Challenges facing vocational education and training in Bulgaria and digital tools to address them

Vocational education and training (VET) is a bridge between education and the labour market in the economies of Industry 4.0 and Industry 5.0. In the digital decade, the concept of automation, the use of Big Data and IoT technologies would only be effective if the labour market is able to provide timely, sufficient and well-trained personnel. According to the European Centre for the Development of VET, vocational education and training is crucial to equip EU employees and learners with the right skills, as well as to support their transition to a more ecological, “green†mindset. The report focuses on the goals that need to be achieved in VET by 2030 and the digital technologies which are the necessary part of this process. The difficulties that Bulgaria encounters in the process of digitalization as a whole are examined, as well as those faced by the individual entities participating in the process of vocational education and training - the National Agency for Vocational Education and Training, vocational training centers, information and career guidance centers, trainers and trainees. A retrospective of the digital tools used - LMS, LCMS, AI, LXP and others and the need for their synchronization in a common "ecosystem" is made.