School-to-Work Transitions in Bulgaria: Social Disparities and Regional Differences Research project, financed by a grant from the Swiss Contribution to the enlarged European Union and the Bulgarian Ministry of Education and Science

Principal Investigators Collaborators Prof. Dr. Christian Imdorf, Department of Social Sciences, University of Basel and University of Bern Prof. DSc. Rumiana Stoilova, Institute for the Study of Societies and Knowledge, Bulgarian Academy of Science, Sofia Prof. DSc. Pepka Boyadjieva (Sofia) Dr. Franziska Bieri (Basel) Assistant Petya Illieva-Trichkova (Sofia) Doctoral Student Lachezar Nyagolov (Sofia)

Project Overview How does the educational system affect social, ethnic and gender disparities in school-to-work transitions across Bulgarian regions? Research Question: Through different educational offers available in different Bulgarian regions the education system shapes social disparities in school-to-work transitions. Main argument: Theoretical Empirical Policy Implications:

Aims a) the mechanisms behind educational (un)success and school-to-work transition in contemporary Bulgaria and especially during the global financial crisis ; b) the social and ethnic inequalities as well as the relatively low gender segregation of these transitions; c) the variation of labour market access and the impact it has on disparities across regions in Bulgaria. The project aims at better understanding:

Challenges Unemployment rates of young people (aged 15-24), 2014 Source: Eurostat

Challenges NEET rates in Europe (15-29 year olds), 2012 Source: Eurofound (2012), NEETs – Young people not in employment, education or training: Characteristics, costs and policy responses in Europe, Luxembourg, p. 29.

Educational structure of young people (15-29) in Bulgaria, by family income and gender Source: European Social Survey, 2012 First 30% 31%-70% 71%-100% Family income

Challenges Significant Regional Differences in Education and Employment Educational attainment The percentage of early school leavers in 2014 is 13% (national target: 11%) South-west region: 6%; South- central: 13%; North-east: 16%; South-east: 17%; North- central: 18%; North-west: 21% Share of year olds completing tertiary education in 2014 is 31%: Top-performing region (South- west): 36% Bottom-performing region (North-west): <20% (no HEI) Educational offers Pleven, Pernik and Lovech: 1 professional class per <100 people aged 15–24; Sofia, Blagoevgrad: 1 class per >180 people aged 15–24 Youth unemployment North-west - 32%; North-central - 29%; North-east - 33%; South-east - 26%; South-central - 34%; South-west - 21%.

Study Components Retrospective school-leavers and labour market entry survey to identify young people’s pathways along different educational tracks to different positions in the labour market National Two regional case studies to analyze consequences of differing educational offers on individual school-to-work transitions Regional Comparative analysis of Bulgarian survey data with Switzerland and other European countries International

Methodology Nationally representative retroactive school leavers and labour market entry survey – early consultation with policy makers Target group: individuals aged 15-35, who left formal education in the 5 years preceding 2014, the year of the survey Two-stage cluster sample: electoral districts and addresses (all target persons available at household are interviewed) N=2100 targeted (1500 representative cases and 600 additional regional cases) and 2103 realized

Some conclusions The regional dimension is key to understanding youths’ transitions from school to employment in Bulgaria Universal upper secondary education and massification of higher education: internal differentiations perpetuate the reproduction of social inequalities Important divisions in secondary education beyond general vs vocational distinction: e.g. selective vs. non-selective programmes Education-job mismatch as a new risk for young people graduating from Higher Education : new challenge for policymakers and stakeholders

Research Output Publications – 15 of which 8 in international volumes & journals Academic Conference Presentations - 22 of which 14 abroad Bulgarian-Swiss project lead to international collaboration of Bulgarian and Swiss researchers with scholars from other countries European research project NEGOTIATE ( , Horizon2020)

Policy relevant questions How will the completion of basic education after passing the 7th grade (new Pre-School and School Education Act) affect educational attainment of children from different social backgrounds and the educational level of the whole population ? How will the implementation of the dual system shape horizontal differentiation and social stratification of secondary education, as well as gender segregation in education and employment ? There is a pressing need for: timely evaluation and adequate monitoring of ongoing reforms longitudinal data in the sphere of school-to-work transitions

Future research Based on the insights from the School Leavers Survey, we look forward to further comparative analysis and publications replicating the survey to compare school-to-work transitions in times of economic recovery (compared to economic crisis) a longitudinal panel study in Bulgaria

Our Contacts Imdorf, Christian – University of Bern Stoilova, Rumiana – ISSK, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences Bieri, Franziska – University of Basel Boyadjieva, Pepka – ISSK, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences Thank You For Your Interest!