Nearly 36,000 students will undergo additional activities and student practices in a real working environment by 2027 under a project to modernize vocational education and training. The implementation contract was signed today at the Ministry of Education and Science by the Minister of Education and Science prof. Sasho Penov and the Executive Director of EA "Education Program" prof. Georgi Vaysilov.

The implementation of the project is in line with the proposed amendments to the Vocational Education and Training Act, said Minister Penov. He reiterated how important it is for the Ministry of Education and Science to promote the improvement of students' skills and care for their future realization on the labor market. She added that the proposed changes in the law and the implementation of the project activities are part of the Ministry's aspiration to improve vocational education and training.

The project is aimed at adapting vocational education and training to the dynamics of the labor market and developing skills for the professions of the present and the future. One of its goals is for students to improve their competences in vocational training, entrepreneurial skills, social entrepreneurship with the participation of employers. Additional professional training will be funded through additional practices in a real working environment. It is envisaged to be developed a new List of professions for vocational education and training, State educational standards, curricula and programs, national examination programs incl. intersectoral, by particular sectors.

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Micro-qualifications and credits will be held for mobility and access between professions, sectors and educational levels. Another activity is related to the introduction of competence profiles of teachers and teachers in vocational training and their training in profession-specific skills. The project includes trainings and qualifications of teachers in vocational training, including from business, science, public and non-governmental sectors.

It will fund the joint development and introduction of vocational training materials for important sectors for the economy of the region and the labor market with innovative digital learning content, the use of artificial intelligence, virtual reality and blended learning.

The grant procedure is implemented with the financial support of the European Social Fund Plus (ESF+). The project is worth 70m euros. implementation will last 58 months.

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