16.12.2022
HOW YOUNG PEOPLE UP TO 29 CAN FIND A JOB
Over the past few years, more than 32,000 unemployed young people have gone through various activities under the "New Opportunity for Youth Employment" project, which is implemented by the Employment Agency. Who can apply for this project, what does it offer young people and which employers can benefit from it?
The most common industries that have benefited from the project so far and where young people have been employed are wholesale and retail trade, information technology, manufacturing and processing of raw materials, hospitality and catering.
"Youth employment is one of the most important programs that we implemented in the previous program period and which continues in the current program period - from 2021 to 2027. It is also the longest procedure that we have ever provided, financed under the program "Development of human resources". At the time, we saw extremely great interest in it, both on the part of employers and on the part of young people", says Nataliya Efremova, Deputy Minister of Labor and Social Policy to BNT.
The "Youth Employment" measure is aimed at young people up to 29 years of age. They can apply to the Labor Office by submitting an application stating that they are looking for an internship or job. Depending on whether they meet the requirements of an employer who has announced that he is looking for young people to work, they can be trained or directly employed in so-called "subsidized employment".
In practice, there are several possibilities. The first is an internship of up to 9 months with an employer. After its expiration, employers are stimulated with European funds to conclude an open-ended employment contract with the unemployed youth. They are reimbursed for the funds they spent on social and health insurance for the employed youth for the first 6 months of the open-ended contract.
This is the case with 20-year-old Gabriela Georgieva from Sofia. She graduated from the National Commercial and Banking High School in Sofia. Her relatives found out about the project and advised her to start an internship in a software company, since it was quite close to the "accounting" specialty she completed. She immediately registered with the employment office. After a few months they connected with her and soon after she started an internship at a software company.
"My mentor Stanislava and I immediately found a common language. I work great with her as she always helps me no matter how busy she is. At first I was really worried about bothering her with my questions, but she was very understanding of the difference between theory and practice and put me at ease in the process. So I wasn't afraid to ask her questions. Moreover, she predisposed me to ask her more and to develop more in the company," says Gabriela Georgieva.
“I introduce Gaby to the activities that an accountant performs on a daily basis. She has been with us for five months now. He familiarized himself with the accounting documents, with the program we work with, and today he is already calmly entering primary accounting documents," says mentor Stanislava Bineva.
The software company believes that applying for the project is simplified, with few documents. The training of the intern has not burdened them. On the contrary, they have an extra person to work with. The program covers the intern's salary for the first six months and he/she receives a minimum wage. In order to stimulate Gabriela, the company decided to pay a certain amount above the minimum wage.
The Ministry of Labor and Social Policy stated that the "New Opportunity for Youth Employment" project is constantly being updated. New activities will be added in accordance with the needs of the labor market. The deadline for municipalities to apply is the end of July 2023.
