Bulgaria's Vocational Education and Training Act: 2026

The Vocational Education and Training Act (ЗПОО) has been in force since 1999, but over the last two years it has undergone a series of substantial changes. The Act Amending and Supplementing the ЗПОО, published in State Gazette (ДВ) issue 27 of 29 March 2024, introduced broad-profile professions and a new List of Professions, and the latest amendment was published in ДВ issue 16 of 10 February 2026. Even so, there is practically no freely accessible structured analysis of the law.

Only the raw text of the law and narrow news notes on individual changes are publicly indexed. This material systematises the system of vocational education and training (ПОО) for practising lawyers, for the legal and HR departments of vocational training centres (ЦПО) and vocational colleges, and for compliance officers who work with the National Agency for Vocational Education and Training (НАПОО) and the Ministry of Education and Science (МОН).

Subject and scope of the ЗПОО (Arts. 1 to 5)

Art. 1 ЗПОО outlines the subject of the law and its limits. The provision regulates the relations for ensuring the right to ПОО, and para. 3 refers school vocational education and training to the special regime of the Pre-school and School Education Act (ЗПУО). This distinction matters in principle, because it determines which legal act applies to a given entity: a school institution or a training centre for people above a certain age.

The aims and tasks of the system are set out in Art. 2 and Art. 3: Art. 2 defines the aim (preparing citizens for professional fulfilment and participation in public life), and Art. 3 specifies the tasks. The structure of the system is listed exhaustively in Art. 4. It should be noted that the structural nomenclature itself is contained precisely in Art. 4, while Art. 5 defines the content of each element: para. 1 regulates vocational guidance, para. 2 training, and para. 3 education.

Institutions and bodies in the ПОО system

The circle of institutions entitled to provide vocational training is set out in Art. 9 ЗПОО and covers vocational high schools, vocational colleges and vocational training centres. State policy is determined by the Ministry of Education and Science (МОН) in cooperation with the Ministry of Labour and Social Policy (МТСП), whose roles and the state educational standards (ДОС) are regulated in Arts. 50 to 52.

A key role belongs to the National Agency for Vocational Education and Training (НАПОО), which licenses vocational training centres and vocational colleges, maintains a public register and takes part in drawing up the List of Professions for ПОО (СППОО). The powers of subsequent control and the licensing regime are contained in Art. 49в and the following articles.

Degrees of professional qualification and the List of Professions

There are four degrees of professional qualification acquired under the ЗПОО: first, second, third and fourth (Art. 8(2)). The levels and requirements for each degree are described in Art. 8(3), and the qualification is based on acquired units of learning outcomes (ЕРУ). This approach ties the degree to measurable results, not only to the length of the training.

The professions in which training is provided are contained in the List of Professions for Vocational Education and Training (СППОО). With the amendments of 2024 the legislator introduced the concept of broad-profile professions and a new СППОО, and the specialities of the previous list fall away in favour of broader professional profiles. In parallel, the concept of “part of a profession” was defined in law, which allows individual units of learning outcomes to be acquired and validated.

Dual training and validation of competences

The dual system of training, also known as work-based learning, is regulated in Art. 5(4) ЗПОО. In it, theoretical preparation in a training institution is combined with practical training in a real working environment with an employer, on the basis of contractual relations between the employer and the learner. This model is central to the policies of linking education with the labour market.

The validation of professional knowledge, skills and competences is a separate element of the system (Art. 5(5) at conceptual level), while the operational procedure is set out in Art. 40 of Chapter Three. Validation establishes and recognises competences acquired through non-formal training or informal learning, which is especially relevant for adults without a formally documented qualification.

Licensing of vocational training centres (ЦПО)

Vocational training centres operate on the basis of a licence issued by НАПОО. The licensing regime covers a check of the training documentation, the material base and the staffing for each profession for which a licence is sought. The change of the СППОО in 2024 requires re-registration and bringing issued licences into line with the new broad-profile professions.

A substantial relief for training institutions is the repeal of the case under Art. 49б(13), item 2, which provided for a profession to be removed from the licence if no training had been provided in it for more than 5 consecutive years. This change, introduced by the Act Amending and Supplementing the ЗПОО (ДВ issue 27 of 2024), gives centres more flexibility to keep a licence for professions in which training is seasonal or demand is irregular.

Changes to the ЗПОО 2024 to 2026: what changed

The series of amendments over the last two years redrew several key elements of the system. The most significant act is the Act Amending and Supplementing the ЗПОО (ДВ issue 27 of 29 March 2024), which introduced broad-profile professions, a new СППОО and the legal concept of “part of a profession”, and also repealed the 5-year case mentioned above. In 2025 Ordinance No. 3 of 3 June 2025 was adopted, regulating quality assurance of ПОО in vocational colleges and vocational training centres. The latest amendment of the law itself was published in ДВ issue 16 of 10 February 2026.

Quality assurance and the ДОС

The acquisition of a professional qualification is regulated by framework programmes approved by the Minister of Education and Science (Art. 10). The framework programmes (marked with the letters А to Е) define the aims, content and duration of training for the different entry levels and forms. This needs to be distinguished from the question of institutions: Art. 10 regulates precisely the framework programmes, not the bodies of the system.

The quality of training is ensured by building an internal quality assurance system by the institutions under Art. 9. The legal basis is Art. 9а, which delegates to the executive power the issue of an ordinance on the procedure and conditions. It is on this basis that Ordinance No. 3 of 3 June 2025 for colleges and ЦПО was adopted, which introduces mechanisms for self-assessment and monitoring.

Practical guidance for lawyers and training institutions

Lawyers serving training centres and colleges should build a systematic approach to tracking the legal framework. The ЗПОО has been amended more than 40 times since 1999, and a large part of the regulation is in secondary legislation (ordinances, framework programmes, СППОО), which changes independently of the law. Working with an up-to-date consolidated text and tracking versions is a condition for correct legal service.

For the wider legal framework of education, it is useful to read the ЗПОО together with the Higher Education Act (ЗВО) and the Pre-school and School Education Act (ЗПУО), which outline the neighbouring education regimes. For specific cases on licensing, validation or the move to the new СППОО, it is advisable to consult a lawyer who specialises in education law.

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