AIKB insists on real regulation in higher education, which is adequate to the relationship between the state admission plan and real labor market needs. For this purpose, the Association addressed the Minister of Education:
The Association of Industrial Capital in Bulgaria (AIKB), as the most representative organization of employers at the national level, continues to actively participate, including with its proposals, in the discussion and implementation of all reforms related to the education system. We pay particular attention to the relationship between the state admissions plan and the real needs of the labor market, as we believe that higher education should be a tool for the development of the economy and society, not an end in itself.
Adopted in 2021 The National Map of Higher Education in Bulgaria (NKVORB) laid the foundation for better planning of the educational infrastructure in relation to the needs of the regions and future forecasts for the labor market. However, the implementation of the map so far has shown a number of weaknesses that hinder its successful application. The lack of a clear connection between educational specialties and the labor market, as well as the territorial fragmentation of the approach lead to the creation of structures that do not meet actual needs, but are opened for administrative reasons. AIKB considers that the updated National Map proposed for public discussion contains a number of structural problems that affect the quality and efficiency of the higher education system.
Among them is the fact that the capacity of higher education institutions significantly exceeds the actual demand for educational services. This creates an imbalance especially in directions with low seat occupancy. At the same time, the fragmentation of Bulgaria into six separate regions in the planning of higher education leads to inefficiency and opportunities to open new educational units without the actual need for them. This not only burdens the system, but also makes it difficult to create a coherent strategy for the development of education, based on the real needs of the economy and the labor market. We believe that Bulgaria should be considered as a single region and not divided into six separate regions. This would eliminate unnecessary duplication of units and create conditions for more efficient planning and management of higher education.
The map does not provide an adequate connection between the number of graduates and the demand for specialists, which limits the possibilities for effective use of human resources on a national scale. The lack of a dynamic and long-term vision for adapting the system to the requirements of the labor market limits the effectiveness of NKVORB as a strategic tool.
AICB has always expressed its support for updating the NKVORB, but so far the proposals we have given do not find their systematic place in updating the NKVORB, which continues to lead and deepen a number of weaknesses that are reflected in incorrect political decisions.
These weaknesses, as well as specific proposals, were already discussed at the beginning of 2022. year with the team of the "Open Society" Foundation, as we met with an understanding of their implementation. However, they are still not introduced in the current update and these weaknesses continue to cause an unjustified increase in the state admissions plan for some specialties at the expense of the reduction of others that are vitally important for the functioning of the Bulgarian economy. We should bear in mind that higher education (paid for by the state, i.e. by taxpayers) is an essential tool for meeting the future needs of the labor market and increasing the chances of young people for quality employment. In this regard, we bring to your attention the following proposals and comments, which we would like to be taken into account in the subsequent update of the NCVORB:
Once again, we emphasize that it is necessary to add criteria in the Methodology for developing the map, which give a real connection with the needs of the labor market. Each year, the map gives a snapshot of jobs held by graduates, but does not make it clear whether they are actually employed in their specialty, nor what the requirements are for holding those jobs. Criteria should be added that represent, on the one hand, the number of students in majors, and on the other, the number and type of jobs that are currently occupied and require a specific specialty from the professional fields of higher education.
This criterion, this comparison, will make it possible to evaluate the jobs that will become vacant in the following years (due to retirement), and the necessary number of students from the relevant specialty who can fill them. As can be seen from the Ranking of higher education institutions, nearly 40% of graduates occupy positions that do not require higher education. At the same time, there is an unsatisfied demand for engineers, doctors and other specialists for the needs of industry. The lack of the described criterion only deepens the described problem. At the same time, there are specialties that are unique to a higher school, but according to the current methodology, the admission plan for them is not expected to increase, and may even decrease. This affects some of the technical higher education institutions that fall into the area of type D.
The second significant problem in the methodology is the average calculation of the insurance income of workers in different settlements. The chosen criterion distorts the obtained results, because for example in sought-after majors, in which most of the graduated students are realized in small settlements, the received lower income determines a worse ranking of the relevant major. It is necessary to put a coefficient by which to achieve an adequate comparison. Such a criterion can be a “purchasing power ratio” or by relating the insurance income to the average for the region. Averaging social security incomes can create additional negative attitudes among prospective students for their subsequent realization and, accordingly, choice of profession.
From its creation until now, we believe that the National Map of Higher Education in the Republic of Bulgaria does not fully fulfill the goals for which it was introduced by the legislator, namely - to bring order to the profile and territorial structure of higher education in the country by professional directions and specialties in accordance with the socio-economic development and needs of the labor market.
In order to fulfill the set goals, the NKVORB should reflect the fact that the structural inconsistencies in the labor market are not an indicator of possible unemployment or a stoppage of production in a given industry, but an indicator of a certain discrepancy between the available human capital and the required in individual economic sectors. The trend towards jobs at all levels that require increased application of non-routine skills will continue, and many of the traditional jobs that until recently required the application of physical or routine labor will be replaced by those associated with new competencies mainly in the fields of engineering and the natural and mathematical sciences.
We trust that the proposals made and the arguments given will cause a revision of the present Methodology and through their reflection, a real regulation of higher education will be gradually achieved, tailored to the needs of the Bulgarian economy and society.