The challenges of the digital and green transition and young people’s skills for them were among the topics that Deputy Minister of Education and Science Natalia Miteva discussed together with representatives of 39 countries in Brussels. She took part in the Global Forum on Skills for the Future, organized by the OECD. It was attended by delegations from all over the world – New Zealand, Japan, European countries, USA, Canada, Costa Rica, etc.
“Everything starts from the very beginning, from the earliest childhood development. This is also one of the leading priorities of the team of the Ministry of Education and Science,” said Deputy Minister Miteva. According to her, training in digital competences will be strengthened with a focus on the goal we want to achieve, namely Bulgaria of high added value. During the forum, it was emphasized that Bulgaria can develop and position itself as a center of medium and high-tech innovations in 5 thematic areas: computer science, mechatronics and microelectronics, the health industry, bioeconomy and biotechnology, new technologies in the creative industries, clean technologies, the circular and low-carbon economy. Our country has a well-established foundation in building capacity and market positions, therefore improving our efficiency in innovation at the national and regional level is a priority of the Ministry of Innovation and Growth, and the MLSP and MES fully support the process with all their resources.
Participating countries agreed that a holistic approach to developing the skills of students, young people, workers and jobseekers is needed. This can best be done in partnership with business, training and employer organizations and academic structures. The leitmotif of the forum was two large sets of skills that are key to developing strong economies and democratic societies in the future: digital and green skills. World leaders emphasized the key role of creating new kinds of curricula and holistic learning experiences to support the development of these skills, alongside soft skills and social-emotional competencies.
In Brussels, Deputy Minister Miteva also visited a center for digital training, developed by the state and the Brussels municipality and subsequently sponsored by Google, aimed at inactive youth. As part of her visit, she was also a guest of a competence center in the Belgian region of Wallonia, built with funds from the country’s Recovery and Resilience Plan. It trains young job seekers; workers in the biotechnological and chemical industries; as well as learners with vocational high schools. The visit was also attended by the Secretary General of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, Mathias Korman, ministers from Belgium and representatives of employers and local authorities.
The Bulgarian delegation was led by the Minister of Labor and Social Policy, Dr. Ivanka Shalapatova, and included representatives of the Human Resources Development Center at the MLSP and the Employment Agency.
