site.btaEmployment Agency to Train Nearly 4,700 Jobless in 2025

On Friday, National Employment Agency Executive Director Smilen Valov signed contracts with social partners for the implementation of projects under the 2025 National Employment Action Plan, the Agency reported. With secured funding amounting to BGN 8,639,991, training programmes for acquiring professional qualifications and/or key competencies will be carried out for 4,688 unemployed individuals. It is expected that at least 35% of the trainees will start work after completing their training.

The projects are primarily aimed at vulnerable groups, including young people up to 29 years who are not working or studying, long-term unemployed, people over 55, individuals with lower education and no professional qualifications, people with permanent disabilities, economically inactive persons, and those under temporary protection. A comprehensive approach will be applied for them, including training, internships, and securing employment for a period of no less than three months in the primary labour market or in subsidized jobs, with the costs shared between the State and employers.

In 2025, the training programmes will be conducted in both major cities and smaller settlements across the country, covering a wide range of professions - construction workers, cooks, salespersons, office assistants, computer operators, tailors, social assistants, caregivers, welders, cashiers, tour guides, electrical technicians, and others. The professions were selected based on specific requests from employers in both the private and public sectors. In response to increasing demands on the workforce, trainings will also include the development of social and civic competences, initiative and entrepreneurship, learning skills, and digital literacy.

The social partners involved are: the Bulgarian Industrial Capital Association, the Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Bulgarian Industrial Association, the Confederation of Employers and Industrialists in Bulgaria, the Confederation of Independent Trade Unions in Bulgaria, and the Podkrepa Confederation of Labour.