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STRATEGIC FRAMEWORK FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF EDUCATION, TRAINING, AND LEARNING IN THE REPUBLIC OF BULGARIA (2021-2030)

By AI & ML, Audience, Basic digital skills, Big data, Blockchain, Computing, Cybersecurity, In education, INSPIRATION, INSPIRATION: Strategic documents, IoT, Media literacy, Microelectronics, Mobile apps, National strategy, Robotics, Scope of the strategy, Software engineering, Technology, Telecommunications, Web developmentNo Comments
STRATEGIC FRAMEWORK FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF EDUCATION, TRAINING, AND LEARNING IN THE REPUBLIC OF BULGARIA (2021-2030)

28.03.2023 |

The present strategic document and the Strategy for the Development of Higher Education in the Republic of Bulgaria for the period 2020-2030 outline the general framework for the development of education, training, and learning in the Republic of Bulgaria. The Strategic Framework for the Development of Education, Training, and Learning in the Republic of Bulgaria (2021-2030) was developed by the Ministry of Education and Science in collaboration with stakeholders.
The strategic framework takes into account that the main challenges in public affairs in the 21st century are driven by the intensive pace of development in all areas of public life, generated by mass digitization and technological advancement. According to this document, functional literacy in mathematics, technology, and digital skills needs to be further developed in current and future students if we aim for them to confidently tackle the major challenges on a global scale. For this reason, the introduction of a model of education based on interactive methods, active interaction between participants in the educational process and educational content is necessary.
Digitization and new technologies, particularly artificial intelligence, are changing the world and the structure of professions. This change requires an increase in the level of digital competencies and a focus on education on mathematics, technology, and engineering skills; on working with algorithms, developing flexibility and adaptability skills. Young people must have access to quality education. Visible from the analysis presented in the Strategic Framework for the Development of Education, a large part of the children entering school will have a profession that does not yet exist, while many other professions disappear and are replaced by automated processes. Over the next 10 years, there is expected to be a significant shortage of technical personnel with vocational and higher education.
The strategy takes into account the unsatisfactory level of digital skills among participants in the educational process, but highlights the introduced training for acquiring digital skills and the provided access to free internet and digital resources in schools as a strong point, as well as the priority policies for digitalization in education, including in relation to the transition to a digital and green economy. The conservative social attitudes and limited support for proactive changes in education in line with technological and societal developments are identified as a threat to achieving the set goals in the development of digital skills in students.
Among the 9 priority areas for the development of education and training until 2030, Educational Innovations, Digital Transformation, and Sustainable Development in Education are identified. Digital skills and competencies are a priority for the entire educational spectrum, and access to ICT for children of the 21st century is declared an integral part of education. Efforts will be focused on developing skills in students to become digital creators, to model, program, and develop digital creativity. Efforts will be directed towards introducing specialized software solutions for analyzing and assessing educational results. Education for sustainable development is closely related to international discussions on sustainable development, the UN program, and the Sustainable Development Goals until 2030.

Details

Website

Target audience

Digital skills in education

Digital technology 

Digital skills

Scope of the strategy

National strategy

Organisation

Ministry of Education and Science

Roadmap

2021-2030

Latest update of the strategy

24.02.2021 г.

Budget

Stakeholders involvement 

OPPORTUNITIES FOR FUNDING EDUCATION ABROAD THROUGH THE “ERASMUS+” PROGRAM

By 5G & WiFi, AI & ML, AR & VR, Audience, Basic digital skills, Big data, Blockchain, Computing, Country suitable for the funding, Cybersecurity, Digital marketing, EU Institutional initiative, Form of the funding, Grant, In education, IoT, Media literacy, Microelectronics, Mobile apps, OPPORTUNITIES, OPPORTUNITIES: Funding, Other, Robotics, Software engineering, Technology, Telecommunications, Type of funding initiative, Web developmentNo Comments
Opportunities for funding education abroad through the "Erasmus+" program

10.03.2023 |

 For more than three decades, the European Union has been funding the “Erasmus” program, which has enabled over 3 million European students to spend part of their education at another higher education institution or organization in Europe. Years of experience in developing the program have shown that studying abroad has a positive effect on future employment prospects, as well as significantly improving students’ language skills.

The “Erasmus+” program helps to organize student and doctoral exchanges between countries participating in the program. These opportunities are available to undergraduate and graduate students, as well as doctoral students.

“Erasmus+” offers a great opportunity for those who wish to improve or develop their digital skills in the field of new technologies at a foreign university.

To study abroad through “Erasmus+”, you must be registered at a higher education institution and enrolled in a program leading to a recognized educational degree or other higher education qualification. Your sending institution (the current university where you study) and your receiving institution (the foreign university you wish to attend) must have signed an inter-institutional agreement between them so that you can study at the respective institution under “Erasmus+”. It is important to keep in mind that the period of study abroad must be in line with your needs related to your specialty and personal development and must be part of the study program you are following.

You can receive non-repayable funds under “Erasmus+” to cover part of your travel and daily expenses. The amounts may vary according to differences in the standard of living in your country and the receiving country, the number of applicants for funding, the distance between countries, and the availability of other financial assistance. If you are moving between countries under the program, check with your national agency and the sending higher education institution to see what rates apply. Additional support is also available for students going on internships, for students in disadvantaged situations, and for students from the most remote countries or regions under the program. The levels of non-repayable funds and the fixed amounts of funds for exchanges between program countries and partner countries are published in the “Erasmus+” program guide.

Details

Target audience

Digital skills in education

Digital technology 

artificial intelligence
cybersecurity
Internet of Things
big data
blockchain
robotics
augmented reality
virtual reality
high performance computing
machine learning
cloud computing
5G
telecommunications
WiFi
quantum computing
software
mobile application development
web development
microelectronics
digital skills

Form of the funding

Country suitable for the funding

EU members

Financial intermediate 

Erasmus+

Benefitials 

Natural persons

Requirements

IT HIRING SLOWING DOWN?

By 5G & WiFi, AI & ML, AR & VR, Audience, Basic digital skills, Big data, Blockchain, Computing, Cybersecurity, Digital marketing, For all, For ICT professionals, For the workforce, IoT, Media literacy, Microelectronics, Mobile apps, NEWS, Robotics, Software engineering, Technology, Telecommunications, Web developmentNo Comments
IT Hiring Slowing down?

28.01.2023 |

 After years of global economic growth led by the technology sector, the first signs of a slowdown in the rise of IT companies appeared in 2022. Post-COVID syndromes related to digitalization of businesses and work from home created new opportunities for technology corporations, leading to a significant increase in demand for specialists. Now that economic growth has slowed significantly and inflation has not yet been tamed, the management of most IT companies are cautious about cost management, and this approach extends to the hiring of new personnel, as seen from the new and higher requirements for employees.

A number of international companies, including Microsoft, Google, and Amazon, have cut a significant portion of their staff at the end of 2022 and the beginning of 2023 due to the changed economic and business environment. After the COVID measures were lifted, many employers approached their home office policies more strictly and asked their employees to return to the office. This led to an inevitable decline in demand for some software solutions and services offered by technology giants. Additionally, it is important to note that inflationary levels have firmly tied the pockets of ordinary consumers, further contributing to the decline in IT sector revenues. These factors have led to the need to reduce costs in corporations, with the realization that there is no longer a need for all of the employees hired during the rapid growth of recent years.

Against the backdrop of the global threat of economic downturn and subsequent layoffs in the tech sector in Bulgaria, HR experts have not observed unusual layoffs. However, hiring in the technology sphere is visibly changing, with various studies showing that new jobs have decreased at double-digit rates in recent months. The data indicates that the hiring decline is mainly for lower-level positions requiring less work experience. It is also noted that more companies are looking to hire people on a project basis, without wanting to commit to permanent employment contracts, driven by the desire to limit their expenses.

According to Nikolay Nikolov from the Bulgarian Association for People Management and the Bulgarian Confederation of Employers, who is also a partner at “Horizons Bulgaria”, by spring it will be clear what the effect will be for the country – whether the labor market in the IT sector here will follow that in the USA and Western Europe or, on the contrary, Western companies will prefer to rely on even lower costs in Bulgaria. We cannot ignore the fact that salaries in Bulgaria are still below the levels in Western Europe and the USA, which could be interpreted as good news for the labor market here. Expectations are also positive from Nadezhda Vasileva, Managing Director of “Adecco Bulgaria”, as reported by Capital newsletter. According to her, there is always a delay in hiring at the beginning of the year, but with its lower costs, Bulgaria remains attractive and is more likely to attract foreign businesses than to lose them. Whatever the mid-term forecast for the development of the IT sector and hiring new employees in our country may be, one thing is certain – to continue our sustainable development in technology companies, we need to constantly invest in knowledge and quickly retrain to keep up with the dynamic changes in the technological world.

Details

Website

Target audience

Digital skills for the workforce

Digital skills for ICT professionals

 

Digital technology