30.05.2023

WHO IS ELIGIBLE TO CONDUCT TRAINING WITH VOUCHERS TO EMPLOYED AND UNEMPLOYED PERSONS

With the mechanism introduced at the end of 2009 for financing the training of employed and unemployed persons under procedures for the direct provision of financial assistance through vouchers, prerequisites were created for the inclusion of a large number of persons in training for the acquisition of professional qualifications and key competences.

When organizing the training, the leading principle is granting the right of free choice to the specific person. Persons who have received a training voucher have the right to independently choose the type of training, its duration and the training provider. Who and under what conditions can provide these trainings, according to the requirements of the law?

Training providers who meet certain regulatory requirements have the right to carry out voucher-financed training for professional qualification/key competences. They must hold a valid license issued by the National Agency for Vocational Education and Training (NAVET) to provide training for the acquisition of a professional qualification for a specific profession and specialty. The other option is to be an educational institution under the Preschool and School Education Act to provide training in the relevant profession or profession specialty.

Organizations are required to have an equipped material and technical base within the locality in which the training will take place, as well as to have teachers in theory and practice.

Employers whose workers or employees are included in training under this order have the right to be present during the training sessions and/or when taking the exams. Employers are not allowed to request documents and do a document check of training providers.

The Employment Agency pays the training providers for the specific training carried out funds equal to the value of the voucher for the relevant training, after presenting the necessary documents and the certificate received by the trainee after successfully passing the exam for the relevant level of competence. In the event of non-appearance of a certification exam without good reason, the training provider may require the individual to refund the value of the training voucher provided.

The value that will be paid with a voucher includes all the inherent costs of the training, including the taxes and fees due according to Bulgarian legislation, with the exception of the costs of scholarships and transport, when the training is for unemployed persons. Training providers are entitled to receive only the value of the voucher in BGN indicated on it.

The certification of the acquired knowledge and skills is carried out through an exam according to instructions approved by the Minister of Labor and Social Policy. Individuals who have received a Digital Competency Training Voucher must take the certification exam within one month of completing the training, and may take the exam no more than twice.

The adopted regulation on the provision of learning vouchers creates a regulatory framework to increase the participation in lifelong learning of tens of thousands of employed, unemployed and inactive persons, and increase their chances for better employment and a higher standard of living.