Bulgarian regional development ministry launches a call for mapping the skills of those affected by the coal transition

The Bulgarian Ministry of Regional Development and Public Works (MRDPW) has opened a call for mapping the skills of those indirectly affected by the transformation in Bulgaria's coal regions. For this purpose, 1.5 million euros will be allocated from the Regional Development Program 2021-2027. The idea is to conduct several studies in order to clarify how the local workforce can be retrained.

The study will cover a total of 36 municipalities in the provinces of Stara Zagora, Kyustendil and Pernik, as well as adjacent settlements in the provinces of Sliven, Yambol and Haskovo, which fall within the territorial scope of the Just Transition Fund.

A specific beneficiary of the call is the Ministry of Labor and Social Policy (MLSP) through its Labor Market Policy Directorate. The department can submit one project proposal. No co-financing will be required when applying, as the entire amount will be provided as a grant. 

Eligible partners for the study are the Employment Agency, the National Statistical Institute, and the national representative organizations of workers and employees (including their regional branches). 

What is the plan?

The mapping involves researching and surveying individuals who will be affected by the reduction of coal mining and electricity production in order to develop the most appropriate measures for retraining and upgrading their competencies.

Their communication skills, teamwork abilities, problem-solving skills, digital skills, as well as professional skills will be examined. Current and future demands on the labor market will be taken into account.

The goal is to create conditions for increasing adaptability to professions, including the emergence of new ones related to the climate transition or technological changes, offering carbon-neutral production," the MRDPW press release states.

Recommendations and conclusions will then be drawn up to plan specific steps for career development, for improving qualifications or retraining, and for the adaptation of indirectly affected people to new professions.

What activities will be funded?

The public funds will finance activities to develop a methodology to identify target groups of people indirectly affected by the climate transition, including household members where at least one person works in a thermal power plant or a coal mine, as well as affected related businesses.

The other type of activities concerns the mapping of skills and attitudes through upgrading and/or retraining of individuals from the target groups, as well as summarizing and analyzing the results and preparing reports for each of the three areas with included conclusions and recommendations.

The measure will create a prerequisite for improving the match between demand and supply in the labor market. In this way, the negative socio-economic effect caused by the green transition will be mitigated.”

The procedure will be implemented through direct grant funding. The deadline for submitting a project proposal is 18:00 on February 4.

The open call documentation is published here.

Co-Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the Managing Authority. Neither the European Union nor the Managing Authority can be held responsible for them.

Translated by Tzvetozar Vincent Iolov