On this page

1. Career guidance and counselling services

2. Funding

3. Quality assurance

Career guidance and counselling services

In Bulgaria, there are various centers and institutions that provide information and career guidance services to assist citizens in their professional development. 

Information and Career Guidance Centers (Центрове за информация и професионално ориентиране): These centers offer consultations and information on career orientation for individuals over 16 years old. They are licensed by the National Agency for Vocational Education and Training (NAVET). 

Centers for Support of Personal Development – Career Guidance (Центрове за подкрепа за личностно развитие – кариерно ориентиране и консултиране): There are 27 such centers across the country that provide career guidance services to students, helping them understand their interests and the labor market.

The National Portal for Career Guidance of School Students(Национален портал за кариерно ориентиране на учениците) was created by the Ministry of Education and Science with the financial support of the European Union. The aim is to establish an integrated system for realization and employment of the qualification acquired by the secondary school graduates in line with labor market requirements. The Portal provides information about secondary education and professional colleges, career guidance centers, career guidance program. It also contains thematic videos on career guidance and interactive exercises. 

The Ministry of Labor and Social Policy, through the Employment Agency, offers services for professional information, consultations and guidance, which aim to assist in: choosing the right profession/specialty according to the psychophysical features and personal interests of the clients; choice of career path; choice of appropriate training, including training institutions.

The possible services one can take advantage of, depending on their individual profile can be:

• Professional guidance;
• Motivational training that will be provided both in employment offices and by external licensed organizations;
• Training for acquiring professional qualification and/or key competencies demanded on the labor market;
• Measures for job creation through financial subsidies for employers;
• Internship programs and measures aimed at young people with secondary or higher education and vocational qualifications;
• Subsiding of temporary employment;
• Promoting territorial mobility in the country when looking for and starting work;
• Providing services from the European Employment Services network (EURES);
• Support for starting your own business by young people with high education and qualifications who have motivation and business ideas.

Career centers in the higher education system

The intensification of the dialogue between educational and business institutions in Bulgaria is also supported by career guidance and development centers, which operate in 49 out of 52 higher education institutions. They play a significant role in modern education and training and are an essential means of overcoming barriers in communication between business, academia and students. Their main function, along with student guidance and preparation, is to support the student selection processes for internships and jobs and providing feedback between stakeholders. 

The first Center for Career Development was established in 1994 at the American University in Bulgaria – Blagoevgrad. In 1999 at the Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski” was established a career center under a project with the financial assistance of the Employment Agency and the British Embassy. Now, the biggest university in Bulgaria has career development centers for each faculty. The other career development centers were established in the period 2002 – 2010. Today, career centers are among the most important university structures and are included in accreditation and quality assessment procedures.

The main activities carried out by the career development centers are mainly directed to students and to employers. The career guidance activity for students is mainly related to providing information about jobs, consulting and assistance in the preparation of CVs and cover letters, consultations for preparing for an interview, interviewing students on various issues, collecting information about the professional realization of graduate students, maintaining information boards and websites with up-to-date materials for students, as job ads, ads for professional realization-related events, scholarships for training abroad, training seminars in the country and abroad.

An important strand in the activities of the career development centers is the cooperation with employers. It includes, first of all, holding company presentations, conducting internships, maintaining relationships with employers wishing to use the services of career centers, etc.

The main activities of the career development centers are:

• Registration of students and graduates in career development centers in order to find suitable positions for learning practices and work and to track the professional realization of the graduates;
• Meetings with users of staff organized by career development centers – state institutions, companies, non-governmental organizations;
• Presentations of companies to students for presentation of educational and working positions;
• Organization and conduct of student internships and practices;
• Participation in national and international fora;
• Seminars with students for preparation of CV and cover letters.

Funding

Career guidance centers in Bulgaria receive funding from a variety of sources, including government programs, European Union (EU) funds, and private organizations. The Ministry of Education and Science, the Ministry of Labor and Social Policy, the National Employment Agency (NEA), and the National Agency for Vocational Education and Training (NAVET) oversee and regulate these services. NAVET is responsible for licensing private career guidance and information centers.

Quality assurance

Every year, the Ministry of Education and Science collects aggregated information for the activities of career centers according to indicators approved by the Minister of Education and Science.