Bulgaria has experienced a significant decrease in secondary school student enrollment over the past two decades, with the vocational education sector facing notable challenges.
While vocational class enrollments have risen modestly in recent years, a report by the Council for Economic Analysis to the Council of Ministers reveals disparities across different fields, underscoring concerns about the country’s workforce readiness.
The report, which examines vocational secondary education and its relationship with export-driven industries, highlights a worrying trend in declining enrollments in areas critical to economic development.
Fields such as production and processing, business management, technology, and architecture have seen sharp drops in student interest.
In 2020, only 42 percent of vocational students pursued education in export-related fields like agriculture and production, a significant decline from 55 percent in 2008.
A key issue identified in the report is the chronic shortage of qualified workers, which continues to plague local businesses.
A recent World Bank survey found that an inadequately educated workforce is the primary challenge for 22 percent of companies in Bulgaria.
The problem is even more pronounced in the industrial sector, where 33 percent of businesses report difficulties finding skilled workers.
Data from the National Statistical Institute (NSI) for 2022 reveals that the majority of Bulgaria’s employed workforce—56 percent—has secondary or lower levels of education, with more than half of these workers holding secondary professional qualifications.
Certain industries, such as mining, energy supply, and processing, rely heavily on vocational education, with 58 percent, 55 percent, and 45 percent of their employees, respectively, having completed vocational training.
The report by the Council for Economic Analysis also identifies a correlation between the number of students in vocational training and trends in local exports.
As exports grow in specific industries, student enrollment in related vocational fields tends to increase.
This suggests that targeted measures to attract more students to vocational education programs in high-demand sectors could help address workforce shortages and boost economic growth.
However, Bulgaria’s vocational education sector faces additional challenges due to rapid technological advancements and the need to update skills. The country lags significantly behind its European Union (EU) counterparts in lifelong learning participation, which is essential for adapting to changing industry needs.
According to Eurostat data for 2023, only 1.4 percent of Bulgarians engage in lifelong learning, the lowest rate in the EU.
In contrast, the average across the 27 EU member states is 12.8 percent, with countries like Sweden and Denmark reporting rates of 38.8 percent and 30.5 percent, respectively.
Even neighboring non-EU countries such as Serbia and Turkey outperform Bulgaria, with lifelong learning participation rates of 6.1 percent and 7.4 percent, respectively.
The report stresses the urgency of investing in lifelong learning opportunities and modernizing vocational education to meet the evolving demands of the labor market.
It calls for a strategic approach to education reform, emphasizing the need for collaboration between the government, educational institutions, and the private sector to better align training programs with industry requirements.
Addressing these challenges will be crucial for Bulgaria to overcome its workforce shortages and ensure sustainable economic development in the years to come.