E-MOBILITY EDUCATION AND TRAINING IN BULGARIA

Bulgaria aims to increase the number of its electric vehicles over the next decade, from 1 000 in 2020 to 55 000 in 2030, making the country greener and more sustainable. This ambitious goal brings many challenges, such as an increased need for specialised technicians to maintain and repair the new vehicles.

Starting in 2016, Bulgaria’s Ministry of Education and Science, in collaboration with the Electric Mobility Industrial Cluster, a non-governmental organisation of institutions and companies, launched a study curriculum on two new upper secondary level qualifications and training in electric mobility. The 4-year programmes are run in five pilot public vocational education and training schools. The future graduates – the first 300 will complete their degree in 2021 – will be qualified technicians and mechanics for electric vehicles.

The aim of this initiative was also to attract new interest in the field of electric mobility at a time of very low unemployment and shortages in skilled labour in Bulgaria.

Bulgaria’s Ministry of Education and Science and the Electric Mobility Industrial Cluster asked the Hub to assess to what extent the demand for skilled labour in the field of e-mobility matches the labour market supply. Our experts are producing an evidence-based analysis of supply and demand of skilled labour in the field of e-mobility and are investigating the potential to roll out the pilot programmes in more vocational education and training schools. Our experts are also looking into the schools’ equipment needs to help the students succeed.