site.btaAustria Supports Dual Education of 1,500 Bulgarian Vocational School Pupils

Over 1,500 students in Bulgarian vocational schools are included in dual education (work and study) courses under an Austrian project. This transpired at a meeting between Education and Science Minister Galin Tsokov and Austrian Ambassador to Bulgaria Andrea Ikic-Bohm, Tsokov's Ministry reported on Tuesday. The project, titled "Dual Education in Bulgaria", started in 2014. Currently, it provides training in 15 subjects to students in 30 schools in 21 settlements.

Tsokov told the diplomat: "The Education and Science Ministry is set on working consistently to make use of the potential of dual education. Your support in this process is highly valued."

Ambassador Ikic-Bohm expressed satisfaction with the successful cooperation between Austria and Bulgaria and suggested that more areas of interaction can be identified. Stressing the importance of dual education, she said that 35% of young Austrians are included in this form of learning and are able to find jobs very soon after finishing the course.

Austria provides German language and literature lecturers for the universities of Sofia and Veliko Tarnovo in exchange for Bulgarian language and literature educators to teach at the University of Vienna. Bulgarian language students from Austria regularly participate in summer language seminars in Bulgaria, organized by the universities of Sofia and Veliko Tarnovo. Austria supports the training of German language teachers for Bulgarian secondary schools, offering three positions in summer qualification seminars every year.