Two Steps to Employability
The national Skills Campaign is a project of Education Bulgaria 2030 – an alliance of over 40 organisations and individuals from the public, private and third sectors co-founded by Eva Maydell.
Started in Stara Zagora in 2016, the Skills Campaign aims to motivate young people to develop their knowledge and skills and make themselves more employable, as well as incentivising businesses to offer more work placements and apprenticeships to under-24s.
The project will unfold in two main phases: Phase One constitutes an interactive in-class workshop for students aged between 15 and 18, focusing on the key skills that the labour market of the 21 st century demands – teamwork for the moment, with public speaking, presentation skills, etc. to follow soon. Combining interactive learning with practical activities (including a ‘World Café’-game), the sessions allow young people to reflect on what they’ve heard and put it into practice, while remaining engaged and having fun at the same time.
Phase Two is where students and businesses get to work on building a productive relationship and putting those new skills into practice. Placements are allocated on the basis of the particular interests and strengths of pupils, with input from their teachers. Taking the form of a short internship or a multiple-day visit to the office of a local company, Phase Two is a taster of professional life and adult responsibility, all the while providing the support young people need to make the most of the opportunity.
The project is already underway, with almost 400 pupils having gone through both phases in Stara Zagora, Veliko Tarnovo, Haskovo, Ivaylovgrad and Pravetz. The Skills Campaign is positive that, by the end of 2017, that number will be more or less a thousand.