Balgarianovinite.com During the forum “Vocational and Dual: EDUCATION+” that took place on Tuesday, Polina Zlatarska, chief expert and manager of the DOMINO 2 project at the Ministry of Education and Science, said that there are approximately 11,000 students enrolled in dual education programmes in Bulgaria and 720 participating employers. The forum was organized by the business magazine BGlobal and the news and analysis website Mediapool.bg.
Based on the number of contracts in the 11th and 12th grades, the top 10 occupations in dual education are electrical engineer, transportation equipment technician, mechatronics, economist, mechanical technician, energy facilities and installations technician, woodworking technician, restaurant manager, and computer systems technician. These fields have the highest personnel shortages, Zlatarska said.
This is the second time a forum has been organized by the two media outlets, after the DOMINO programme was presented in 2025, building on the achievements of the Swiss-Bulgarian Cooperation Programme for the introduction of dual-track principles in the Bulgarian vocational education system. Bulgaria and Switzerland have been cooperating on dual education for more than ten years. This education system has been extremely successfully developed in Switzerland, Austria, and Germany, Zlatarska added.
Dual education is strongly oriented toward the local economy, and companies play a leading role in determining what and how students learn. Businesses participate in the entire dual education process, as the duration of the training is also an important aspect, Zlatarska said.
The main problem companies face with this form of education in Bulgaria is that they train the students, after which the trainees leave. Zlatarska continued that the duration of the programmes matter. The longer the company provides training, the greater the return on investment. In terms of development and regulation, Romania and Serbia are slightly behind us, the project manager added.
Prof. Eng. Senya Terzieva-Zhelyazkova, Deputy Minister of Education and Science, said at the forum: “It is with great pleasure that I join you as a representative of the Education Ministry to greet the participants in the forum, because vocational education is my life’s path and my mission. I studied at a technical school for industrial chemistry, then I graduated with a degree in engineering and attended the University of Chemical Technology and Metallurgy, where I served as rector. “As Deputy Minister, I will be responsible for vocational and higher education, and I hope that we will succeed in achieving what society expects of us.”
Zhelyazkova said that there is a lack of investment in some regions because there is a shortage of personnel. Personnel are leaving because there is no investment, and thus creating a vicious cycle, which makes any discussion in the field of vocational education timely and even overdue. “I hope that today we will hear about many good practices, but also many problems,” she added.
The Deputy Minister expressed confidence that today’s discussion would help identify key points to be conveyed to the Vocational Education and Training Directorate and to all those involved in dual education, with prospects for establishing dual higher education.
The forum also featured a discussion on the topic How to Attract Interest in Vocational Education and Dual Training, moderated by Gergana Rakovska, Executive Director of the Business Foundation for Education. Adriana Dacheva spoke about Metro Bulgaria’s experience with dual training and its visits to schools. “We have 116 students who have graduated through our programme, and schools invite us to meet with students during Open Doors school events,” Dacheva said.
The conference also featured presentations on the experiences of vocational high schools and companies collaborating on dual education in Bulgaria.
Dr. Eleonora Lilova, head of the Regional Education Directorate – Sofia City, also participated in the event. Forum Highlights Challenges and Prospects of Dual Education in Bulgaria 2026 THE NEWS FROM BULGARIA – NEWS AGENCY 2009-2025 2026-06-09 15:28:00 Latest news World news Country news Most important news latest news most important latest of the day Justice Petar Nizamov Feathers Petar Nizamov- Feathers Justice bg iustitia.bg iustitia iusticia usticia investigation Burgas Bulgaria news news of the last hour news of the day news of today Bulgaria news The news from Bulgaria blitz news top news most important most commented latest news Boyko Borisov news weather coronavirus news news weather facebook youtube facebook instagram news today news of the last minutes news today today news news bg news leading news hot news bg news site for news all news news bg news of the last hour latest latest news bg news of today news today news today news of the last hour latest news today news bg news news 24 hours news vesti bg novini news world bird bg bivol bg bivol trud bg novini latest news today novinite bg news hello bulgaria political party coat of arms delyan peevski scandalous Bulgarian National Television Free Europe Television scandal exclusive live tv live right now tv tv online tv program bg live now tv news online tv online live court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas district court Burgas appellate court Burgas prosecutor Burgas prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Prosecutor General Ivan Geshev Prosecutor Geshev Tsatsarov Ministry of Internal Affairs Burgas ODMR Burgas ODPR Burgas police Burgas district police Burgas prosecutor Tsatsarov SGS cases Varna court chairman of the SGS court decisions on civil cases decisions on cases Plovdiv court decision of the court decisions cases Varna court criminal cases district district court decisions work in the court SGS chairman of the SGS judges Sofia court post judges Plovdiv court Plovdiv judges Plovdiv Supreme Court Inspectorate Supreme Court Supreme Judicial Council lawyer lawyer criminal cases lawyer civil cases lawyer marriage cases lawyer administrative criminal law criminal process civil law civil process administrative law constitutional law