EU Member States

Bulgaria

Apprenticeships and vocational education and training (VET) in Bulgaria: 1 apprenticeship scheme · 39 VET policies (14 on apprenticeship) · 75 indicators with data · 34 open datasets.

Apprenticeship schemes
Key figures
More indicators
Apprenticeship policies
Open datasets

Apprenticeship schemes

Bulgaria has 1 mainstream apprenticeship scheme in Cedefop's European database on apprenticeship schemes.

Work-based learning (dual system)

Обучение чрез работа

Introduced in 2014 with Swiss and German support: pupils in the dual track sign an employment contract with a partner company for the last two school grades, splitting the week between work and school.

Education level

Upper secondary (EQF 4)

Duration

5-yr programme; last 2 years at the workplace

Time at the workplace

Around half — Min 2 days/week (grade 11), 3 days/week (grade 12)

Apprentice compensation

Wage

Pay (as stated)

Salary set by law: at least 2× the max student grant in grade 11, 3× in grade 12; employer-paid

Apprentices

10 765 students (2025/26)

Qualification

VET qualification, EQF 4 (schools) / EQF 2–4 (training centres)

Full record Compare with all schemes Cedefop fiche ↗

Source: Cedefop — European database on apprenticeship schemes. Cedefop's coded answers (filters and the comparison matrix) are imported directly from the 2026 fiches. The short descriptions (overview, duration, learners, pay) were condensed by hand and checked against the fiche text on 2026-10-01. The official fiches remain authoritative.

Key figures

Latest value for Bulgaria on the main measures of vocational education and work-based learning, with the EU-27 figure for the same year where one is published. Select an indicator for its map, ranking, trend and downloads.

Indicator	Bulgaria	EU-27	Year
Share of upper-secondary VET pupils in work-based programmesEurostat; calculation by Apprentix · educ_uoe_enrs04	6.7%	24.7% d	2024
Pupils in combined school- and work-based upper-secondary VETEurostat · educ_uoe_enrs04	11,347 pupils	2,262,565 pupils d	2024
IVET students as % of all upper secondary studentsCedefop · KIVET 1010	57.1%	49.4%	2024
Employment rate of recent VET graduatesEurostat · edat_lfse_24	78.8% u	80.1%	2025
Employment premium for recent IVET graduates (over general stream) (%)Cedefop · KIVET 2090a	28.5% u	13.3%	2025
Employment rate of adults with vocational vs general upper-secondary qualifications (OECD)Vocational upper secondary or post-secondary non-tertiary education; From 25 to 64 yearsOECD	84.0%	—	2025
Enterprises employing initial-VET participantsEurostat · trng_cvt_34s	3.8% of enterprises	32.4% of enterprises	2020
IVET learners who benefitted from a learning mobility abroad (%)Cedefop · KIVET 1026	5.9%	2.2% dV	2021
Erasmus+ VET mobility projectsEuropean Commission (DG EAC / EACEA), Erasmus+ project results · ErasmusPlus_KA1	228 projects	6,890 projects	2025
Early leavers from education and training (%)Cedefop · KIVET 3010	8.6%	9.1%	2025
NEET rate for 15-29 year-olds (%)Cedefop · KIVET 3030	13.8%	11.0%	2025

Sources: Eurostat; calculation by Apprentix (CC-BY-4.0); Eurostat (CC-BY-4.0); Cedefop (CC-BY-4.0); OECD (CC-BY-4.0); European Commission (DG EAC / EACEA), Erasmus+ project results (CC-BY-4.0). Totals only (default breakdown). Letters after a value are the publisher's flags; hover for their meaning.

More indicators

64 further indicators have data for Bulgaria, each with a map, ranking, trend and downloads.

Show 64 indicators

Adults (16-74 year-olds) learning online (%)Cedefop · Access, attractiveness and flexibility
Adults (25-64 year-olds) who wanted to participate in training but did not (%)Cedefop · Access, attractiveness and flexibility
Adults (25-64 year-olds) with a learning experience in the last 12 months (%) - AESCedefop · Access, attractiveness and flexibility
Adults (25-64 year-olds) with a learning experience in the last 12 months (%) - AES (excl. GOJT)Cedefop · Access, attractiveness and flexibility
Adults (25-64 year-olds) with a learning experience in the last 12 months (%) - LFSCedefop · Access, attractiveness and flexibility
Adults (25-64 year-olds) with a learning experience in the last 4 weeks (%) - LFSCedefop · Access, attractiveness and flexibility
Enterprises sponsoring training (%)Cedefop · Access, attractiveness and flexibility
Female IVET students as % of all female upper secondary studentsCedefop · Access, attractiveness and flexibility
Hours spent in CVT courses (per 1000 hours worked)Cedefop · Access, attractiveness and flexibility
IVET students with direct access to tertiary education as % of all upper secondary IVETCedefop · Access, attractiveness and flexibility
IVET work-based students as % of all upper secondary IVETCedefop · Access, attractiveness and flexibility
Job-related non-formal adult learning (%) - AESCedefop · Access, attractiveness and flexibility
Low-qualified adults with a learning experience in the last 12 months (%) - AESCedefop · Access, attractiveness and flexibility
Low-qualified adults with a learning experience in the last 4 weeks (%) - LFSCedefop · Access, attractiveness and flexibility
Older adults (55-64 year-olds) with a learning experience in the last 12 months (%) - AESCedefop · Access, attractiveness and flexibility
Older adults (55-64 year-olds) with a learning experience in the last 12 months (%) - AES (excl. GOJT)Cedefop · Access, attractiveness and flexibility
Older adults (55-64 year-olds) with a learning experience in the last 12 months (%) - LFSCedefop · Access, attractiveness and flexibility
Older adults (55-64 year-olds) with a learning experience in the last 4 weeks (%) - LFSCedefop · Access, attractiveness and flexibility
Small firms' workers participating in CVT courses (%)Cedefop · Access, attractiveness and flexibility
Unemployed adults with a learning experience in the last 4 weeks (%)Cedefop · Access, attractiveness and flexibility
Workers participating in CVT courses (% of staff)Cedefop · Access, attractiveness and flexibility
Workers participating in on-the-job training (% of staff)Cedefop · Access, attractiveness and flexibility
Young IVET graduates in further education and training (%)Cedefop · Access, attractiveness and flexibility
25-34 year-olds with tertiary attainment (%)Cedefop · Education and employment context
Adults with lower level of educational attainment (%)Cedefop · Education and employment context
Employment in knowledge intensive activities (% of total employment)Cedefop · Education and employment context
Employment rate for 20-64 year-olds (%)Cedefop · Education and employment context
Employment rate for 20-64 year-olds with lower level of educational attainment (%)Cedefop · Education and employment context
Employment rate of recent graduates (%)Cedefop · Education and employment context
Gender employment gap (%)Cedefop · Education and employment context
Medium/high-qualified employment (% of total in the age group of 20-64 years olds)Cedefop · Education and employment context
Out-of-school rate for population of upper secondary education school age (%)Cedefop · Education and employment context
Unemployment rate for 20-34 year-olds (%)Cedefop · Education and employment context
Participations in Centres of Vocational Excellence projectsEuropean Commission (DG EMPL), Centres of Vocational Excellence · Excellence
Adults' average expenditure on non-formal learning (EUR per participant)Cedefop · Expenditure
Enterprise expenditure on CVT courses as % of total labour costCedefop · Expenditure
Government expenditure on training for persons with difficulties on the labour market (% of GDP)Cedefop · Expenditure
Government expenditure on vocational secondary and post-secondary education (UIS)UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS) · Expenditure
IVET public expenditure (% of GDP)Cedefop · Expenditure
IVET public expenditure per student (1000 PPS units)Cedefop · Expenditure
Employed ICT specialists (1000s)Cedefop · Key indicators on VET
People at risk of poverty or social exclusion (1000s)Cedefop · Key indicators on VET
EU grant for Erasmus+ VET mobility projectsEuropean Commission (DG EAC / EACEA), Erasmus+ project results · Mobility
New Erasmus accreditations in VETEuropean Commission (DG EAC / EACEA), Erasmus+ project results · Mobility
Employment rate of recent general-education graduatesEurostat · Outcomes
Share of 15–24-year-olds enrolled in vocational education (UIS)UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS) · Participation
Share of VET students in combined school- and work-based programmes (OECD)OECD · Participation
Share of post-secondary non-tertiary students in vocational programmes (UIS)UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS) · Participation
Share of secondary students in vocational programmes (UIS)UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS) · Participation
Share of upper-secondary students in vocational programmes (UIS)UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS) · Participation
Adults (16-74 year-olds) with at least basic digital skills (%)Cedefop · Skills development and labour market relevance
Average number of foreign languages learned in IVETCedefop · Skills development and labour market relevance
Employment rate for recent IVET graduates (20-34 year-olds) (%)Cedefop · Skills development and labour market relevance
IVET graduates as % of all upper secondary graduatesCedefop · Skills development and labour market relevance
Job-related non-formal adult learning activities with acquired skills being used at least to fair extent (%) – AES.Cedefop · Skills development and labour market relevance
Job-related non-formal adult learning activities with favourable outcomes (%) - AES.Cedefop · Skills development and labour market relevance
STEM graduates from upper secondary IVET (% of total)Cedefop · Skills development and labour market relevance
Workers helped to improve their work by training (%)Cedefop · Skills development and labour market relevance
Workers with skills matched to their duties (%)Cedefop · Skills development and labour market relevance
Cedefop labour and skills shortage index (CLSSI) by occupationCedefop · Skills intelligence
European Skills Index (ESI) — 2018, 2020 and 2022 editions as publishedCedefop · Skills intelligence
European Skills Index (ESI), 2024 methodologyCedefop · Skills intelligence
Projected annual employment growth by occupation (STAS short-term projections)Cedefop · Skills intelligence
Projected employment by occupation (STAS short-term projections)Cedefop · Skills intelligence

Recent apprenticeship policies

Cedefop and ReferNet track 39 VET policies in Bulgaria since 2015, of which 14 concern apprenticeship or work-based learning. The most recently reported:

Strategic vision for the development of dual VET (DVET)-2030Strategy/Action plan · Implementation phase (2025)
The modernisation of vocational education and training project, European Social Fund (ESF)Practical measure/Initiative · Implementation phase (2025)
Introducing individual learning accounts (ILAs)Strategy/Action plan · Design phase (2025)
Employment strategy of the Republic of Bulgaria 2021-30Strategy/Action plan · Implementation phase (2025)
National employment action plansStrategy/Action plan · Implementation phase (2025)
Register of employers who meet the requirements for establishing dual VET partnershipsRegulation/Legislation · Implementation phase (2025)
Training programme for mentors in the dual training systemRegulation/Legislation · Implementation phase (2025)
VET provision financial incentives for qualifications in demandRegulation/Legislation · Implementation phase (2025)

All 14 apprenticeship policies All 39 VET policies

Source: Cedefop & ReferNet — Timeline of VET policies in Europe (2025 update) (CC-BY-4.0).

Open datasets

34 open datasets on apprenticeship and VET from Bulgaria are listed on Europe's open-data portals.

Browse 34 datasets

Source: data.europa.eu — the official portal for European data (search API) (EC-reuse). Each dataset keeps its own licence.

Sources and licences

Apprenticeship schemes

Cedefop — European database on apprenticeship schemes. Cedefop's legal notice: reproduction is authorised provided the source is acknowledged, save where otherwise stated. Fiches also credit national ReferNet experts. Read 2026-10-01.

Key figures

Eurostat; calculation by Apprentix (CC-BY-4.0); Eurostat (CC-BY-4.0); Cedefop (CC-BY-4.0); OECD (CC-BY-4.0); European Commission (DG EAC / EACEA), Erasmus+ project results (CC-BY-4.0).

Policies

Cedefop & ReferNet — Timeline of VET policies in Europe (2025 update). CC BY 4.0. Cite as: Cedefop, & ReferNet. (2026). Timeline of VET policies in Europe (2025 update): Research dataset [Data set].

Open datasets

data.europa.eu — the official portal for European data (search API). Catalogue metadata: European Commission reuse notice (Decision 2011/833/EU). Each dataset keeps its own licence, shown per entry.

Last updated

2026-10-01

Apprentix republishes these figures and records; the publishers' own versions remain authoritative. See Data & sources for reuse conditions.

Apprenticeship schemes

Work-based learning (dual system)

Key figures

More indicators

Recent apprenticeship policies

Open datasets

Sources and licences

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