternational Student Assessment (PISA) in 2012,13 ahigh proportion of Bulgarian 15 year olds scoredbelow proficiency level 214 in reading, mathematicsand science (39.4 percent, 43.8 percent, 36.9percent, respectively, compared to less than 18, 23and 17.8 percent on average, respectively, for theirpeers in OECD countries). On this indicator, Bulgariascores similarly to Romania and much worse thansome non EU countries with a similar level of percapita GDP, like Serbia and Turkey. Low performancein PISA is concentrated predominantly in VET andsmall rural schools. The variation in performancebetween schools in Bulgaria is much more prominentthan the differences in performance within schools.This phenomenon is caused by the early test basedselection of students after grades 7 and 8, whichtracks students into profiled schools, non profiledgeneral schools and vocational schools. Profiledschools offer general education with additional focuson a selected subject (e.g., foreign language,mathematics, ICT, etc.). General schools provideeducation without extra focus on a given subject,while vocational schools accommodate vocationalsubjects into the curriculum, often at the expense ofthe time allocated to general curriculum subject.The average PISA 2012 math score of vocationalschools was 416 compared 475 of the profiledsecondary schools. More than half of the vocationalstudents scored below the critical numeracythreshold in PISA 2012, compared to a 28 percentshare of functionally innumerate in the profiledsecondary schools. Thus, the school system is dividedinto high performing public profiled schools (oftenreferred to as “elite” schools) and a majority of

12 Census, 2011, NSI, 2012 http://www.nsi.bg/census2011/index.php.13 OECD (2010), PISA 2009 Results: What Students Know and Can Do –Student Performance in Reading, Mathematics and Science, (Volume I),http://dx.doi.org/10.1787/9789264091450 en (Volume I), Results forcountries and economies: Annex B1, p. 194, 221, 225.14 PISA scores students from 1b to 6, with 6 being the highest. Scoresbelow 2 indicate a level of achievement below the threshold forfunctional proficiency.

average to low performing general and vocationalschools. In the latter group, the VET schools prevail.

Participation in continuing education and trainingamong Bulgarian adults is the lowest among EUcountries. According to a 2012 European Centre forthe Development of Vocational Training (CEDEFOP)survey,15 only 1.2 percent of the population agedbetween 25 and 64 years old had participated ineducation or training activities in the four weeksprior to the survey, a rate that is less than a seventhof the EU average. The combination of poor learningoutcomes among Bulgarian youth and limitedparticipation in lifelong learning among adults is acause for concern. It compromises the quality of thefuture workforce and the country’s ability to moveinto more lucrative areas of economic activity. At thesame time, it diminishes the capacity of the currentworkforce to adapt to economic restructuring and totake advantage of new job opportunities.

15 CEDEFOP, 2012, http://www.cedefop.europa.eu/EN/statistics andindicators/continuing vocational training and adult learning.aspx



3. Overview of the Results

This section presents the findings from theassessment of Bulgaria’s WfD system based on theSABER WfD analytical framework and tool. The focusis on policies, institutions and practices in the threeFunctional Dimensions of policymaking andimplementation—strategic framework, systemoversight and service delivery. Because these aspectscollectively create the operational environment inwhich individuals, firms and training providers makedecisions with regard to training, they exert animportant influence on observed outcomes in skillsdevelopment. Strong systems of WfD haveinstitutionalized processes and practices for reachingagreement on priorities, for collaboration andcoordination, and for generating routine feedbackthat sustain continuous innovation andimprovement. By contrast, weak systems arecharacterized by fragmentation, duplication of effortand limited learning from experience.

The SABER WfD assessment results presented in thefollowing sections provide a baseline forunderstanding the current status of the WfD systemin the country as well as a basis for discussing ideason how best to strengthen it in the coming years.

Figure 3 shows the overall results for the threeFunctional Dimensions in the SABER WfDframework. For Strategic Framework Bulgaria israted at the Established level (2.8 out of a possible4.016); and for System Oversight and Service Delivery,the score falls at the Emerging level of development(2.4 and 2.2, respectively).

16 For a given composite score, X, the conversion to the categoricalrating shown on the cover is based on the following rule: 1.00 X1.75 converts to “Latent”; 1.75 < X 2.50, to “Emerging;” 2.50 < X3.25, to “Established;” and 3.25 < X 4.00, to “Advanced.”

The findings suggest that Bulgaria’s policies andinstitutions for WfD are currently most developed atthe strategy level, with systems for governance andservice delivery relatively less strong. Relativesystem strength with respect to strategy holdspromise for future improvement in the otherDimensions, as it indicates that there is a strongfoundation on which measures to address existingissues with policy implementation may be based.

Figure 3: Bulgaria’s Dimension Level Scores

Dimension Policy Goal

1 2 3 4

1. Direction

2. Demand led

3. Coordination

4. Funding

5. Standards

6. Pathways

7. Excellence

8. Relevance

9. Accountability

Strategic

Fram

ework

System

Oversight

Service

Delivery

2.8

2.4

2.2



4. Aligning Workforce Development toKey Economic and Social Priorities

Socioeconomic Aspirations, Prioritiesand Reforms

WfD is not an end in itself but an input towardbroader objectives – of boosting employability andproductivity; of relieving skills constraints onbusiness growth and development; and of advancingoverall economic growth and social wellbeing.

Bulgaria’s key socio economic objectives are laid outin the Europe 2020: National Reform Program,17

which sets goals for updating infrastructure,increasing the competitiveness of Bulgaria’s laborforce, creating a pro business environment, andfostering trust in public institutions. This documentframes WfD as an important tool to achieve botheconomic competiveness and social protection forthe most vulnerable segments of society. Specifically,it includes the goal of achieving 76 percentemployment of the population aged 20 to 64(compared to 63 employment rate in 2012), a260,000 person reduction by 2020 in the number ofpeople living in poverty and a reduction inunemployment among vulnerable groups.

Although strategic documents recognize that a longterm strategy for building a skilled workforce isfundamental for Bulgaria’s prospects ofcompetitiveness, sustained growth and sharedprosperity, reforms of the education sector are stillto be developed. One reason for delayed reforms isthat slow growth and high unemployment as resultof the 2008 financial crisis have led to a focus onshort term subsidized employment programs thatprotect primarily low skilled jobs at the expense ofinvestments in long run competitiveness. Currentmajor strategic documents related to WfD include:National Program for the Development of School andPreschool Education 2006–2015 and the NationalLifelong Learning Strategy.

17 Adopted by the Council for Development in 2011; Updated from theNational Reform Programme (2011 2015)

The National Program for the Development of Schooland Preschool Education 2006–2015 adopted by theNational Parliament laid down the goals for overallimprovement in access to and quality of schooleducation as a major element of national workforcedevelopment.

Priority areas for promoting lifelong learning, set outin the National Lifelong Learning Strategy, include:improving opportunities for lifelong learning andprovision of high quality and effective continuing andadult education, improving curricula and VET,developing job training, career guidance, andvalidation and recognition of skills and competences.

In addition, the National Employment Strategy(2008–2015) is focused on (i) improving the matchbetween education and training, on the one hand,and the changing needs of the labor market on theother, and (ii) encouraging participation in lifelonglearning, the activation of inactive and discouragedpeople, and the effective integration of vulnerablegroups in the labor market.

Two major laws define the legal framework for WfD(see Box 1): the Law on Public Education and the Lawon Vocational Education and Training, which arecurrently under review. Both laws are meant todevelop the skills for handling complex andconstantly changing learning methods (includinginformation technology), build key competencies,create attitudes and skills for lifelong learning, andimprove access to education (including earlychildhood development). The envisioned legislativechanges in education provide for the development ofa set of state educational standards and improve theopportunities for diversified learning pathways andvalidation of skills and competences. A new internalsystem of quality management in kindergartens andschools is envisioned in the draft new Preschool andSchool Education Law to improve the quality ofeducational services and organizational developmentof the educational institutions.



Box 1: Legislative Framework for WfD

Law Function

The Law onVocationalEducation andTraining

Sets the legal environmentand institutional frameworkfor initial vocational educationand continuing vocationaleducation

The Law onPublicEducation

Provides the legal foundationfor the overall educationsystem and establishes theright of citizens tocontinuously enhance theireducation and qualifications

The Law on theDegree ofEducation, theGeneralEducationMinimum andthe Curriculum

Regulates the stateeducational requirements forawarding degrees, the legalminimum general educationattainment and the publiceducation curriculum

The Labor Code

Makes provision foropportunities for vocationaleducation and training and requalification for employedindividuals

The Law onEmploymentPromotion

Defines the institutions andactors involved in promotingtraining among employed andunemployed individuals anddisadvantaged groups

The Law onCrafts

Sets the rules andrequirements for training indesignated (traditional) crafts

SABER WfD Ratings on the StrategicFrameworkBased on data collected by the SABER WfDquestionnaire, Bulgaria receives an overall rating of2.8 (Established) on the Strategic FrameworkDimension (see figure 4). This score is the average ofthe ratings for the underlying Policy Goals relatingto: (1) Setting a Direction for WfD (3.0); (2) Fosteringa Demand led Approach to WfD (2.4); and (3)Strengthening Critical Coordination for WfD (3.0).The explanation for these ratings on the Policy Goalsand their implications follow below.

Figure 4: SABER WfD Ratings of the Strategic FrameworkDimension

Note: see figure 2 for an explanation of the scale on thehorizontal axis.Source: based on analysis of the data collected using theSABER –WfD questionnaire.

Policy Goal 1: Articulating a StrategicDirectionLeaders play an important role in crystallizing astrategic vision for WfD appropriate to the country’sunique circumstances and opportunities. Theiradvocacy and commitment attract partnership withstakeholders for the common good, build publicsupport for key priorities in WfD, and ensure thatcritical issues receive due attention in policydialogue. Taking these ideas into account, PolicyGoal 1 assesses the extent to which apex levelleaders in government and in the private sectorprovide sustained advocacy for WfD prioritiesthrough institutionalized processes.

Bulgaria scores at the Established level for PolicyGoal 1. The government has put in place aninstitutional framework for setting strategic WfDpriorities in partnership with non governmentstakeholders. However, WfD leaders have notarticulated a clear set of specific priorities orprovided the sustained momentum necessary todrive home results. At the policy level, leaders’efforts have not always been able to establishcoherence between Bulgaria’s economicdevelopment objectives and WfD policy. Further,coordination between the line ministries appears tofocus on operational concerns and lacks thedirection from leadership at the strategy level.

Workforce development in Bulgaria is theresponsibility of three main institutions: (1) MES; (2)the Ministry of Labor and Social Policy (MLSP); and

1 2 3 4

1. Direction

2. Demand led

3. Coordination

Strategic

Fram

ework

Overall 2.8

3.0

2.4

3.0



(3) NAVET. MES is concerned with ensuringcoherence between education policies and nationaland European priorities and strategies, andcurriculum design, assessment systems andprofessional qualifications. MLSP is involved in theprovision of both IVET and targeted trainingprograms, and is the primary body responsible forconducting labor market analyses. NAVET is incharge of licensing and occupational standards.

A limited number of non government actors takeleadership roles with regard to WfD policy. Suchplayers include representatives of trade unions(Podkrepa and the Confederation of theIndependent Trade Unions) and businessassociations (Vazrazhdane and the BulgarianIndustrial Association (BIA)), among others. The BIA,for example, is currently developing an informationsystem that evaluates workforce competencies torecord the stock of various skills in the labor market.BIA’s experts also submit proposals for legislativechanges. Other stakeholders also engage in policydialogue with the government on an ad hoc basis,but, in general, inter institutional cooperation issporadic and needs improvement.

Policy Goal 2: Fostering a Demand ledApproach to WfD

Effective advocacy for WfD requires credibleassessments of the demand for skills, engagement ofemployers in shaping the country’s WfD agenda andincentives for employers to support skillsdevelopment. Policy Goal 2 incorporates these ideasand benchmarks the system according to the extentto which policies and institutional arrangements arein place to: (i) establish clarity on the demand forskills and areas of critical constraint; and (ii) engageemployers in setting WfD priorities and in enhancingskills upgrading for workers.

Bulgaria scores at the Emerging level for Policy Goal2. Despite some surveys (albeit of limited scope) toassess skills constraints and promising private sectorinitiatives, the information base available to leadersto ensure that WfD policies are aligned to thedemand for emerging skills is not robust.Furthermore, the government provides few

incentives to employers to develop and upgradetheir employees’ skills or participate in creating ademand driven system.

Although numerous ad hoc, occasional surveys tomeasure skills demand and supply have beenconducted by the government in the past threeyears, the data collected have not been usedsystematically to generate reliable information onskills gaps. There has been a push from a limitednumber of private sector players for such practices,best exemplified by the BIA’s project "Developmentof Workforce Competence Assessment System bySectors and Regions,"18 which is designed to identifyand measure the stock of technical and soft skillsacross regions and economic sectors (see box 2).Despite this ambitious project, current assessmentsof skills constraints are generally limited in scope andtied to specific projects.

There are few incentives for employers to assessfuture skills needs and develop and upgradeemployees’ skills. The lack of opportunities forbusiness representatives to exercise a leadershiprole in setting WfD strategic priorities in partnershipwith government is a deterrent to their activeparticipation. There are also few initiatives toencourage employers to become more activeparticipants in the WfD system by providing trainingto workers. While the Law on EmploymentPromotion states that employers in the formal sectorcan apply for grants to support training of employees(including purchasing training services, on the jobtraining and mentorships), this option is not widelyused because of ambiguity about the requirementsand procedures for obtaining such grants.Furthermore, interaction and cooperation amongbusinesses and training institutions is rare, eitherthrough national level committees or directengagement. The government provides few formal

18 The project has been implemented by the Bulgarian IndustrialAssociation – Union of the Bulgarian Business in the period 2009 2013, inaccordance with Agreement BG 051PO 001 2.1.06/23.10.2009 undermeasure BG 051PO 001 2.1.06 "Enhancing Labour Market Flexibility andEffectiveness through Active Actions by the Social Partners” within the2007 2013 Human Resource Development Operational Programme,partly financed by the European Social Fund.



incentives for employers to engage in the trainingsystem to support curriculum development, trainingdelivery and quality assurance. As a result,vocational courses tend not to meet businesses’requirements, leading to poor employmentoutcomes and wasted public and private resources.

It is important to note that Bulgaria’s informal sectoris estimated to contribute to a third of the country’sGDP and employ 22 percent19 of the labor force.However, programs for upgrading of informal sectoremployees’ skills are extremely scarce.

Those programs that exist to encourage employerparticipation in policymaking are not regularlyreviewed. In advanced systems, routine reviews ofsuch initiatives are used both to improve programsand to inform new policies. In Bulgaria,recommendations from those analyses that are doneare not consistently incorporated into the process ofdeveloping policies and determining the allocation ofprogrammatic funding. One reason for this is thatpublic institutions do not have sufficient resourcesfor policy analysis, in part due to the fact that theseactivities compete for limited funds and manpowerwith other ministry functions.

Policy Goal 3: Strengthening CriticalCoordination for Implementation

Ensuring that the efforts of multiple stakeholdersinvolved in WfD are aligned with the country’s keysocioeconomic priorities is an important goal ofstrategic coordination. Such coordination typicallyrequires leadership at a sufficiently high level toovercome barriers to cross sector or crossministerial cooperation. Policy Goal 3 examines theextent to which policies and institutionalarrangements are in place to formalize roles andresponsibilities for coordinated action on strategicpriorities.

19 Monitoring Report "Limitation and prevention of the informaleconomy – 2012", Association of Industrial Capital in Bulgaria, p . 51,funded by the Operational Programme "Human ResourcesDevelopment" 2007 2013, contract BG051PO001 2.1.05. The dataindicate the share of employers’ answers for existing practices of “oftenand very often employment without a contract.” The quoted data are forSeptember October 2012 (the figure for 2010 is 28.4 percent).

Bulgaria scores at the Established level for PolicyGoal 3. There are clearly defined legal roles for bothgovernment and non government stakeholders.However, while formal and ad hoc mechanisms fornon government stakeholder input exist, thesemechanisms do not consistently fulfill their potentialfor generating effective coordination in support ofimproving WfD strategies and policies

The Law on Employment Promotion defines the rolesof WfD stakeholders with respect to theirparticipation in formal bodies for collaboration onstrategy and policy. The functions of governmentagencies are clearly defined and there are few areasof overlap in mandate. There are some areas ofpolicy, such as occupational standards, coordinationof the state admission plan20 and organization ofvocational guidance, where significant interministerial collaboration occurs.

There are several formal bodies that coordinateinput from non government stakeholders.Employers, industry associations and trade unionsparticipate in two advisory bodies under the MLSP.The National Council for Promotion of Employmentdecides priority areas for training and selects theprograms to be funded, while the NationalConsultative Council for Vocational Qualification ofthe Labor Force, on which the government,employers and trade unions are equally represented,is an advisory body in charge of coordination ofnational policies for lifelong learning. While thesebodies provide platforms for non governmentstakeholder input into the operations of the MLSP,regular reports of their activities and achievementsare not publicly disclosed, nor is there clear evidencethat these bodies have had an impact on themainstreaming of good practices into the formalWfD system.

Non government stakeholders also hold seats on theNAVET management board and on the MonitoringCommittee of the "Human Resources DevelopmentOperational Program” (HRD OP) 2007–2013. At

20 The “state admission plan” reflects the number of the students in thestate and municipal schools” (Art. 49, para. 2 of the Regulations forImplementation of the Public Education Law).



NAVET, stakeholders establish Expert Commissionsfor setting vocational standards, decide on licensingprocedures for private training providers, and offerproposals to MES for the development andimprovement of the VET system. The MonitoringCommittee of HRD OP convenes twice a year todesign programs and monitor the effectiveness andquality of programs currently under implementation.While the Committee is composed primarily ofgovernment agencies, representatives of nationalindustry associations, labor unions and NGOs alsoparticipate.

Various ad hoc mechanisms have also beenestablished to ensure coordination. For example,businesses are consulted in the process of legislativereform. NAVET has also established closecooperation with different business associations insectors such as construction, chemistry, woodindustry and furniture, cosmetics, tourism, welding,and the meat, fruit and vegetable processingindustries.

There is little research on the impact of nongovernment stakeholders’ participation in decisionmaking in Bulgaria, however anecdotal evidencesuggests that these groups have not been able toeffectively articulate and advocate for theircollective interests. Therefore, their practicalinfluence on the decision making process in thecountry is still limited. In addition, it has beenobserved that the government tends to treatcoordination mechanisms as a formality. This fact,combined with rather weak advocacy for WfD as atool to achieve broader development objectives andthe lack of commitment to clear, monitorable andachievable WfD goals on the part of the government,has meant that Bulgaria’s numerous mechanisms forcoordination have not consistently generatedmeaningful results.

Directions for Policy Development

The country’s leadership – in government, businessand society at large – needs to foster active andbroad based public debate on strategic, forward

looking actions on how to best prepare theworkforce for the jobs and economic opportunitiesof the future. There is a need to balance short termdemands with longer term demands related togrowth, diversification and economiccompetitiveness. As an example, Korea’sgovernment has a long standing practice ofconvening various bodies for debate and discussionon strategic WfD goals and approaches. The latestexample is the Korean President's decision in 2010 tocreate the National Employment Strategy Council,bringing together nine ministries and five industryfederations to address the pressing challenge of skillsmismatch, job scarcity and high youthunemployment.

Given the National Council for TripartiteCooperation’s mandate for reviewing andcommenting on draft regulations on employmentand vocational training, it appears to be wellpositioned to play a leading role in fosteringcontinued consultation, dialogue and collaborationto arrive at consensus and priority action among themany WfD stakeholders.

An essential part of forging broader social andpolitical consensus for investing effectively in WfDshould be the assessment of the demand for skills inthe workforce and of current and future gaps. Thiscan be done through regular labor force andemployer surveys that focus on learning outcomesand competences, with results being measured interms of trainee employment outcomes andemployer satisfaction. The longitudinal SABER WfDstudy for Korea shows that back in the 1970s Koreahad the same rankings for its WfD system as Bulgariatoday. By 2010, Korea's scores moved up toadvanced in terms of strategic framework andsystem oversight, and established in terms of servicedelivery. This progress is partly explained by theroutine collection (since the 1970s) of robustinformation on the country’s labor market conditionsand the demand for skills, generated by governmentresearch institutions. In Ireland, the advisory Expert



Group on Future Skill Needs, set up in 1997 toensure coherence in the identification of skill needsand economic trends, has made a valuablecontribution to informed policy decisions.

Bulgaria may consider the development andinstitutionalization of its own routine data collectionmechanism. Alternatively, the OECD’s Program forthe International Assessment of Adult Competencies(PIACC) and the World Bank’s STEPs surveys are nowbeing used by many countries to assess, for the first

time, the skills possessed by the entire working agepopulation and which of those skills employers mostvalue.

Bulgaria has already gained data collection andanalysis experience through the Bulgarian UniversityRanking System. This initiative could be expanded incoverage. The collection of information ongraduates’ labor market outcomes by degreeprogram and institution could cover also thegraduates of non tertiary VET institutions.

Box 2: “Development of Workforce Competence Assessment System by Sectors and Regions”

Implemented by the BIA in partnership with national trade unions, this effort aims to create a digital database– the Workforce Competence Assessment System (CASSY) – that will enable the identification andmeasurement of technical and non cognitive competencies, occupations and qualifications by sector. Thisproject is still in its initial stages, but it is envisaged that it will comprise the following components and subcomponents:

Source: BIA (2012)



5. Governing the system for WorkforceDevelopment

Overall Institutional Landscape

An important function of WfD authorities is to fosterefficient and equitable funding of investments inworkforce development, to facilitate effective skillsacquisition by individuals and to enable employers tomeet their demand for skilled workers in a timelymanner. The objective is to minimize systemicimpediments to skills acquisition and mismatches inskills supply and demand. This section begins with abrief description of how the WfD system is organizedand governed before presenting the detailed SABERWfD findings on System Oversight and their policyimplications.

TVET in Bulgaria is delivered through multiplepathways: IVET, CVET and targeted programs. IVETcomes under the purview of the MES, while CVETand targeted programs are managed by the MLSP.However, the development of draft stateeducational requirements and the drafting of a list ofoccupations, as well as the licensing and qualityassurance of CVET, are the responsibility of theNational Agency for Vocational Education andTraining (NAVET), a specialized body created underthe 2000 Law on Vocational Education and Training.Secondary VET is financed primarily from the statebudget, while post secondary IVET and CVET relylargely on funds from individuals and the EU.Bulgaria does not use special mechanisms such as alevy scheme to mobilize resources directly fromemployers.

Bulgarian students are streamed into general orvocational tracks following 6 or 7 years of basiceducation (see graph in Annex 7). The focus of thevocational track is to provide students withopportunities to acquire professional and technicalqualifications in accordance with state requirements.All students that successfully complete secondaryeducation are eligible to apply for academic ortechnical courses at the post secondary level.

Issues relating to skills acquisition have receivedincreased attention from the government in recent

years. Provisions for a broader range of suppliers ofvocational training and for broader competencieswere laid out in the 2009 Law on VocationalEducation and Training. In addition, Decision 96,which was adopted in February 2012 by the Councilof Ministers, set the stage for the creation of anational qualifications framework aligned to theEuropean qualifications framework.

In the last decade, the national total publicexpenditure for all levels of education has beensteadily decreasing. In 2012 total public educationexpenditures reached 3.6 percent of the GDP,compared to an EU average of 5.2 percent. However,with 0.6 percent of GDP expenditure on public andprivate vocational and prevocational educationalprograms at secondary and post secondary nontertiary levels of education (ISCED 3 4) in 2010,Bulgaria is among the top 10 EU 27 countries for thisindicator.21

SABER WfD Ratings on SystemOversight

Based on data collected by the SABER WfDquestionnaire, Bulgaria receives an overall rating of2.4 (Emerging) for system oversight (see figure 5below). This score is the average of the ratings forthe underlying policy goals: ensuring efficiency andequity of funding (2.0); assuring relevant and reliablestandards (2.9); and diversifying pathways for skillsacquisition (2.3). The explanation for these ratingsand their implications follow below.

Policy Goal 4: Ensuring Efficiency andEquity in Funding

WfD requires a significant investment of resourcesby the government, households and employers. Toensure that these resources are effectively used it isimportant to examine the extent to which policiesand institutional arrangements are in place to: (i)ensure stable funding for effective programs ininitial, continuing and targeted VET; (ii) monitor and

21 CEDEFEP, 2012 Expenditure on general and vocational programs(data available for 16 EU 27 countries).



assess equity in funding; and (iii) foster partnershipswith employers for funding WfD.

Figure 5: SABER WfD Ratings of the System OversightDimension

Note: see figure 2 for an explanation of the scale on thehorizontal axis.Source: based on analysis of the data collected using theSABER WfD questionnaire.

Bulgaria scores at the Emerging level on Policy Goal4. The rating reflects strengths with respect toprocedures for allocating funds for targetedprograms under the National Employment ActionPlan, and for monitoring the effect of suchallocations on equity in funding. These arecounterbalanced by concerns about the stability offunding for VET related to heavy reliance on EUmonies and the absence of institutionalizedmeasures to address equity.

Government funding for VET flows through annualbudget allocations to MES for IVET. The bulk offunding channeled through MES is allocated to stateand municipal secondary schools for salaries andmaintenance of facilities. Per student allocations forvocational and pre vocational education atsecondary and post secondary non tertiary levelsexceed those for general secondary education andvary based on the occupation under study. Funds forsecondary schools that supply IVET are providedaccording to a standard formula based on enrolmentand the previous year’s allocations. Measures toimprove efficiency, such as allocating funding on thebasis of achievement against selected outcomeindicators, program alignment with WfD priorities,and innovation in service delivery, are not explicitlyconsidered.

Government funding for CVET and targeted trainingprograms is channeled through MLSP. Since 2008,the Council of Ministers, as part of the government’sresponse to the financial crisis, has authorizedadditional funds for programs under the NationalEmployment Action Plan. Programs under this ActionPlan, such as “I Can” and “Razvitie (Development),”aim to provide training and other services toindividuals who have lost their jobs or were requiredto move from full time to part time employment. In2010, a positive evaluation of the “I Can” program,which involves the use of training vouchers,prompted the decision to scale up the program toreach a projected 60,000 new beneficiaries. Ingeneral, however, assessments to determine theimpact of programs and funding mechanisms onpromoting equity are limited.

In Bulgaria, government funding of VET issupplemented by EU funds and by householdspending. Although employers are a potential sourceof funding and other resources, their contribution isnot formalized through public private partnershipsor mechanisms for mandatory contributions todedicated training funds (e.g., levy schemes).Employers are currently given few financialincentives to collaborate with training providers. Thegovernment recognizes the important role ofemployers, but its current programs to promotepartnerships between training institutions andemployers are still in a pilot phase and do not reachall regions, especially remote areas where businessesand schools lack the capacity to form viablepartnerships. Nonetheless, a number of employershave entered into partnership with trainingproviders to provide workplace training orinternships for students, one example being therelationship between the “Electro mobiles” industrialcluster and the Center for Vocational Training at theAuto Motor Corporation. In general, partnershipsbetween training institutions and employers havebeen initiated on an ad hoc basis.

In a strong system for WfD, the government’sfunding for training is routinely monitored andadjusted to enhance the impact on equity. Bulgarialacks a comprehensive system for monitoring andevaluation. Nonetheless, the relevant government

1 2 3 4

4. Funding

5. Standards

6. Pathways

System

Oversight

Overall 2.4

2.0

2.9

2.3



agencies conduct ad hoc analysis of most publiclyfunded training programs that are targeted tovulnerable groups. Although such data areconsolidated, they are used mainly for administrativepurposes rather than for assessing the impact onequity of government support for training. A morefundamental issue is equity of opportunities for skillsacquisition, which depend on a strong foundation inbasic literacy and numeracy. For this reason, thegovernment is considering a new law on pre schooland school education aimed at fostering inclusionand mainstreaming education for vulnerable childrenincluding those with special education needs.However, implementing the law would requiremobilizing significant financial, organizational andhuman resources beyond what the governmentcurrently spends on education and training.

Policy Goal 5: Assuring Relevant andReliable Standards

The WfD system comprises a wide range of trainingproviders offering courses at various levels in diversefields. An effective system of standards andaccreditation enables students to document whatthey have learned and employers to identify workerswith the relevant skills. For Policy Goal 5 it istherefore important to assess the status of policiesand institutions to: (i) set reliable competencystandards; (ii) assure the credibility of skills testingand certification; and (iii) develop and enforceaccreditation standards for maintaining the qualityof training provision.

Bulgaria scores at the Established level for this PolicyGoal. The score is consistent with the country’sprogress in introducing a National QualificationsFramework (NQF) and putting in place the necessaryinstitutional infrastructure for aligning curricula,testing procedures, and standards for accreditationand licensing with this framework. However, thenecessary adjustment of curricula and testingprocedures lags behind the development ofoccupational standards, and measures for the qualitycontrol of training providers and programs are notrobust.

In February 2012, Decision No. 96 of the Council ofMinisters adopted the NQF in Bulgaria. It is incompliance with the European Reference Frameworkthat provides a common basis to compare thequalification levels of different national qualificationsystems and supports the mobility of learners andworkers within Europe. Two main institutions areinvolved in the development and implementation ofthe NQF. The MES is responsible for elaborating andupdating it, while the development of competencystandards has been assigned to NAVET (see Box 3),which convenes expert commissions made up ofmajor government and non governmentstakeholders to define occupations and developstandards. Ultimate approval of standards is done byMES, an administrative requirement that can delaytheir adoption and that some have questioned onthe grounds that MES representatives sit on NAVET’smanagement board and thus already have theopportunity to control the quality of standards.

Box 3: The National Agency for Vocational Education andTraining (NAVET)

The National Agency for Vocational Education andTraining (NAVET), a specialized body of Bulgaria’sCouncil of Ministers, was established in 2000 underthe Law for Vocational Education and Training. Itsmanaging board comprises delegated professionals ofnationally representative employers’ and employees’organizations, state institutions, and organizationsfrom various economic and vocational sectors. NAVETdeals with the licensing and monitoring of educationalinstitutions that supply training services. NAVETprovides organizational, methodological and legislativesupport to the institutions applying for a license andafterwards during the organization of training courses.NAVET coordinates the elaboration of strategies forthe development and improvement of vocationaleducation and training (VET). Its expert commissionson professional issues pertaining to VET draft stateeducational requirements for acquiring professionalqualifications and provide a list of occupations. (Moreinformation is available at:http://www.navet.government.bg/en/nappo)



Bulgaria has identified 234 occupations and hasdeveloped standards for 170. The rapid pace ofstandards development has created challenges interms of assuring the relevance of standards to labormarket needs and putting in place procedures fortheir regular review and revision. In line with goodpractices, Bulgaria has begun to developcompetency based curricula that are aligned withoccupational standards. However, this process is stillin an initial stage and has been hindered by the lackof methodological guidelines for translatingoccupational competencies into curricula. Inaddition, a system for issuing credits for certifyingcompetencies and facilitating transfer has not beenestablished.

In principle, certification of competencies currentlyoccurs through state exit exams, which are tailoredto each occupation and test both theory andpractical skills. Because exams are aligned withoccupational standards, examination programs for asignificant number of jobs have not yet beendeveloped, as many occupational standards haveonly just been developed. Thus, during this period oftransition, students in many vocational programs arestill tested according to procedures that are notaligned with the NQF.

This previous testing regime failed to gain theconfidence of employers as a means for signalingskills. While there is hope that the value thatemployers place on state certificates as a reliablesignaling mechanism will grow as the NQF expands,at present many employers do not require statecertification as a condition for hiring employees.Given the speed at which standards have beencompleted, the ability of the testing system to certifythe skills that employers value is still an openquestion. According to the Law on VocationalEducation and Training, the line ministries andemployers’ associations are both involved in theprocess of developing, coordinating and updatingthe state educational requirements for vocationaleducation. However, little policy dialogue oncompetency standards is taking place amongprofessional communities outside the experts’committees of the NAVET, something which couldinfluence the broad applicability of the system for

standards and testing. Many larger employers havechosen to build their own training facilities, partlybecause they prefer to train their employees throughtheir own programs and according to their ownstandards. In some cases, this is due to the difficultyof finding appropriately skilled workers and trainingopportunities. However, it also reflects concernsabout quality of training provided by othereducational and training institutions.

The government oversees the quality of Bulgaria’snetwork of public and private VET providers.Standards for the accreditation of programs andlicensing of training providers are set and reviewedby MES and NAVET, respectively. The developmentof accreditation standards involves input fromrelevant stakeholders, but their review and revisionare conducted internally. In Bulgaria, regardless oftheir status or source of funding, all trainingproviders, except schools, must obtain a licenseissued by NAVET before providing training services ifthey want to issue state recognized professionalqualifications. These requirements for entry arebroadly enforced. However, licenses andaccreditation do not need to be renewed. Inprinciple, they could be revoked in cases of noncompliance and, for non state training providers ofCVET, failure to report administrative data. However,there is no system of regular audits or othermeasures for quality control. In addition, less severeforms of censure and procedures for supportinglagging institutions have not been formalized.

Policy Goal 6: Diversifying the Pathwaysfor Skills Acquisition

In dynamic economic environments workers need toacquire new skills and competencies as well as keeptheir skills up to date throughout their working lives.They are best served by a system of initial andcontinuing education and training that promoteslifelong learning by offering clear and flexiblepathways for transfers across courses, progression tohigher levels of training and access to programs inother fields. For those already in the workforce,schemes for recognition of prior learning areessential to allow individuals to efficiently upgradetheir skills and learn new ones. Policy Goal 6



therefore evaluates the extent to which policies andinstitutions are in place to: (i) enable progressionthrough multiple learning pathways, including forstudents in TVET streams; (ii) facilitate therecognition of prior learning; and (iii) providetargeted support services, particularly among thedisadvantaged.

Bulgaria scores at the Emerging level for Policy Goal6. While creating open, flexible pathways forprogression through the education system andrecognition of prior learning are governmentpriorities, the current system has not effectivelyaddressed obstacles to lifelong learning related tocertification, recognition of informally acquired skillsand access to career guidance services.

Vocational education tracks start after 6 or 7 years ofgeneral schooling. According to the Law onEducation, it is not intended to be a “dead end”track: both secondary vocational schools and postsecondary technical colleges allow for thecontinuation of education and the pursuit of formalskills acquisition in academically or vocationallyoriented institutions, including at the universitylevel. However, early occupational specialization ofstudents in the Bulgarian education system does notallow full formation of basic competencies, which inturn can be an obstacle to acquiring the morespecialized knowledge and skills demanded byemployers. Along with this, early separation ofstudents into different types of schools has shown toaccelerate educational inequalities, mirroring theeconomic and social gaps in society. This structure ofthe Bulgarian school system tends to magnify ratherthan reduce social inequalities. All this leads to anincreasing concentration of students from vulnerablegroups in the vocational schools, a growingproportion of students at risk of early school leavingin VET, a decreasing level of learning outcomes andstudent performance, and lower status andattractiveness of VET for students and instructors.The higher level of failure and poor quality ofeducation in these schools are leading to anincreased mismatch between the demand for andsupply of a labor force with acceptable qualifications.

Early tracking leads to major practical difficulties inmoving to different educational fields of study.Admission to post secondary educational institutionsrequires passing a standard exam for which studentsin the general education track are often betterprepared. As a result, students in the vocationaltrack wishing to progress to higher education mayhave to undertake additional preparation.

The government has recognized the importance of asystem that enables fluid movement in and out ofVET throughout one’s working life. For vocationaleducation, this means being able to accumulatecredits with the possibility of their transfer to highereducation. Bulgaria has established a national expertgroup to coordinate activities related to theintroduction of the credit system for VET. However,regulations and pilot projects to introduce and test anational system for credit transfer are yet to bedeveloped. This inaction increases the importance ofstudents’ educational choices early in theirschooling, as shifting courses of study may involveloss of time and money related to repeatingcoursework

Pressures related to Bulgaria’s aging population havealso highlighted the importance of having anadaptable workforce able to update skills in line withchanging market demands. The government hasestablished a Lifelong Learning Strategy that aims tocreate a framework for establishing a robust systemof lifelong learning. This strategy, along with NAVET’sAnnual Plans, identifies recognition of prior learning(RPL) as a key priority. However, concrete action toset procedures for recognizing the knowledge, skillsand competencies acquired through non formaltraining and informal learning has not yet beentaken. Thus workers may struggle to gain formalrecognition for current skills, while employers maystruggle to identify workers with the skills they need.One action that some advanced systems have takento drive progress on RPL is to create a nationalorganization of stakeholders dedicated to adultlearning issues. In addition to providing guidance onestablishing systems for RPL, these agencies play animportant role in coordinating stakeholders’ actionsand elevating the visibility of adult learning issuesamong the wider public.



On the job training (OJT) opportunities, anotherimportant piece of a lifelong learning society, are notwidely available. This is in part related to a lack ofincentives to help employers overcome the barriersrelated to coordination and funding, which keepthem from providing such opportunities to workers.Although the Law on Employment Promotionprovides for support to employers to trainemployees, the practical implementation of thesemeasures is impeded by the lack of funding, jobtraining modules and programs, mentorshiparrangements (such as capacity building andincentives for mentors at the workplace), andsystems for certifying the knowledge and skillsacquired during OJT.

Another important aspect of lifelong learning is theavailability of career guidance to allow those in theworkforce to identify industries where their skills arein demand as well as the opportunities to acquirenew skills. Limited career guidance services areprovided in vocational schools, gymnasiums andcolleges. Bulgaria also provides these servicesthrough centers for information and vocationalguidance. As of November 2012, 10 centers were inoperation, seven of which were based in Sofia. In anattempt to increase the accessibility of theseservices, Bulgaria is opening 28 additional regionalcenters for career guidance with the financialsupport of the European Social Fund. While theexpanded access is encouraging, the lack of laborinformation systems for analysis, research, andforecasts of skills demand is an obstacle to theprovision of effective guidance that still needs to beaddressed.

With respect to career guidance services fordisadvantaged populations, a number of programsintroduced under successive National EmploymentAction Plans have increased resources available tosupport labor market access for these groups.Nonetheless, they are currently limited in scope anddo not as yet meet the needs of some disadvantagedgroups.


Early occupational specialization of students inBulgaria does not allow full formation of basiccompetencies, which in turn can be an obstacle toacquiring the more specialized knowledge and skillsdemanded by employers. In light of the proposednew structure of pre university education envisionedin the draft new Preschool and School Education Act,it is desirable for the vocational education track tobe delayed until after completion of compulsoryschooling (i.e., after grade 10). The draftamendments to the VET Law and the Government’splans to introduce elements of the dual vocationaleducation system present an opportunity toreconsider the early vocational tracking, modernizethe curriculum and optimize the network ofvocational schools. Taken together, these measuresmay have a strong positive impact on the quality andrelevance of education, as evidenced by the strongeducational performance of countries that haveimplemented similar reforms in the past (theexample of Poland22 is presented in Box 4).

22 The impact on student learning outcomes in Poland as a result ofdelaying the vocation track is discussed in the World Bank’s report “TheImpact of the 1999 Education Reform in Poland”, 2010 (Jakubowski,Patrinos, Porta, Wi niewski).



Box 4: Poland’s experience in postponing the vocationaleducation track

Two sets of policy measures are required in order tocorrect the current deficiencies in the skilled laborforce. The first set should be aimed at mobilizingcapacity to improve the quality of education andtraining. However, the quality enhancement of thefuture labor force in VET will not be sufficient tomeet the demand for skills (since the size of theyounger generations will continue to shrink in thelong run).

Therefore, these measures should be complementedby a second set of measures to significantly increasethe participation in education and training of thealready economically active and to encourageeconomically inactive people to enhance theirprofessional qualifications and suitability foremployability, competitiveness, and higherproductivity. For this purpose, it is necessary toexpand the opportunities for access to careerguidance, develop models for the reintegration ofearly school leavers into the education system(second chance schooling) and introduce a systemfor the validation of qualifications and recognition ofprior learning.

The tendency of large employers to build their owntraining facilities and programs, which do notarticulate with existing public VET systems, is causefor a concern. It signals little confidence in a systemin which 0.6 percent of the GDP is invested.Significant attention to this, including strongerfeedback mechanisms between government andemployers and more venues for employerparticipation is urgently needed to better align thesystem. Measures to improve the quality of VETthrough steps such as continuing to expand andstrengthen competency based curricula in targetedindustries could serve as a basis to increaseemployer input into training delivery.

In other systems, employers are a source ofsubstantial resources for training providers. Thegovernment and WfD stakeholders need to consideroptions for leveraging funds from employers.Employers can be encouraged to partner withinstitutions. The absence of mechanisms to do so inBulgaria is a missed opportunity.

Bulgaria’s share of public expenditures on educationexpressed as a percentage of GDP (3.6%) issignificantly lower than the EU 27 average (5.4%). Asregards the VET system, the share of spending oneducation is of particular importance for optimizingthe network of VET schools, upgrading the facilitiesat vocational schools and creating new trainingprograms, as well as for providing higher financialincentives to attract young, well trained teachers.The current trend of prioritized budgetary allocationsfor creating jobs for people with low skills at theexpense of investment in the skills of the labor forceis at odds with the mid term outlook for theeconomy and the labor market. According to theCEDEFOP forecasts, the Bulgarian economy will havefewer opportunities for low skilled employment andan increased demand for a medium and highlyqualified workforce.

In 1999, Poland embarked on ambitious educationreforms that (i) delayed the vocational educationtrack by one year (from grade 8 to grade 9), (ii)revised the curriculum, methods of administrationand supervision of schools, (iii) changed thequalification requirements for teachers whileintroducing a system of remuneration at anadequately high level; (iv) introduced a system fornational student assessments; and (iv) raised thestandards and the expectations for the performanceof teachers and students. Since then, the learningoutcomes of the Polish 15 year old students havepersistently improved, as evidenced by thesignificant gains in Poland’s performance in allsubsequent PISA assessment rounds. The impact ofthese reforms has been rigorously evaluated andthe results, presented in the World Bank’s report“The Impact of the 1999 Education Reform inPoland,” confirm the positive effect of delayingvocational tracking on students’ learning outcomes.



A clear distinction is necessary between socialassistance policy and active labor market measures;the latter need to be carefully assessed, reshapedand focused strategically on innovation andimproving the quality of vocational education andtraining.

The government needs to implement regularanalyses of the performance of the VET and skillstraining system, its cost effectiveness and labormarket impacts. Per student allocation for vocationaland pre vocational education at secondary and postsecondary levels exceed those for general secondaryschools, and yet the latter score significantly betteron PISA and national assessments, which is a causefor concern and requires a thorough review of theVET system. The allocation of funding on the basis ofachievements against targets is a better approachthan the current per student funding allocations,particularly in the absence of post licensing qualityassurance measures. Equally important, regularmeasurement of the impact of funding is key for thegovernment to better understand value for money.For instance, regular cost benefit evaluations ofyouth training programs across Latin America haveled to significant labor market impacts, more stablefunding, and an improved delivery model.



6. Managing Service Delivery

Overview of the Delivery of TrainingServices

Training providers, both non state and government,are the main channels through which the country’spolicies in WfD are translated into results on theground. This chapter therefore provides a briefoverview of the composition of providers and thetypes of services available in the system beforepresenting the detailed SABER WfD findings onService Delivery and their policy implications.

By 2013, 142,733 students were enrolled in VET—140,352 in vocational programs at the lower andupper secondary levels and 2,381 at the postsecondary level (table 2). This represents 51 percentof total enrollment in upper secondary education,and 0.83 percent of total post secondary enrollment.In addition, in 2011 1,074,196 people (or about 26percent of those aged 25 64) participate in formaleducation and training or informal learning. Whilethe rate of participation in upper secondaryvocational programs is slightly higher than the EUaverage, participation in CVET is among the lowest inEU countries. This, in part, reflects the fact that firmbased training is rare. For example, in 2010 the 22percent of employees (all enterprises) participate inCVET courses. Only 4 other EU Member Statesregister worse performance on this indicator(Eurostat).

During the previous decade, enrollment in vocationalor technical education has declined slightly. Theshare of students across programs has remainedconstant over time, something that in the face ofchanges in the structure of the economy couldindicate a lack of system responsiveness. This couldreflect both a lack of links between firms and trainingproviders and a lack of information on labor marketprospects for various occupations available tostudents.

There are several challenges facing VET. The first hasto do with quality. Data from PISA show thatBulgarian students perform far below their peers inmost other EU countries. The second is the challenge

of attracting and retaining high quality instructors,mainly due to the low prestige of the teachingprofession and the loss of well trained staff to otherprofessional opportunities. This is compounded bythe fact that a large number of teachers areapproaching retirement age. These factors mightcontribute to the recent trend of a decrease in theattractiveness of vocational education, which expertsbelieve could accelerate the decline in enrollmentrates.

The Law on Vocational Education and Trainingauthorizes a wide range of state and non stateentities to offer VET. It grants the right to issueprofessional qualifications to vocational schools, artschools, sports schools, vocational colleges andvocational training centers, all run by thegovernment.

Non state providers of VET include private schools,centers for vocational training, employers’organizations, and firms. Both domestic and foreignfor profit and non profit providers are allowed tooffer vocational training. Most providers ofeducational services at the post secondary level andadult vocational training are private entities, and ofthese most are for profit entities.

The majority of providers of VET at the secondarylevel are public entities, though some publicinstitutions do provide post secondary VET as well.Both national ministries and municipalities offer VETthrough operating schools, universities and centersfor vocational training. Among ministries, the MES isthe primary provider of VET, though relevant lineministries also provide limited training in areasrelated to their mission. These ministries takeresponsibility for the provision and oversight offunding to VET institutions as well as for settingadmission criteria for the institutions that theymanage. However, regardless of the overseeingministry, the approval of applications to offer newprograms is the responsibility of MES or RegionalInspectorates of Education, giving these bodies theability to determine the overall supply of publictraining.



Table 2: Students enrolled in vocational education andtraining in 2012 2013 school year

Art Schools

level of prof. qualification

6,450

Vocational Gymnasiums


95,443

Vocational colleges at post secondary level 2,381

Vocational Gymnasiums and Schools


35,469

level of prof.qualification

Vocational Schools

With enrolment after

VI and VII grade

1,979

Vocational Schools

With enrolment afterVIII grade

1,011

Source: NSI, 2013

SABER WfD Ratings on Service DeliveryBased on data collected by the SABER WfDquestionnaire, Bulgaria receives an overall rating of2.2 (Emerging) for the Service Delivery Dimensionsee figure 6. This score is the average of the ratingsfor the underlying Policy Goals: (i) enabling diversityand excellence in training provision (2.1); (ii)fostering relevance in public training programs (2.5);and (iii) enhancing evidence based accountability forresults (2.0). The explanation for these ratings andtheir implications follow below.

Figure 6: SABER WfD Ratings of the Service DeliveryDimensions

Note: see figure 2 for an explanation of the scale on the horizontalaxis.Source: based on analysis of the data collected using the SABERWfD questionnaire.

Policy Goal 7: Incentivizing Diversity andExcellence in Training Provision

Because the demand for skills is impossible topredict with precision, having a diversity of providersis a feature of strong WfD systems. Among nonstate providers the challenge is to temper the profitmotive or other program agendas with appropriateregulation to assure quality and relevance. Amongstate providers a key concern is their responsivenessto the demand for skills from employers andstudents. Striking the right balance betweeninstitutional autonomy and accountability is oneapproach to address this concern. Policy Goal 7 takesthese ideas into account and benchmarks the systemaccording to the extent to which policies andinstitutional arrangements are in place to: (i)encourage and regulate non state provision oftraining and (ii) foster excellence in public trainingprovision by combining incentives and autonomy inthe management of public institutions.

Bulgaria scores at the Emerging level for Policy Goal7. A diversity of non state providers is active in thetraining market, despite few government incentivesto encourage non state provision. While most ofthese providers are registered and licensed, fewmeasures are in place for quality assurance. Withregard to public training provision, the governmentgrants considerable autonomy to the institutions,but neither requires them to meet explicit

1 2 3 4

7. Excellence

8. Relevance

9. AccountabilityServiceDelivery Overall 2.2

2.1

2.5

2.0



performance targets, nor provides financial or nonfinancial incentives for performance.

According to the 2009 Law on Vocational Educationand Training, VET may be delivered both by stateand non state providers (e.g., national and localpublic institutions, universities, employers'organizations, labor organizations and national andinternational NGOs and businesses). Private forprofit providers are most numerous. Nationalprograms in VET are limited in terms of number,beneficiaries served and funding. Although diversityin training provision allows for increased access toVET, experts have raised concerns about the averagequality and relevance of such services.

Bulgaria’s support for opening non state TVETinstitutions is limited to the provision of guidelinesfor registration, licensing and accreditation oftraining programs. All training providers are requiredto be registered and licensed, requirements that donot seem to pose major obstacles to entry. In fact,the diversity of non state training providers indicatesthat market conditions are favorable for entry, evenin the absence of government incentives.

Licensing is a key mechanism for regulating thequality of non state training provision in Bulgaria.Non state providers of adult training must register asa legal entity and apply for a license from NAVET.Applications for licenses are reviewed by expertcommissions within NAVET based on criteria such asthe availability of material and human resources forproviding quality vocational training, the provider’saccess to financing and the results of studiesjustifying the provider’s application in terms ofimpact on the quality and efficiency of VET. Oncelicensed, providers are required to submit annualreports to the NAVET, a measure meant to ensureproviders’ adherence to minimum standards ofquality. NAVET experts are also empowered toconduct audits that can result in the closure of noncompliant institutions. NAVET also providesadministrative and technical support to lagginginstitutions. In practice, these two options areseldom used because few institutions are found tobe lagging. One reason for this may be the absenceof external evaluations of educational services,

which has prompted questions about the adequacyof NAVET’s quality assurance procedures.

In some well functioning systems, privateassociations of training providers play an importantrole in self regulation and advocacy. Although theAssociation of Licensed Vocational Training Centerswas established in 2004, it has not met since 2010.However, a joint initiative of MES and the BritishCouncil has sought to create a framework for selfassessment.

Public training institutions have significant autonomyover admissions, operations and staffing, and mostare allowed to generate revenue. The schools areoverseen by Regional Inspectorates of Education andMES, and, while they are required to reportadministrative data, regulators set no specific targetsfor performance. In the context of broad freedom inprogramming and budgeting, the lack of targetsraises concerns about the quality and efficiency ofthe public training system. However, a recentordinance by MES sets out guidelines for establishingcriteria and indicators for quality assurance invocational schools, which was an essential steptowards alignment with the European QualityAssurance Reference in VET.23

Mechanisms for accountability are centralized in theMES. This creates a situation where the localauthorities best positioned to oversee the operationof training providers are not empowered by law todo so. For example, complaints about themanagement of training institutions can be raisedwith MES and the Regional Inspectorates ofEducation, who examine the case and decide on acourse of action. This centralized system strains theMinistry’s capacity to respond effectively. To addressthese issues, the draft Law on Preschool and SchoolEducation seeks to devolve power to localauthorities to elaborate and monitorimplementation of local WfD strategy and holdpublic training providers accountable. It also aims toclarify responsibilities in the system of qualityassurance at all levels of government, including by

23 Ordinance 09 872/29.06.2012 for approval of areas, criteria andindicators for quality evaluation of vocational education and training



creating the National Education Inspectorate todevelop, examine and refine criteria and indicatorsfor inspection; to organize and conduct theinspection of schools; and to identify specificmeasures to enhance the quality of schooleducation.

Another important strand of quality assurance in VETis the use of financial and non financial incentives toencourage public training institutions to providehigh quality and market relevant training programs.Currently, the use of incentives for excellence intraining provision is limited. For example, Bulgaria’ssystem of determining budgets for traininginstitutions is based primarily on enrolment. Bycontrast, many advanced systems allocatediscretionary funds to training providers in a waythat is indexed to outcomes and innovation inservice delivery to reward institutional performance.

Policy Goal 8: Fostering Relevance inPublic Training Programs

Public training institutions need reliable informationon current and emerging skills demands in order tokeep their program offerings relevant to marketconditions. It is therefore desirable for publictraining institutions to establish and maintainrelationships with employers, industry associations,and research institutions. Such partners are a sourceof both information about skills competencies andexpertise and advice on curriculum design andtechnical specifications for training facilities andequipment. They can also help create opportunitiesfor workplace training for students and continuingprofessional development for instructors andadministrators. Policy Goal 8 considers the extent towhich arrangements are in place for public trainingproviders to: (i) benefit from industry and expertinput in the design of programs and (ii) recruitadministrators and instructors with relevantqualifications and support their professionaldevelopment.

Bulgaria scores at the Emerging level of developmentfor Policy Goal 8. Only informal and sporadic linksexist between public training institutions andindustry, resulting in the limited involvement of

industry in curriculum design and in the specificationof standards for training facilities. Links betweenpublic training providers and research institutionsare rare. The score on this goal also reflects the factthat previous industry experience is not a criterionfor the recruitment of instructors and administratorsof public training institutions. Furthermore,instructors often face practical difficulties inaccessing opportunities for professionaldevelopment.

Industry provides inputs into the creation ofoccupational standards, curricula and measures forquality assurance through participation in NAVET’sBoard and Expert Committees. However,partnerships between individual firms and providers,which can increase the participation of employers inmanaging, funding and augmenting the servicesprovided, are largely non existent. Such partnershipshave been increasing in recent years, but these tendto be sporadic, weak, and limited in scope. Forinstance, there are only a few examples of privatecompanies providing scholarships for trainees orconsulting with providers in the development oftextbooks and training methods. Existingpartnerships are often built on the basis of personaland business contacts. Therefore they are highlydependent on individuals rather than institutionalprocesses. Moreover, no policies exist to facilitatethese partnerships. The absence of such partnershipscan lead to a misalignment between the skills taughtby training providers and those required by industry.As a result, training is too often supply driven.

The lack of reliable labor market data, either fromindustry or other sources, makes it difficult forproviders to align program offerings with skillsdemand. Consequently, logistical and technicalconsiderations such as the availability of facilities,equipment and teaching staff often take precedenceover market needs. In addition to enhancing directlinks with industry, forming partnerships withresearch institutions can also play an important rolein augmenting the flows of information to trainingproviders to inform the creation of programs.

One major impediment to the intensification of linksbetween businesses and educational and training



institutions is disinterest among the businesscommunity. A culture of corporate socialresponsibility is not yet widespread and industrydoes not recognize that it is in its competitiveinterest to engage. This can partially be attributed tothe low social value placed on VET; some firms havedecided to partner instead with so called “elite”schools, a relationship that offers considerably moreprestige. It can also be attributed to the perceivedpoor quality of many VET programs amongemployers.

In advanced systems, local businesses may offersystematic financial support, technical equipmentand professionals’ working time to endorse the VETschools and training. In such systems, significantbenefits including influence in managing traininginstitutions, better access to appropriately skilledworkers, and opportunities to identify and hire highperforming individuals often accrue to thoseemployers that engage. In the absence of suchpartnerships, a vicious circle of lack of employerinput, leading to poor quality training and todisincentives to cooperate, can develop. Faced withsuch issues, some governments have intervened intraining markets by providing financial and nonfinancial incentives, including levy grant schemes, toinduce firms to think more proactively about trainingin the hope that it increases the linkages betweenfirms and training providers.

The Law on Education sets recruitment standards forheads of training institutions, which includeminimum academic qualifications and teachingexperience. Criteria and standards for recruitinginstructors are set by MES and are limited toacademic qualifications only. These standards applyto staff at both state and non state providers.

The Law on Education states that school principalsand teachers must be provided with opportunities toimprove their qualifications, and requires schools tospend a certain percentage of their budget oninstructors' professional development (in 2012, theminimum requirement was 0.8 percent of thebudget allotted for salaries). However, thisrequirement does not necessarily translate into theavailability of high quality training opportunities, and

some schools conduct training merely as a formality.Lack of effective monitoring of the results of suchtraining has led to questions about their quality.

Despite the availability of professional developmentbeing prescribed in law, many school administratorsand instructors face obstacles when pursuingprofessional development opportunities. Eventhough schools develop qualification plans forteaching staff, training courses are offered"centrally" and are not always in consonance withthe needs and expectations of teachers and schools.These centrally provided courses may not offermodern training on innovative technologies, newpedagogical methodologies or instruction onemerging occupations. In addition, internshipopportunities in firms with adequate infrastructurefor instructor training are rare. Teachers often mustpay for their participation in these qualificationcourses without support from the school budget.Budgetary constraints also restrict the number ofsubstitute teachers available to replace thoseinstructors who choose to enroll in qualificationtraining. In post secondary education the situation iscomplicated by the fact that the majority of schoolsare private and the availability of money forprofessional qualifications is even more restricted.As regards adult education, vocational trainingcenters, which provide the majority of such services,are not required to provide teachers withopportunities for further training.

Policy Goal 9: Enhancing Evidence BasedAccountability for Results

Systematic monitoring and evaluation of servicedelivery are important for both quality assuranceand system improvement. Accomplishing thisfunction requires gathering and analyzing data froma variety of sources. The reporting of institution leveldata enables the relevant authorities to ensure thatproviders are delivering on expected outcomes. Suchdata also enable these authorities to identify gaps orchallenges in training provision or areas of goodpractice. Additionally, periodic surveys andevaluations of major programs generatecomplementary information that can help enhancethe relevance and efficiency of the system as a



whole. Policy Goal 9 considers these ideas whenassessing the system’s arrangements for collectingand using data to focus attention on trainingoutcomes, efficiency and innovation in servicedelivery.

Bulgaria scores at the Emerging level for Policy Goal9. All training providers, state and non state, arerequired to collect and report basic administrativedata, which are occasionally used to assessinstitutional performance as well as to analyzesystem level trends and issues. However, sources ofdata on labor market outcomes are limited to a fewad hoc skills related surveys or evaluations ofspecific targeted programs. Public access to data islimited.

The Regulation for Implementation of the Law onPublic Education and the Law on State Budget setforth requirements for data collection. In compliancewith these laws, state and non state trainingproviders report administrative, financial andgraduation data. The schools are also required toupdate the school strategy on an annual basis.However, the lack of special reporting guidelines andrequirements related to the renewal of the schoolstrategy often make those documents incoherentand useless for the strategic steering of schooldevelopment.

MES maintains and updates the data for publicproviders in a management information system(MIS), which is currently used for administrative andfinancial purposes and, occasionally, to assessinstitutional performance and system level trends.NAVET maintains its own database for non statetraining providers for administrative and monitoringpurposes. Reporting of indicators, such as jobplacement rates, earnings of graduates and traineesatisfaction, is uncommon and there are currently nonormative requirements to do so. The lack of suchindicators makes it difficult to monitor the quality oftraining programs and assess the overall relevance ofthe VET system to labor market demand.

The government does not conduct or sponsorsystematic skills related surveys to provide feedbackto institutions, prioritize funding allocation, identifygood practices or inform the design of policies forimprovements in service delivery. However, smallscale, ad hoc surveys are carried out for someprojects funded by the HRD OP and the NationalEmployment Action Plan. Third parties contracted bythe government often conduct these surveys. Inaddition to being used to evaluate the effectivenessof the reviewed programs, in some instances resultshave been used to inform the implementation of theNational Lifelong Learning Strategy and the UpdatedEmployment Promotion Strategy.

Public access to data reported by both public andnon state training providers is limited. Most schoolsdo not publish their annual reports, thus impedinginstitutional accountability to the broadercommunity. Stakeholders interested in obtaininginformation for TVET policy analysis from MES cando so only by submitting a request that needs to beapproved by the relevant officials. Non state trainingproviders licensed by NAVET are required to submitannual reports, but do not need to make thesereports publicly available. However, NAVET uses thisinformation to inform its assessment of overalltraining provision and discussion of major gaps andchallenges published as part of its annual report. Inaddition, NAVET’s newly developed informationsystem provides online information on licensedservice providers at the regional level and on thetraining courses offered by them. To improve theflow of information and the capacity for dataanalysis, the government is taking several steps. TheDraft Law on Preschool and School Educationcontains quality assurance provisions designed toimprove the reporting of financial data andincentivize cost efficiency at the school level. Inaddition, a Policy Design, Evaluation and AnalysisDirectorate has been established at MES to increasethe capacity for data analysis and evidence basedpolicy development (see box 5).



Box 5: Policy Design, Evaluation and Analysis Directorate


Strengthening of VET quality assurance in the WfDframework is an urgent and vital task. Thesynchronized adoption of a new Preschool andSchool Education Law and amendments to the VETLaw could guarantee a single concept of qualitymanagement in VET. This presents an opportunity tointroduce schemes supporting the capacityenhancement of VET schools for the developmentand effective implementation of internal systems ofquality control, so that they can make the best use ofweb based platforms for the exchange of goodpractices in VET provision across the country andabroad.

This will ensure a closer alignment between skillssupply and demand in line with regional economicand social conditions and prospects. Thesecommittees, if well represented by leading firms inthe area, are a critical source of labor marketintelligence and may provide information that isoften not captured by surveys.

One possible mechanism is to formalize the role ofemployers and empower them with executiveauthority on the boards of training institutions. InSingapore, for instance, a representative fromprivate industry chairs the board of the Institute ofTechnical Education and the Institute's constituentcolleges likewise involve private sectorrepresentatives on their boards.

Recruitment standards for heads of traininginstitutions should include industry experience orsignificant linkages with the private sector. If headsof VET institutions do not understand the privatesector, then linkages between them will be muchharder to encourage.

Teachers’ high initial qualifications and regulartraining are of vital importance to ensure aneffective teaching and learning process. On the jobtrainings and qualification courses, however, need tobetter address capacity gaps and reflect the needsfor capacity building of teachers and be tailored toreflect local and school level circumstances.Promotion of partnerships between schools andregional business entities can contribute to thetraining of teachers and the development andmodification of curricula, and help address human

According to article 40 of the Organizational Statute ofthe Ministry of Education, Youth and Science a new“Policy Development, Analysis and Evaluation”Directorate has been established as an integrated partof the MES, with specific responsibilities and functions,as well as the ability to respond to policy issues withdata based analyses. This Directorate will (i) supportthe minister in the development and implementationof state policy related to preschool, school anduniversity education, science and research, and youth;(ii) elaborate concepts, strategies, programs and plansin compliance with national and European practicesand the priorities of the national government; and (iii)analyze the effectiveness of the implementation ofeducational standards and establish the need forupgrading the standards. The Directorate will developsectoral programs on equal access to education,integration, qualifications and ICT. It is alsoresponsible for ex ante evaluation of the developedstrategies and conducts ex post analyses of externalevaluations, school inspections and the results ofprogram and policy implementation. The Directorateintroduces methods for policy evaluation in education,youth and science and produces statistical andfinancial analyses. Based on its analyses, it suggestsmeasures for improvement, while ensuringcompliance with EU policies.



resource deficiencies in some subjects. Incentivizingteachers’ industry exposure and vice versa, viainternships for teachers in industry and encouragingbusiness representatives to lecture in the schools,might also promote better collaboration betweenthe VET institutions and industry.

The involvement of employers in a broad range ofaspects related to WfD training needs to beenhanced. Such involvement can be achieved, forexample, through (i) incentivizing the establishmentof more effective schemes for businesses, such asprograms to encourage practical cooperation withinthe triangle of schools, businesses and the researchand development sectors, and (ii) providingopportunities for teachers to gain industry exposure.

Another innovation in this direction would be thecreation of a special WfD fund that can be accessedby businesses with a view to addressing marketfailures that hinder private investment in WfD. Forinstance, several countries have set up levy grantschemes, whereby firms contribute to an earmarkedfund from which they can claim reimbursement fortraining investments.

A key prerequisite of good governance for WfD is theoptimal use of M&E mechanisms to supportevidence based WfD policy and to provide themeans for quality assurance and accountability.Chile, for instance, has put in place mechanisms toregularly gather and publicly disseminate data on theemployment, earnings and reported satisfaction ofemployers with the graduates they employ, by fieldand institution type. This information is essential toguide individuals in their training decisions.Bulgaria’s recent experience with the launch andmaintenance of the Bulgarian Universities RankingSystem is an excellent domestic example, whichcould be used to develop a similar system coveringthe entire spectrum of WfD service provision.



Annex 1: Acronyms

BIA Bulgarian Industrial AssociationCEDEFOP European Centre for the Development of Vocational TrainingCVET Continuing Vocational Education and TrainingDCI Data Collection InstrumentEU European UnionGDP Gross Domestic ProductHRD OP Human Resources Development Operational ProgramICT Information and Communication TechnologyIVET Initial Vocational Education and TrainingM&E Monitoring and EvaluationMES Ministry of Education and ScienceMLSP Ministry of Labor and Social PolicyNAVET National Agency for Vocational Education and TrainingNQF National Qualifications FrameworkOJT On the Job TrainingPIAAC Program for International Assessment of Adult CompetenciesPISA Program for International Student AssessmentSABER Systems Approach for Better Education ResultsTVET Technical and Vocational Education and TrainingVET Vocational Education and TrainingWfD Workforce Development



Annex 2: The SABER WfD Analytical FrameworkPolicy Goal Policy Action Topic in DCI 2.5 FINAL

G1Setting aStrategicDirection

Provide sustained advocacy for WfD at the top leadershiplevel

G1_T1 Advocacy for WfD to Support Economic Development

G1_T2 Strategic Focus and Decisions by the WfD Champions

G2Fostering aDemand LedApproach

Establish clarity on the demand for skills and areas ofcritical constraint

G2_T1 Overall Assessment of Economic Prospects and Skills Implications

G2_T2 Critical Skills Constraints in Priority Economic Sectors

Engage employers in setting WfD priorities and inenhancing skills upgrading for workers

G2_T3 Role of Employers and Industry

G2_T4 Skills Upgrading Incentives for Employers

G2_T5 Monitoring of the Incentive Programs

G3Strengthening

CriticalCoordination

Formalize key WfD roles for coordinated action onstrategic priorities

G3_T1 Roles of Government Ministries and Agencies

G3_T2 Roles of Non Government WfD Stakeholders

G3_T3 Coordination for the Implementation of Strategic WfD Measures

G4

EnsuringEfficiency and

Equity inFunding

Provide stable funding for effective programs in initial,continuing and targeted vocational education and training

G4_T1 Overview of Funding for WfD

G4_T2 Recurrent Funding for Initial Vocational Education and Training(IVET)

G4_T3 Recurrent Funding for Continuing Vocational Education and TrainingPrograms (CVET)

G4_T4 Recurrent Funding for Training related Active Labor MarketPrograms (ALMPs)

Monitor and enhance equity in funding for training G4_T5 Equity in Funding for Training ProgramsFacilitate sustained partnerships between traininginstitutions and employers G4_T6 Partnerships between Training Providers and Employers

G5

AssuringRelevant and

ReliableStandards

Broaden the scope of competency standards as a basis fordeveloping qualifications frameworks

G5_T1 Competency Standards and National Qualifications FrameworksG5_T2 Competency Standards for Major Occupations

Establish protocols for assuring the credibility of skillstesting and certification

G5_T3 Occupational Skills TestingG5_T4 Skills Testing and CertificationG5_T5 Skills Testing for Major Occupations

Develop and enforce accreditation standards formaintaining the quality of training provision

G5_T6 Government Oversight of AccreditationG5_T7 Establishment of Accreditation Standards

G5_T8 Accreditation Requirements and Enforcement of AccreditationStandards

G5_T9 Incentives and Support for Accreditation

G6

DiversifyingPathways for

SkillsAcquisition

Promote educational progression and permeabilitythrough multiple pathways, including for TVET students

G6_T1 Learning PathwaysG6_T2 Public Perception of Pathways for TVET

Facilitate life long learning through articulation of skillscertification and recognition of prior learning

G6_T3 Articulation of Skills CertificationG6_T4 Recognition of Prior Learning

Provide support services for skills acquisition by workers,job seekers and the disadvantaged

G6_T5 Support for Further Occupational and Career DevelopmentG6_T6 Training related Provision of Services for the Disadvantaged

G7

EnablingDiversity andExcellence inTrainingProvision

Encourage and regulate non state provision of training

G7_T1 Scope and Formality of Non State Training ProvisionG7_T2 Incentives for Non State ProvidersG7_T3 Quality Assurance of Non State Training ProvisionG7_T4 Review of Policies towards Non State Training Provision

Combine incentives and autonomy in the management ofpublic training institutions

G7_T5 Targets and Incentives for Public Training InstitutionsG7_T6 Autonomy and Accountability of Public Training InstitutionsG7_T7 Introduction and Closure of Public Training Programs

G8

FosteringRelevance inPublic Training

Programs

Integrate industry and expert input into the design anddelivery of public training programs

G8_T1 Links between Training Institutions and IndustryG8_T2 Industry Role in the Design of Program CurriculaG8_T3 Industry Role in the Specification of Facility StandardsG8_T4 Links between Training and Research Institutions

Recruit and support administrators and instructors forenhancing the market relevance of public trainingprograms

G8_T5 Recruitment and In Service Training of Heads of Public TrainingInstitutions

G8_T6 Recruitment and In Service Training of Instructors of Public TrainingInstitutions

G9

EnhancingEvidencebased

Accountabilityfor Results

Expand the availability and use of policy relevant data forfocusing providers' attention on training outcomes,efficiency and innovation

G9_T1 Administrative Data from Training ProvidersG9_T2 Survey and Other Data

G9_T3 Use of Data to Monitor and Improve Program and SystemPerformance

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advancestrategicWfD

priorities.

Somevisib

lecham

pion

sprovide

adho

cadvocacy

forW

fDandhave

acted

onfewinterven

tions

toadvance

strategicWfD

priorities;no

arrangem

entsexist

tomon

itora

ndreview

implem

entatio

nprogress.

Governmen

tleade

rsexercise

sustaine

dadvocacy

forW

fDwith

occasion

al,adho

cparticipation

from

nongovernmen

tleade

rs;

theira

dvocacyfocuseso

nselected

indu

strie

sore

cono

micsectorsa

ndmanife

stsitselfthrou

gharangeof

specificinterven

tions;

implem

entatio

nprogressis

mon

itored,albe

itthroughad

hoc

review

s.

Both

governmen

tand

non

governmen

tleade

rsexercise

sustaine

dadvocacy

forW

fD,and

rely

onroutine,institu

tiona

lized

processestocollabo

rate

onwell

integrated

interven

tions

toadvancea

strategic,econ

omywideWfD

policy

agen

da;implem

entatio

nprogressis

mon

itoredandreview

edthrough

routine,institu

tiona

lized

processes.

Functio

nalD

imen

sion

1:StrategicFram

ework

Policy

Goal

LevelofD

evelop

men

tLatent

Emerging

Establishe

dAd

vanced

G2:FosteringaDemandLedApproachtoWfD

Thereisno

assessmen

tofthe

coun

try'se

cono

micprospe

cts

andtheirimplications

forskills;

indu

stry

andem

ployersh

avea

limite

dor

noroleinde

fining

strategicWfD

prioritiesa

ndreceivelim

itedsupp

ortfrom

the

governmen

tfor

skillsu

pgrading.

Somead

hoca

ssessm

entsexist

onthe

coun

try'se

cono

micprospe

ctsa

ndtheirimplications

forskills;som

emeasuresa

retakento

addressc

ritical

skillsc

onstraints(e.g.,incentives

for

skillsu

pgrading

byem

ployers);the

governmen

tmakes

limite

deffortsto

engage

employersa

sstrategicpartne

rsinWfD.

Routineassessmen

tsbasedon

multip

leda

tasourcese

xiston

the

coun

try'se

cono

micprospe

ctsa

ndtheirimplications

forskills;a

wide

rangeof

measuresw

ithbroa

dcoverage

aretakento

address

criticalskills

constraints;the

governmen

trecognizese

mployers

asstrategicpartne

rsinWfD,

form

alizes

theirrole,andprovides

supp

ortfor

skillsu

pgrading

through

incentivesche

mes

that

are

review

edan

dad

justed

.

Aricharrayof

routinean

drobu

stassessmen

tsby

multip

lestakeh

olde

rsexistso

nthecoun

try'se

cono

mic

prospe

ctsa

ndtheirimplications

for

skills;theinform

ationprovides

abasis

fora

widerangeof

measuresw

ithbroa

dcoverage

that

addressc

ritical

skillsc

onstraints;the

governmen

trecognize

semployersa

sstrategic

partne

rsinWfD,formalizes

theirrole,

andprovides

supp

ortfor

skills

upgradingthroughincentives,

includ

ingsomeform

ofalevy

gran

tsche

me,that

aresystem

atically

review

edforimpactandad

justed

accordingly.

BULG

ARIA

WORK

FORC

EDE

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PMEN

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PORT

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SAP

PROAC

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TTER

EDUCA

TIONRE

SULTS

37

Functio

nalD

imen

sion

1:StrategicFram

ework

Policy

Goal

LevelofD

evelop

men

t

Latent

Emerging

Establishe

dAd

vanced

G3:StrengtheningCriticalCoordinationforImplementation

Indu

stry/employersh

avea

limite

dor

noroleinde

fining

strategicWfD

priorities;the

governmen

teith

erprovides

noincentives

toen

courageskills

upgradingby

employerso

rcond

uctsno

review

sofsuch

incentiveprograms.

Indu

stry/employersh

elpde

fineWfD

prioritieso

nan

adho

cbasisandmake

limite

dcontrib

utions

toaddressskills

implications

ofmajor

policy/

investmen

tdecision

s;thegovernmen

tprovides

someincentives

forskills

upgradingforformalandinform

alsector

employers;ifalevy

grant

sche

meexistsitscoverage

islim

ited;

incentiveprogramsa

reno

tsystem

aticallyreview

edforimpact.

Indu

stry/employersh

elpde

fine

WfD

prioritieso

naroutinebasis

andmakesomecontrib

utions

inselected

areastoaddressthe

skills

implications

ofmajor

policy/

investmen

tdecision

s;the

governmen

tprovide

sarangeof

incentives

forskills

upgradingfora

llem

ployers;alevy

grantschem

ewith

broa

dcoverage

ofform

alsector

employerse

xists;incentive

programsa

resystem

atically

review

edandad

justed

;anannu

alrepo

rton

thelevy

grantschem

eis

publish

edwith

atim

elag.

Indu

stry/employersh

elpde

fineWfD

prioritieso

naroutinebasis

andmake

significant

contrib

utions

inmultip

leareastoaddressthe

skillsimplications

ofmajor

policy/investmen

tdecision

s;thegovernmen

tprovide

sarangeof

incentives

forskills

upgradingfora

llem

ployers;alevy

grantschem

ewith

compreh

ensive

coverage

ofform

alsector

employerse

xists;incentive

programstoen

courageskills

upgradingaresystem

atically

review

edforimpa

cton

skillsa

ndprod

uctiv

ityandaread

justed

accordingly;annu

alrepo

rton

the

levy

grantschem

eispu

blish

edina

timelyfashion.

BULG

ARIA

WORK

FORC

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SYSTEM

SAP

PROAC

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RBE

TTER

EDUCA

TIONRE

SULTS

38

Functio

nalD

imen

sion

2:System

Oversight

Policy

Goal

LevelofD

evelop

men

t

Latent

Emerging

Establishe

dAd

vanced

G4:EnsuringEfficiencyandEquityinFunding

Thegovernmen

tfun

dsIVET,

CVET

andALMPs

(but

notO

JTin

SMEs)b

ased

onad

hoc

budgetingprocesses,bu

ttakes

noactio

nto

facilitateform

alpartne

rships

betw

eentraining

providersa

ndem

ployers;the

impactof

fund

ingon

the

bene

ficiarie

softraining

programsh

asno

tbeenrecently

review

ed.

Thegovernmen

tfun

dsIVET,CVE

T(in

clud

ingOJT

inSM

Es)and

ALMPs;

fund

ingforIVE

TandCV

ETfollows

routinebu

dgetingprocessesinvolving

onlygovernmen

tofficialsw

ithallocatio

nsde

term

ined

largelyby

the

previous

year'sbu

dget;fun

ding

for

ALMPs

isde

cide

dby

governmen

tofficialson

anad

hocbasis

andtargets

selectpo

pulatio

ngrou

psthrough

vario

uschanne

ls;thegovernmen

ttakess

omeactio

nto

facilitateform

alpartne

rships

betw

eenindividu

altraining

providersa

ndem

ployers;

recent

review

scon

sidered

theim

pact

offund

ingon

onlytraining

related

indicators(e.g.enrollm

ent,

completion),w

hich

stim

ulated

dialogue

amon

gsomeWfD

stakeh

olde

rs.

Thegovernmen

tfun

dsIVET,CVE

T(in

clud

ingOJT

inSM

Es)and

ALMPs;

fund

ingforIVE

Tisroutineand

basedon

multip

lecrite

ria,

includ

ingeviden

ceof

program

effectiven

ess;recurren

tfun

ding

for

CVET

relieso

nform

alprocesses

with

inpu

tfrom

keystakeh

olde

rsandannu

alrepo

rtingwith

alag;

fund

ingforA

LMPs

isde

term

ined

throughasystem

aticprocessw

ithinpu

tfrom

keystakeh

olde

rs;

ALMPs

target

diversepo

pulatio

ngrou

psthroughvario

uschanne

lsandarereview

edforimpactbu

tfollow

upislim

ited;

the

governmen

ttakesa

ctionto

facilitateform

alpartne

rships

betw

eentraining

providersa

ndem

ployersa

tmultip

lelevels

(institu

tionaland

system

ic);recent

review

scon

sidered

theim

pactof

fund

ingon

both

training

related

indicatorsandlabo

rmarket

outcom

es;the

review

sstim

ulated

dialogue

amon

gWfD

stakeh

olde

rsandsomerecommen

datio

nswere

implem

ented.

Thegovernmen

tfun

dsIVET,CVE

T(in

clud

ingOJT

inSM

Es)and

ALMPs;

fund

ingforIVE

Tisroutineandbased

oncompreh

ensiv

ecrite

ria,including

eviden

ceof

program

effectiven

ess,

that

areroutinelyreview

edan

dad

justed

;recurrent

fund

ingforC

VET

relieso

nform

alprocessesw

ithinpu

tfrom

keystakeh

olde

rsandtim

ely

annu

alrepo

rting;fund

ingforA

LMPs

isde

term

ined

throughasystem

atic

processw

ithinpu

tfrom

key

stakeh

olde

rs;A

LMPs

target

diverse

popu

latio

ngrou

psthroughvario

uschanne

lsandarereview

edforimpact

andad

justed

accordingly;the

governmen

ttakes

actio

nto

facilitate

form

alpartne

rships

betw

eentraining

providersa

ndem

ployersa

talllevels

(institu

tionaland

system

ic);recent

review

scon

sidered

theim

pactof

fund

ingon

afullrangeof

training

relatedindicatorsandlabo

rmarket

outcom

es;the

review

sstim

ulated

broa

dba

seddialogue

amon

gWfD

stakeh

olde

rsandkey

recommen

datio

nswere

implem

ented.

BULG

ARIA

WORK

FORC

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TTER

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TIONRE

SULTS

39

Functio

nalD

imen

sion

2:System

Oversight

Policy

Goal

LevelofD

evelop

men

t

Latent

Emerging

Establishe

dAd

vanced

G5:AssuringRelevantandReliableStandards

Policydialogue

oncompe

tency

standardsa

nd/orthe

NQFoccurs

onan

adho

cbasiswith

limite

den

gagemen

tofkey

stakeh

olde

rs;

compe

tencystandardsh

aveno

tbe

ende

fined

;skills

testingfor

major

occupatio

nsismainly

theo

ryba

sedandcertificates

awarde

darerecognize

dby

public

sector

employerso

nlyandhave

little

impacton

employmen

tand

earnings;n

osystem

isinplaceto

establish

accred

itatio

nstandards.

Afewstakeh

olde

rsen

gage

inad

hoc

policydialogue

oncompe

tency

standardsa

nd/orthe

NQF;

compe

tencystandardse

xistfora

few

occupatio

nsandareused

bysome

training

providersintheirp

rogram

s;skillstestin

giscompe

tencybasedfora

fewoccupatio

nsbu

tfor

themostp

art

ismainlytheo

ryba

sed;

certificatesa

rerecognize

dby

publican

dsomeprivate

sector

employersb

uthave

little

impa

cton

employmen

tand

earnings;

theaccred

itatio

nof

training

providers

issupe

rvise

dby

ade

dicatedofficein

therelevant

ministry;p

rivateproviders

arerequ

iredto

beaccred

ited,ho

wever

accred

itatio

nstandardsa

reno

tconsistentlypu

blicized

oren

forced

;providersa

reofferedsomeincentives

toseek

andretainaccred

itatio

n.

Num

erou

sstakeho

lderse

ngagein

policydialogue

oncompetency

standardsa

nd/orthe

NQFthrough

institu

tionalized

processes;

competencystandardse

xistfor

mosto

ccup

ations

andareused

bysometraining

providersintheir

programs;theNQ

F,ifinplace,

coverssomeoccupatio

nsanda

rangeof

skilllevels;

skillstestin

gfor

mosto

ccup

ations

followsstand

ard

procedures,iscom

petencybased

andassesses

both

theo

retical

know

ledgeandpracticalskills;

certificatesa

rerecognize

dby

both

publicandprivatesector

employers

andmay

impactem

ploymentand

earnings;the

accreditatio

nof

training

providersissup

ervisedby

ade

dicatedagen

cyintherelevant

ministry;the

agency

isrespon

sible

ford

efiningaccreditatio

nstandards

with

stakeh

olde

rinp

ut;stand

ards

arereview

edon

anad

hocb

asisand

arepu

blicizedor

enforced

tosome

extent;allprovidersreceiving

public

fund

ingmustb

eaccredite

d;providersa

reofferedincentives

and

limite

dsupp

orttoseek

andretain

accreditatio

n.

Allkey

stakeh

olde

rsen

gage

inpo

licy

dialogue

oncompe

tencystandardsa

nd/or

theNQFthroughinstitu

tiona

lized

processes;compe

tencystandardse

xistfor

mosto

ccup

ations

andareused

bytraining

providersintheirp

rogram

s;theNQF,ifin

place,coversmosto

ccup

ations

anda

widerangeof

skilllevels;

skillstestin

gfor

mosto

ccup

ations

followsstand

ard

proced

ures,isc

ompe

tencybasedand

assesses

both

theo

reticalkn

owledgean

dpracticalskills;robu

stprotocols,includ

ing

rand

omau

dits,ensurethecred

ibility

ofcertificatio

n;certificatesa

revalued

bymoste

mployersa

ndconsistentlyim

prove

employmen

tprospectsandearnings;the

accred

itatio

nof

training

providersis

supe

rvise

dby

ade

dicatedagen

cyinthe

relevant

ministry;the

agen

cyis

respon

sibleford

efiningaccred

itatio

nstandardsinconsultatio

nwith

stakeh

olde

rs;stand

ards

arereview

edfollowingestablishe

dprotocolsa

ndare

publicize

dandroutinelyen

forced

;all

training

providersa

rerequ

iredas

wellas

offeredincentives

andsupp

orttoseek

andretainaccred

itatio

n.

BULG

ARIA

WORK

FORC

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EDUCA

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SULTS

40

Functio

nalD

imen

sion

2:System

Oversight

Policy

Goal

LevelofD

evelop

men

tLatent

Emerging

Establishe

dAd

vanced

G6:DiversifyingPathwaysforSkillsAcquisition

Stud

entsintechnicaland

vocatio

naledu

catio

nhave

fewor

noop

tions

forfurther

form

alskillsa

cquisition

beyond

thesecond

arylevel

andthegovernmen

ttakes

noactio

nto

improvepu

blic

percep

tionof

TVET;

certificatesfor

technicaland

vocatio

nalprogram

sare

not

recognized

intheNQF;

qualificatio

nscertified

byno

nEducationministrie

sare

not

recognized

byform

alprogramsu

nder

theMinistry

ofEducation;

recognition

ofpriorlearningreceives

limite

dattention;

thegovernmen

tprovides

practicallyno

supp

ortfor

furthe

roccupatio

naland

career

developm

ent,or

training

programsfor

disadvantaged

popu

latio

ns.

Stud

entsintechnicaland

vocatio

nal

educationcanon

lyprogressto

vocatio

nally

oriented

,non

university

programs;thegovernmen

ttakes

limite

dactio

nto

improvepu

blic

percep

tionof

TVET

(e.g.diversifying

learning

pathways);som

ecertificates

fortechn

icalandvocatio

nalprogram

sarerecognize

dintheNQF;few

qualificatio

nscertified

byno

nEducationministrie

sare

recognize

dby

form

alprogramsu

nder

theMinistry

ofEducation;

policym

akersp

aysome

attentionto

therecognition

ofprior

learning

andprovidethepu

blicwith

someinform

ationon

thesubject;the

governmen

toffe

rslim

itedservices

for

furthe

roccup

ationaland

career

developm

entthrou

ghstan

dalon

elocalservice

centersthata

reno

tintegrated

into

asystem

;training

programsfor

disadvantaged

popu

latio

nsreceivead

hocsupp

ort.

Studentsintechnicaland

vocatio

nal

educationcanprogressto

vocatio

nally

oriented

programs,

inclu

ding

attheun

iversitylevel;the

governmenttakes

someactio

nto

improvepublicperceptio

nofTVET

(e.g.dive

rsifyinglearning

pathways

andimprovingprogramquality)and

review

sthe

impactofsuch

effortso

nan

adhocb

asis;

mostcertifica

tesfor

technicaland

vocatio

nal program

sarerecognize

dintheNQ

F;alarge

numbero

fqualifica

tions

certified

bynonEducationministriesa

rerecognize

dby

form

alprogramsu

nder

theMinistryofEducation,albeit

with

outthe

grantin

gof

credits;

policym

akersg

ivesomeattentionto

therecognition

ofpriorlearningand

providethepublicwith

some

inform

ationon

thesubject;aform

alassocia

tionofstakeholdersprovides

dedicatedattentionto

adultlearning

issues;thegovernmento

fferslim

ited

service

sfor

furthero

ccupationaland

careerdevelopm

ent,which

are

availablethroughan

integrated

netw

orkof

centers;training

programsfor

disadvantaged

populatio

nsreceivesystem

atic

supportand

arereview

edforimpact

onan

adhocb

asis.

Studentsintechnicaland

vocatio

nal

educationcanprogressto

academ

ically

orvocatio

nally

oriented

programs,inclu

ding

attheun

iversitylevel;thegovernment

takescoh

erentactionon

multip

lefro

ntsto

improvepublicperceptio

nofTVET

(e.g.

diversifyinglearning

pathwaysa

ndimprovingprogramquality

andrelevance,

with

thesupporto

f amediacampaign)and

routinelyrevie

wsa

ndadjustssucheffortsto

maximize

theirimpact;m

ostcertifica

tesfor

technicaland

vocatio

nalprogram

sare

recognize

dintheNQ

F;alargenu

mbero

fqualificatio

nscertified

bynonEducation

ministriesa

rerecognize

dandgranted

credits

byform

alprogramsu

nderthe

MinistryofEducation;policym

akersg

ive

sustainedattentionto

therecognition

ofpriorlearningandprovidethepublicwith

comprehensiv

einform

ationon

thesubject;

anatio

nalorganiza

tionofstakeholders

provides

dedicatedattentionto

adult

learning

issues;thegovernmento

ffersa

comprehensiv

emenuofservice

sfor

further

occupatio

naland

careerdevelopm

ent,

inclu

ding

onlineresources,which

are

availablethroughan

integrated

netw

orkof

centers;training

programsfor

disadvantagedpopulatio

nsreceive

system

aticsupportw

ithmultiyearbu

dgets

andareroutinelyrevie

wed

forimpactand

adjusted

accordingly.

BULG

ARIA

WORK

FORC

EDE

VELO

PMEN

TSA

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SULTS

41

Functio

nalD

imen

sion

3:ServiceDe

livery

Policy

Goal

LevelofD

evelop

men

t

Latent

Emerging

Establishe

dAd

vanced

G7:EnablingDiversityandExcellenceinTrainingProvision

Thereisno

diversity

oftraining

provision

asthe

system

islargelycomprise

dof

publicprovidersw

ithlim

ited

orno

autono

my;training

provision

isno

tinformed

byform

alassessmen

t,stakeh

olde

rinp

utor

performance

targets.

Thereissomediversity

intraining

provision

;non

stateproviderso

perate

with

limite

dgovernmen

tincen

tives

andgovernan

ceover

registratio

n,licen

singandqu

ality

assurance;pu

blic

training

isprovided

byinstitu

tions

with

someautono

myandinform

edby

someassessmen

tofimplem

entatio

nconstraints,stakeh

olde

rinp

utand

basic

targets.

Thereisdiversity

intraining

provision

;non

statetraining

providers,someregistered

and

licen

sed,op

eratewith

inarangeof

governmen

tincen

tives,systematic

quality

assurancemeasuresa

ndroutinereview

sofgovernm

ent

policiestow

ardno

nstatetraining

providers;pu

blicproviders,mostly

governed

bymanagem

entb

oards,

have

someautono

my;training

provision

isinform

edby

form

alan

alysisof

implem

entatio

nconstraints,stakeh

olde

rinp

utand

basic

targets;laggingproviders

receivesupp

orta

ndexem

plary

institu

tions

arerewarde

d.

Thereisbroa

ddiversity

intraining

provision

;non

statetraining

providers,

mostregistered

andlicen

sed,op

erate

with

compreh

ensive

governmen

tincentives,systematicqu

ality

assurance

measuresa

ndroutinereview

and

adjustmen

tofgovernm

entp

oliciestow

ard

nonstatetraining

providers;pu

blic

providers,mostly

governed

bymanagem

entb

oards,have

significant

autono

my;de

cisio

nsabou

ttraining

provision

aretim

ebo

undandinform

edby

form

alassessmen

tofimplem

entatio

nconstraints;stakeh

olde

rinp

utanduseof

avarie

tyof

measurestoincentivize

performance

includ

esupp

ort,rewards

and

performance

basedfund

ing.

BULG

ARIA

WORK

FORC

EDE

VELO

PMEN

TSA

BERCO

UNTR

YRE

PORT

|201

4

SYSTEM

SAP

PROAC

HFO

RBE

TTER

EDUCA

TIONRE

SULTS

42

Functio

nalD

imen

sion

3:ServiceDe

livery

Policy

Goal

LevelofD

evelop

men

t

Latent

Emerging

Establishe

dAd

vanced

G8:FosteringRelevanceinPublicTrainingPrograms

Therearefewor

noattempts

tofoster

relevanceinpu

blic

training

programsthrou

ghen

couraginglinks

betw

een

training

institu

tions,ind

ustry

andresearch

institu

tions

orthroughsettingstandardsfor

therecruitm

enta

ndtraining

ofhe

adsa

ndinstructorsin

training

institu

tions.

Relevanceof

publictraining

isen

hanced

throughinform

allinks

betw

eensometraining

institu

tions,

indu

stry

andresearch

institu

tions,

includ

inginpu

tintothede

signof

curriculaandfacilitystandards;he

ads

andinstructorsa

rerecruitedon

the

basis

ofminim

umacad

emicstan

dards

andhave

limite

dop

portun

ities

for

professio

naldevelop

men

t.

Relevanceof

publictraining

isen

hanced

throughform

allinks

betw

eensometraining

institu

tions,

indu

stry

andresearch

institu

tions,

leadingto

collabo

ratio

ninseveral

areasincluding

butn

otlim

itedto

thede

signof

curriculaandfacility

standards;he

adsa

ndinstructors

arerecruitedon

thebasis

ofminim

umacad

emican

dprofession

alstan

dardsa

ndhave

regulara

ccesstoop

portun

ities

for

professio

naldevelop

men

t.

Relevanceof

publictraining

isen

hanced

throughform

allinks

betw

eenmost

training

institu

tions,ind

ustryandresearch

institu

tions,leading

tosig

nificant

collabo

ratio

ninawiderangeof

areas;

headsa

ndinstructorsa

rerecruitedon

the

basis

ofminim

umacadem

icand

professio

nalstand

ards

andhave

regular

accessto

diverseop

portun

ities

for

professio

naldevelop

men

t,includ

ing

indu

stry

attachmen

tsforinstructors.



Annex 4: References and Informants

References

Legal acts and bills

Law on Vocational Education and TrainingLaw on EducationLaw on Employment PromotionRules for the Implementation of the Law on EducationRules for the Implementation of the Law on Vocational Education and TrainingDraft Law on Preschool and School EducationLaw for degree in Education, General Education Minimum and CurriculumAct on recognition of vocational qualificationsOrdinance on conditions and procedures for maintaining the list of regulated professions in BulgariaOrdinances of the Minister of Education on the acquisition of qualifications in different occupationsNational educational standards for vocational qualificationState Budget ActRules of Procedure of the National Council for Employment PromotionRules of Organization and activities of the national advisory council on vocational training of theworkforce

Strategies and Legal Documents

National Qualifications Framework of BulgariaStrategy for smart, sustainable and inclusive growth "Europe 2020"National Strategy for Lifelong Learning (LLL) for the period 2008 – 2013, Action Plan for the period2012 2013 and 2010 2011National Employment Action Plan 2012Council conclusions of 12 May 2009 on a strategic framework for European cooperation in educationand training ("ET 2020")"New Skills for New Jobs. Anticipating and matching labour market and skills needs" Communicationfrom the Commission, COM(2008) 868, 16 December 2008European Qualifications Framework for Lifelong Learning (EQF)Recommendation of the European Parliament and Council establishing a European referenceframework for quality assurance in vocational education and training of 18.06.2009 yearRecommendation of the European Parliament and Council establishing a European Credit System forVocational Education and Training (ECVET) on June 18, 2009Development Program of Education, Science and Youth Policy In Bulgaria (2009 2013)National Youth Strategy (2010 2020)National Plan for Integration of children with Special Educational needs and / or Chronic Diseases inthe National Education SystemNational Strategy for Introduction of ICT in Bulgarian schoolsStrategy for Educational Integration of Children and Pupils from Ethnic Minorities



Project "Promotion of lifelong learning in Bulgaria" 2007 3865/001 001National Strategy for Continuing Vocational Training for the period 2005 2010National Strategy for Continuing Vocational Training for the period 2005 2010, Action Plan for 20052010National program for Development of School and Preschool Education (2006 2015)National Program for Education and Employment of People with Durable Disabilities 2012

National Programs Ministry of Education Youth and Science

National program for the modernization of vocational education (2008 – 2012)National Program Optimization of School Network Module 3.2. Rationalization of the VocationalTraining School SystemReports on the implementation of national programs for development of secondary education 2011

Government Reports

Ministry of Education Youth and Science Annual plansMinistry of Education Youth and Science Annual reportsNational Agency for Vocational Education and Training Annual plansNational Agency for Vocational Education and Training Annual reports

Documents of Projects funded by the Human Resources Development Operational Program

Competence Assessment Information System (CASSY): Structure of Sector Models and Approaches toCompetence Assessment of the Workforce: Short Description Created for the Purposes of theInternational Meeting in Sofia 1 2 November 2012. Accessible:http://en.competencemap.bg/language/en/uploads/files/project_document__0/project_document__33b78c6e9cc4ec60b8ff9d80520f4ee3.pdfVocational Education department at the Educational Programs and Curricula Directorate, Ministry ofEducation Youth and Science:System for career guidance in school educationImproving the quality and implementation of European instruments and practices in vocationaleducation and training systemPupils practices http://praktiki.mon.bg/?m=1

Research Reports

Workforce Development in Developing Countries: A Framework for Benchmarking, Jee Peng Tan,Robert McGough and Alexandria Valerio, Human Development Network, World Bank, 2010Development of national qualifications frameworks in Europe. October 2011 (eBook) CEDEFOPSchool for tomorrow. Results of Bulgaria's participation in the Programme for International StudentAssessment PISA 2009, Petrova S., Centre for Control and Assessment of the Quality in Education,Sofia, 2010



Understanding Child Poverty in South East Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States,UNICEF Innocenti Research Centre, 2006Human Resource Development Centre (HRDC) http://www.hrdc.bg/cgi bin/ecms/vis/vis.pl?s=001&p=0027&n=&vis=&g=Schneider, 2011

List of informants

This report is drafted predominantly based on documentary evidence, interviews and study visitscarried out in vocational schools in Bulgaria. In addition the feedback from participants in thevalidation workshop contributed to further explanations and an outline of priority areas forintervention.

The following experts and representatives of key stakeholders were interviewed to gather additionalinformation and clarifications. Their contribution is gratefully acknowledged.

1. Mrs. Emiliana Dimitrova, Director of the Policy Designing, Analyses and Evaluation Directorate at theMinistry of Education Youth and Science

2. Mrs. Emilia Valchovska, chief of the Vocational Education department at the Educational Programs andCurricula Directorate, Ministry of Education Youth and Science

3. Mrs. Svetla Nikolova, Director of Professional Qualification and Licensing Directorate, the NationalAgency for Vocational Education and Training

4. Mrs. Stefka Limanska, chief of department at the Labour Market Policy Directorate, the MLSP5. Mr. Ivaylo Naydenov, senior expert in the Labour Market Policy Directorate, the MLSP6. Mrs. Daniela Simidchieva, Vocational Training Program Director at the Center for Vocational Education

of the Bulgarian Industrial Association7. Mrs. Elena Shishmanova, expert in Vocational Training Program Director at the Center for Vocational

Education of the Bulgarian Industrial Association8. Mr. Ivaylo Ignatov, Director of the Euroqualification Center at the Unit of Private Bulgarian

Entrepreneurs “Vazrazhdane”9. Mrs. Genoveva Bakardzhieva, The Bulgarian Human Resources Management and Development

Association BHRMDA10. Mrs. Margarita Damyanova, Director of the Business Services Directorate, the Bulgarian Chamber of

Commerce and Industry11. Mrs. Dora Ganeva, Director General of the Directorate General "Employment Services", the Employment

Agency12. Mrs.Zornitsa Assenova, Assitant Pricincipal of Professional Gymnasium of Fashion “Maria Luisa”13. Mrs. Bistra Vatsova, Principal of Professional Gymnasium of Economics Shumen

Information in this report cannot be attributed to the professionals interviewed or workshopparticipants. The principal investigators are responsible for all processed data and summarizedoutcomes and interpretations of information.



Annex 5: SABER WfD Scores

Policy Action

G1_T1 3

G1_T2 3

G2_T1 2

G2_T2 2

G2_T3 3

G2_T4 2

G2_T5 3

G3_T1 3

G3_T2 3

G3_T3 3

G4_T1 info

G4_T2 2

G4_T3 3G4_T4 3

G4_T5_IVET 1

G4_T5_CVET 1

G4_T5_ALMP 2

Facil itate sustained partnerships between training institutions and employers 2.0 G4_T6 2

G5_T1 3

G5_T2 3

G5_T3 3

G5_T4 3

G5_T5 3

G5_T6 info

G5_T7 3

G5_T8 3

G5_T9 2

G6_T1 4

G6_T2 1

G6_T3 2

G6_T4 2

G6_T5 2

G6_T6 3

G7_T1 3

G7_T2 2

G7_T3 3

G7_T4 1

G7_T5 1

G7_T6 2.5

G7_T7 2

G8_T1 3

G8_T2 3

G8_T3 3

G8_T4 1

G8_T5 3

G8_T6 2

G9_T1 3

G9_T2 1

G9_T3 2

2.3

1.8

2.5

2.5

2.0

3.0

3.0

2.7

2.5

2.0

2.7

3.0

2.7

2.5

G9 2.0 Expand the availabil ity and use of policy relevant data for focusing providers'attention on training outcomes, efficiency and innovation

Monitor and enhance equity in funding for training 1.3

2.9

Broaden the scope of competency standards as a basis for developingqualifications frameworks

Establish protocols for assuring the credibil ity of skil ls testing and certification

Develop and enforce accreditation standards for maintaining the quality oftraining provision

G6 2.3

Promote educational progression and permeability through multiple pathways,including for TVET students

Dim

ension

3

2.2

G7 2.1

Encourage and regulate non state provision of training

Combine incentives and autonomy in the management of public traininginstitutions

G8 2.5

Integrate industry and expert input into the design and delivery of public trainingprograms

Recruit and support administrators and instructors for enhancing the marketrelevance of public training programs

Dim

ension

2

2.4

G4 2.0

Provide stable funding for effective programs in initial, continuing and targetedvocational education and training

G5

Strengthen the system for skil ls certification and recognition

Enhance support for skil ls acquisition by workers, job seekers and thedisadvantaged

Policy Goal Topic

Dim

ension

1

2.8

G1 3.0 Provide sustained advocacy for WfD at the top leadership level

G2 2.4

Establish clarity on the demand for skil ls and areas of critical constraint

Engage employers in setting WfD priorities and in enhancing skil ls upgrading forworkers

G3 3.0 Formalize key WfD roles for coordinated action on strategic priorities

3.0

2.0



Annex 6: Validation Workshop Report

This section presents a brief report on the stakeholders’ workshop on implementation of SABER WorkforceDevelopment in Bulgaria, organized in cooperation between the teams of the World Bank, Open SocietyInstitute (OSI) – Sofia and the MES. The seminar was held on October 29, 2012 and hosted by the secretarygeneral of the Ministry of Education, Youth and Science.

Goals

The main objective of the workshop was to present and validate the SABER WfD analytical approach, theinitial findings from its pilot application in Bulgaria, and the experience and outcomes from SABER WfDimplementation in other countries.

Participants

The event was attended by 30 professionals from 3 ministries, 2 agencies, local administrations, tradeunions, employers and employers' associations, schools and NGOs, operating in different strands ofworkforce development and VET – IVET, CVET, human resources, economic development and the labormarket.

Description

After the official opening and welcome address of the MES secretary general Krassimir Valchev, the WorldBank’s SABER WfD team leader Jee Peng Tan made a presentation on the System Assessment andBenchmarking for Education Results (SABER) and its philosophy, analytical framework, approach and tools.She underlined the SABER WfD goals of supporting policy dialogue in this critical area and providedhighlights and relevant lessons learnt from SABER WfD implementation in four countries: Ireland, Chile,Korea and Singapore.

After the OSI team’s presentation on the context of WfD and the preliminary results of the application ofSABER WfD tools in Bulgaria, participants continued the discussions in three small groups so that theSABER WfD approach could be examined in greater detail. Each small group was provided with hand outsof the graphical representation of the Policy Goal scores, summary results presentation and decision tree asguiding instruments for group discussions. The participants went through the preliminary findings forBulgaria of the three SABER WfD Functional Dimensions: Strategic Framework; System Oversight andService Delivery. At the final plenary discussion, the three small groups presented their major conclusionsand suggested the key priority areas of intervention for the country’s workforce development.

Main outcomes and conclusions

The presentations on the preliminary SABER WfD findings were positively received and their added valuefor furthering WfD policy dialogue in Bulgaria was acknowledged by participants in the plenary discussionafter the WB and OSI teams’ presentations.

All in all, the SABER WfD framework and instruments were highly appraised by participants as necessary,timely, relevant and adequate for the Bulgarian context, and only small changes in the terminology used inregard to state and public education were recommended for further consideration.



The initial outcomes, as presented, also received positive feedback. Participants largely agreed on thecorrectness of most scores, the country’s level in the three Dimensions, and the areas for policy actions.However, some suggestions were made for slightly lower scores for Strategic Framework and SystemOversight.

The participants endorsed the most obvious problems that were identified and made recommendations fordeeper analyses of the underlying factors for the existing national VET and labor market policy and thestatus quo of workforce development. Participants also identified the main challenges in developing andimplementing the legal framework for the management and monitoring system, putting in place thenecessary mechanisms and increasing the quality of service provision for workforce development. Thesechallenges, which require further reflection in the process of preparing the Bulgarian Barometer Report, tobe presented for consideration by the Bulgarian government (particularly MES), include:

The need for better and more effective and accountable coordination at the nationallevel;The lack of public incentives for cooperation between training providers and businesses;Policy making and accountability for results at regional and local levels;Increased accessibility of services for vulnerable groups; andThe need for in depth analyses of the links between VET and the whole formaleducation system.

Based on the analysis, the participating experts formulated the strategic priorities and directions forworkforce development and outlined specific opportunities for the improvement of policies and measuresin the following areas:

Leading Priority:1. Strategic Focus.

Second wave key priorities:2. Enhanced dialogue between the institutions and the social partners;3. Improved Information management;4. Building mechanisms for employers’ involvement in the development of new standards – incl. entrepreneursbeyond the employers’ associations;5. Development of an incentives system for all participants in WfD to achieve excellent results;6. Quality management.

Other key priorities:7. Teachers’ qualifications;8. Curricula tailored to the needs of the labor market.

Bearing in mind that the SABER outputs are coming amid the substantial educational reforms – both inmainstream and vocational education – the participants underlined the relevance of the SABER results tothe work on the new draft laws on preschool and school education and on vocational education andtraining.

BULG

ARIA

WORK

FORC

EDE

VELO

PMEN

TSA

BERCO

UNTR

YRE

PORT

|2013

SYSTEM

SAP

PROAC

HFO

RBE

TTER

EDUCA

TIONRE

SULTS

49

Anne

x7:Structureof

theBu

lgarianEd

ucationSystem

0PrePrim

ary

235,01

5children

1Ba

sicEd

ucation,Stage1

Grades

14

253,67

5stud

ents

2ABa

sicEd

ucation,Stage2

Gene

ral

Grades

58

Duratio

n:4years

221,83

9stud

ents

Vocatio

nal,LevelI

Afterg

rade

s6or

7

Duratio

n:3years

1,97

9stud

ents

3AUpp

erSecond

ary(Total27

3,49

8stud

ents)

3CUpp

erSecond

ary

Gene

ral

(Incl.V

IIIgradeof

foreignlanguagessecon

dary

scho

olsa

ndothe

rspecialized

second

aryscho

olsw

ithselectionafterV

IIgrade.)

Duratio

n:4years

135,01

3stud

ents

Vocatio

nal

Vocatio

nal

LevelII

Duratio

n:45years

35,469

stud

ents

LevelIII

Duratio

n:45years

95,443

stud

ents

LevelIII

Artsan

dsports

scho

ols,

Duratio

n:45years

6,45

0stud

ents

LevelI

Duratio

n2years

1,01

1stud

ents

4CPo

stSecond

aryNon

Tertiary

(LevelIV,D

uration:

2years)

2,38

1stud

ents

5A&5B

Tertiary

Education

278,58

8stud

ents



Annex 8: Authorship and Acknowledgements

This report is the product of collaboration between a team of the World Bank comprising Plamen Danchev(Education Specialist, Human Development Sector, ECA Region, Bulgaria Country Office), Omar Arias (SectorManager and Lead Economist, Human Development Economics, ECA Region), Jee Peng Tan and Ryan Flynn,leader and member, respectively, of the SABER WfD team based in the Education Department of the HumanDevelopment Network of the World Bank and Ilko Jordanov (Consultant, Expert Analyses Consulting Group) whoserved as principal investigator and led data collection through examining documentary evidence and extensiveinterviews with stakeholders. The report was prepared under the World Bank Activation and Skills ProgrammaticKnowledge Service for the Central European and the Baltic countries under the supervision of Omar Arias untilSeptember 2013, and of Alessandra Marini after that date.

The research team acknowledges the support of all who have contributed to the report and its findings,including informants, survey respondents, representatives of the Government and government agencies inBulgaria, participants at various consultation workshops, as well as other members of the SABER WfD team atthe World Bank: Rita Costa, Viviana Gomez, Rijak Grover, Kiong Hock Lee, Joy Yoo Jeung Nam, Brent Parton andAlexandria Valerio. The research team gratefully acknowledges the generous financial support of theGovernment of the United Kingdom through its Department of International Development’s Partnership forEducation Development with the World Bank which makes it possible for HDNED’s SABER WfD team to providetechnical support to the principal investigator in the form of standardized tools for and guidance on datacollection, analysis and reporting.



This work is a product of the staff of The World Bank with external contributions. The findings, interpretations, and conclusionsexpressed in this work do not necessarily reflect the views of The World Bank, its Board of Executive Directors, or the governmentsthey represent. The World Bank does not guarantee the accuracy of the data included in this work. The boundaries, colors,denominations, and other information shown on any map in this work do not imply any judgment on the part of The World Bankconcerning the legal status of any territory or the endorsement or acceptance of such boundaries.

The Systems Approach for Better Education Results (SABER) initiative produces comparative data and knowledge on education policies and institutions, with the aim of helping countries systematically strengthen their education systems. SABER evaluates the quality of education policies against evidence-based global standards, using new diagnostic tools and detailed policy data. The SABER country reports give all parties with a stake in educational results—from administrators, teachers, and parents to policymakers and business people—an accessible, objective snapshot showing how well the policies of their country's education system are oriented toward ensuring that all children and youth learn.

This report focuses specifically on policies in the area of Workforce Development

www.worldbank.org/education/saber

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