 The Primary and the Secondary education received in the vocational schools and lyceum in Bulgaria are regulated by the Law for the popular education, the Law for the level of education, the general educational minimum and the school planning and the state educational demands as well as by the Law for the vocational education. The system of the vocational education includes the vocational orientation and the vocational education.

 The vocational education aims: the receiving of the professional  Qualification, professional capacity, including regulated professions, improving the professional qualification, the creation of the motivation system for realization,” the creation of the general culture on the basis of the  National and universal values…  The professional orientation and the vocational education are completed on different professions and specialities, included in the List of the professions in the vocational education.

 It is made on the basis of Frame Programs in order to achieve vocational qualification. For the students the programs are as followed:  3 years after the 6-th class  4 years after the primary education or a class from the secondary education  6 years after the 7-th class  4 year after the primary education in the schools of art  1 year after the primary school or a class from the secondary school  For the students after 16 years  1 year after the 6 class  1 year after a class from the secondary school or secondary education completed  4-5 years after the primary  2 years after the secondary education  The minimum age of the students to enter the vocational education is 13 when the studies are in a school and 16 when it is made in another place.

 The general theoretical education are followed by a practical education and professional qualification which must be at least 40% of the whole education. The vocational education is made in a educational-center of practice in the schools, in centers for vocational education and in the enterprises.

 The National Agency for vocational education:  -elaborates and confirms criteria and procedures of license  -give and take away license for vocational education and orientation  -participates the educational state standards for receiving qualifications for different professions  Participates in the elaboration of unified standards for the conditions, the organization and the content of the vocational education for different professions  -proposes changes in the Law for popular education in the part for vocational education  -gives the obligation to institutions to make research and implement them in vocational education and orientation  -elaborates strategy for developing and improving the vocational education  Creates and takes care for the Register of the centers for vocational education and centers for information and vocational orientation  -approves programs for education which are out of the educational state standards

 The bodies of the National Agency for vocational education and orientation are:  The Administrative board and its president  The Administrative board consists of president and 24 members as following:  8 representatives from the ministries  8 representatives of the employers  8 representatives of the organizations of workers and employees at the national level  The Administrative board has a mandate of 4 years and the members and the president could be reelected for two terms of 4 years.  The Administrative board gathers at least once every tree months.  The President of the Administrative board is the President of the Agency. The commissions of experts, created on the proposal of the Administrative Board have 9 members: 1 representative from the Ministry of education and science, one from the Ministry of labour and social affairs and tree representatives from employer side and tree from the worker’s organizations.

The regional inspectorates for educationbelonging to the Ministry of education and science make the state policy in the field of vocational education in the region. The Ministry of labour and social affairs defines the conditions for the development of the vocational education in connection with the development of the labour market. The Ministry of health participates in the making of the List of professions and defines the chronical deseases and physical disabilities which are not in accordance with the vocational education. It regulates the conditions for the education and practice through the State Health control. The ministries in the different branches participate in the elaboration of the list of professions and the state standards for the different professions.

 The municipalities participate in the elaboration of the policy in the field of the vocational education in the regions concerning :  personnel  the vocational orientation  changes in the Register  distribution of the defined financial resources and the control of their spendings  improving the buildings,didactic materials,working conditions

The Organizations of the workers and employees:  participate in the actualization of the state standards  in the changes of the List of the professions  define its representatives in the Administrative board and in the commissions of experts of the National Agency for vocational education The union branch organizations;  defend the interests of the students before the employers in the labor  Relations and security conditions during the practice  participate in the organization and during the exams for receiving a professional qualification  define its representatives in the commissions of expert in the National Agency for vocational education

 Financing of the vocational education and orientation is done as follows:  The state and municipal schools and centers for vocational education, centers for information and professional orientation and centers for qualification of the students are financed by:  -the State budget  -the budget of the municipalities  -sponsors  -donations  -testament  -own outcomes  -national and international program-other sources

 The subsidies from the state budget and the budget of the municipalities assure the financial possibilities for:  -maintenance of the vocational education in the state and municipal schools  -administrative and financial services of the state and municipal centers  for information and professional orientation as well as centers for professional qualification  -maintenance of the professional orientation in the state and municipal centers for information and orientation  -maintenance of the qualification of individuals, which are making vocation education in centers for qualification

 The state and municipal institutions in the system of the vocational education make a separate budget.  The own resources are used for the maintenance and the improvement of the material conditions..The subsidies from the state budget and the municipal budget are not diminishing because of the own resources.  The vocational colleges and centers for vocational education gather taxes  For education of physical and juridical individuals.  The state and municipal centers for information and professional orientation are financed by a supplementary activities, defined by a special Regulation rules.

The National agency for vocational education is financed with the resources from the state budget, by own resources,sponsors,donations,testaments and others.The National Agency for vocational education gathers taxes for giving licenses for the vocational education and orientation, on the basis of regulations given by the Council of ministers.

 The financing of the vocational education out of the state, professional standards as well as the practice organized in the state and municipal schools and centers for vocational education is done with finances paid by physical individuals on the basis of contracts.  Practice abroad is organized by state and municipal schools and centers for financing by the school or the center with a contract with the foreign institution for vocational education.

The reforms in our country in this field are very slow and not always in the good direction.We need a national debate for defining a whole strategy about the vocational education and its better adaptation to the labor market which is one of the main objectives of this kind of education.

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