“The Major Challenge Facing the Four Municipalities in the Gabrovo Region, Where One in Three Residents is Over 65, Is How to Stop the Outflow of Young People to Major Cities. This Issue is Evident in the Municipal Youth Plans, Which Aim to Address the Problem and Outline How Local Authorities Intend to Combat It.
In Bulgaria, municipalities are required to adopt youth plans at the beginning of each year. This obligation stems from the Youth Act, which defines ‘young people’ as those aged between 15 and 29. Given the age range that these plans must cover, they include data on young individuals in schools as well as those already in the labor market.
As required by law, municipalities are expected to outline specific steps through their plans to create conditions for learning and employment for the youth. Various initiatives are indeed presented in these plans; however, the effectiveness of some remains questionable. Notably absent is any attempt to align vocational education with the needs of the local economy.
One of the reasons young people leave is the imbalance between education and the labor market.
This conclusion is supported by the ‘Regional Profiles’ analysis from the Institute for Market Economics. The alignment between vocational education and the economic profile in the Gabrovo region is weak—39.2% (compared to 53.1% nationwide) in 2023. This is notable for a region that ranks second in the country, after Sofia, for most EU funds absorbed, and where foreign direct investment reaches €4,400 per person, placing the region among the top four in this regard. The value of production in the Gabrovo region is estimated at BGN 103,600 per employee.
In terms of income, Gabrovo ranks second after Sofia, yet leads in terms of an aging population.
In this context, Gabrovo has the worst demographic profile in the country after Vidin, according to the Institute for Market Economics. The population is aging, and more young individuals are seeking opportunities outside the region. A negligible percentage of graduates find work in their field. This applies equally to the regional city and the other three municipalities—Sevlievo, Dryanovo, and Tryavna—of which only Sevlievo has a strong economy.
In Tryavna, young people account for less than 10%.
As of December 31, 2024, there are 992 individuals aged 15 to 29 residing in the municipality. In 2024, 48 babies were born in Tryavna, a figure that is half of what it was twenty years ago, indicating a persistent decline in birth rates.
The municipality has two primary and two secondary schools, with one primary school in the town of Plachkovtsi serving only 28 children.”
“One high school is a general education institution, while the other is the National High School of Applied Arts ‘Trevnenska School.’ After finishing seventh grade, children leave to study elsewhere, and in most cases, they do not return to Tryavna, according to the town’s annual youth plan approved by the local Municipal Council at the beginning of this year. Those who remain often ‘start the first available job, most frequently in the service sector, trade, and hospitality.’ Half of the graduates do not work in their field.
The youth plan for the municipality of Dryanovo states roughly the same:
‘Young people face challenges entering the labor market due to a lack of practical and work experience in their field of study and are demotivated by the offered wages.’ The plan also mentions something that has been known for years—there is a mismatch between the actual demand for labor and the real supply of workers. One reason for this is the ‘lowered level of qualifications,’ according to the municipal administration in Dryanovo. Reading between the lines, this means that vocational education does not adequately prepare graduates who can immediately start working and meet employers’ requirements.
In Dryanovo, the population is 8,869 people, of which 1,095 are aged between 15 and 29. The municipality has one secondary school and a vocational high school focused on economics. This year, it has accepted students for specializations in ‘Tourism and Leisure Organization’ and ‘Machines and Systems with CNC’—a dual education model that includes an expanded study of English.
In Sevlievo, under a quarter of vocational high school graduates find work in their specialization, according to the youth plan for 2025 that is set to be discussed and approved by the city’s Municipal Council.
Despite being one of the major economic centers in the region, concentrated with large manufacturing companies, there has been a shortage of workers for years, amidst three existing vocational high schools. According to data from the local municipal administration, half of those who graduated in 2024 from the Vocational High School of Transport and Mechanical Engineering in the village of Gradnitsa are unemployed.
Gabrovo is the only town in the region with a higher education institution—the Technical University—but even there, ‘retaining young people is a challenge due to salaries that meet their expectations,’ states the local youth plan for 2024 (the one for 2025 has yet to be approved, ed.).
It is evident that there is a discrepancy between what employers are seeking and what high schools are providing,
even though the Gabrovo region ranks second after Ruse in terms of the number of students engaged in dual education, popularly known as ‘learning through work.’ In Ruse, 32% of students participate in dual education, while in Gabrovo, the rate is 28%, followed by Vidin at 24%.
In response to this data, synchronizing high school admissions with the needs of the local economy is a feasible step. It could be included in the municipal youth plans and would represent a practical measure towards providing opportunities for young people in the region, instead of complex jargon mimicking commitment. However, this is precisely what is not being done; Gabrovo leads in terms of an aging population, and before every election, candidates for power compete to discuss deteriorating demographic trends. In most cases, their rhetoric halts after taking office and resumes during the next election cycle.
For years, vocational high schools in the region have been offering admissions to the same fields of study,
thus producing graduates over the years who will never work in their trained professions—even those with dual education, which enhances their experience with practical training.”
“In the Gabrovo region, for the academic year 2024-2025, the professions with the highest enrollment are ‘Transport Technician,’ ‘Electronic Technician,’ and ‘Computer Systems Technician.’ However, businesses are seeking three different specialists: ‘Machine Technician,’ ‘Livestock Worker,’ and ‘Economist’ (according to data from the Institute for Market Economics).
While it may be too late for this year, there is still time before next year.
What municipalities can do right now (not just the four in Gabrovo, as this issue is widespread) is analyze the employment outcomes of their young people who graduated from vocational high schools locally. A study on the needs of local industries would serve as the ideal guideline for the next enrollment plan. There will be ample opportunity to advocate for new specializations, leading to training that will provide tangible benefits.
If municipalities continue to produce youth plans annually that essentially repeat one another, merely because the law mandates them, we will continue to discuss regions with aging populations, labor shortages, and the outflow of young people to Sofia, Plovdiv, Varna, and Burgas.”
