The new ones List of State-protected specialties from professions and List of specialties from professions with expected shortage of specialists on the labor market are expected to provide specialists in some “less attractive occupations” in Bulgaria.
For the first time in Bulgaria with Decree of the Council of Ministers from 25.06.2018 are adopted a List of State-protected specialties from professions for the school year 2018/2019 and another List of specialties from professions with expected shortage of specialists on the labor market. This creates a valuable opportunity to provide specialists in some professions identified as less attractive but quite important also with the active contribution from representatives of the Bulgarian business.
One of the main objectives of this measure is the provided opportunity for the school classes of protected specialties to continue to exist despite the possible diminished interest of students for the respective school year. For example according to the Decree on defining the protected specialties, such classes could be constituted even if the number of accepted children is below the mandatory minimum of 18 students but they should be at least 9. In fact the government will provide funds for the difference between the actual number of students and the minimum of 18 children, with the cost for these vacancies being 85% of the standard set for a real student in the same professional field.
In order to define one specialty from profession as protected by the State, it must meet two criteria:
– uniqueness on a territorial basis – the training of specialists should take place in no more than four state and/ or municipal schools, located on the territory of different administrative districts in the country, and
– uniqueness in content – the specific vocational training should differ by at least 75% of the content of the training in other specialties from the professions in the List of Professions for Vocational Education and Training.
The responsible institution for the annual preparation of the List of State-protected specialties from professions and the List of specialties from professions with expected shortage of specialists on the labor market is the Ministry of Education and Science, such as the Ministry of Labor and Social Policy, the Ministry of Health, branch ministries and employers’ organizations have the right to submit suggestions for updating them till the end of August each year.
Actually for the school year 2018/2019 a total number of 29 specialties are included in the List of State-protected specialties from professions, whereas in the List of specialties from professions with expected shortage of specialists on the labor market there are identified 54 specialties. In fact, the content of the two lists cannot contain duplicate specialties.
The Decree of the Council of Ministers also provides the establishment of an interdepartmental commission to the education minister with a number of not less than 5 experts, composed of representatives of the Ministry of Education and Science and the Ministry of Labor and Social Policy, which function is to prepare an annual project of updating the above mentioned lists.
