Background information

MyCompetence is a platform that is open to all actors on the labour market. This is the only information system in the field of human resources management in Bulgaria, which provides competency standards for over 500 positions in 25 economic sectors, practical e-tools for competency assessment, job analysis and evaluation, an e-learning academy for competency development, and an electronic environment for automated online information processing.

Content of measure

MyCompetence platform fulfils the following objectives:

• creation of functional compatibility and opportunity for integrated data usage;
• generation and collection of information and know-how in a single domain, with regard to managing the implementation process of the competence approach in human capital development;
• initiation and support of effective measures (at sector and regional level) for employment and skills development of Bulgaria’s workforce;
• acknowledgment of good practices manifested during human resources management process;
• creation of a digital library for relevant learning and training materials, as well as documents which can be analysed in order to outline trends and recommendations;
• provision of wide range of job descriptions, competencies descriptions, assessment and self-assessment tools as well as e-trainings.

The main elements of MyCompetence are:

• Sector models;
• Competence assessment;
• E-learning;
• Economic sectors information.

The selection and description of competencies in the platform is done according to the qualification levels set out in the national qualifications framework. As of mid 2020, there are 370 competence models developed in 25 economic sectors (DG Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion, 2020) and 360 registered enterprises (MyCompetence, 2020).

The resources available in the platform are free of charge; the only usage requirement is for users to be registered in the platform. The registration is open to both natural and legal persons and the available resources are provided according to the target groups’ needs.

The main users of MyCompetence are:

• Organisations (managers, HRM specialists, competence assessors);
• Ministries, agencies and other institutions and organisations related to the labour market and the spheres of education, continuous learning, recruitment and employee leasing, career guidance;
• Higher education institutions, vocational schools, licensed centres for vocational training;
• Organisations providing services in the spheres of recruitment, management, training and development of human resources;
• Workers and employees legally employed by organisations;
• Students.

The functioning and effectiveness of MyCompetence is ensured by a national competence assessment network, which was created as part of the first MyCompetence project and which encompasses employers, managers, specialists, consultants, state experts and experts from other institutions. To elaborate, the network is composed of: * National council for competence assessment, which is a permanent body for cooperation, consultation and institutionalisation of labour force competencies assessment by industries and regions; * National centre for competence assessment, the purpose of which is to coordinate the work of the national competence assessment network; * 25 sectoral consultation councils for competence assessment – these are multi-stakeholder structures the purpose of which is to create and validate sectoral competence models; * 10 regional centre for competence assessment that ensure the coordination of activities related to competence assessment among enterprises in a given region.

The MyCompetence platform was initiated by the Bulgarian Industrial Association (BIA) and implemented in two consecutive EU-funded projects. BIA partners in the first project were the two main trade unions in Bulgaria – Confederation of Independent Trade Unions in Bulgaria (CITUB) and ῾Podkrepa῾ Labour Confederation.

Use of measure

in 2022, Bulgarian Industrial Association reported that 510 enterprises have registered on the platform. 20 032 competency assessment tests have been taken, nearly 13 500 people have registered for e-learning. The MyCompetence competency assessment system is already used by over 30,000 users.

In 2020, the registered users grew to 23,436, including 448 enterprises, and to more than 2.5 million unique visits; 9,336 users enrolled in e-trainings (National Network for Competence Assessment, 2020).

In 2018, the Bulgarian Industrial Association reported that the platform has over 20,000 registered users and over 2 million unique visits on the website. At that time, more 200,000 competence assessments were performed and there were more than 5,000 users who enrolled for the e-trainings provided through the platform. It is claimed that through the instruments available in MyCompetence employers reduce their recruitment costs with up to 80%.

MyCompetence is the sole platform of its kind in Bulgaria. Since 2008, it is developed and endorsed by practically all main actors on the Bulgarian labour market – the government, employer and employee organisations, the Bulgarian public employment service as well as educational and training institutions.

The platform is open to all parties that are interested in using its resources. Moreover, it is recognised by multiple stakeholders, which is visible from its development history. It was conceived by an employer organisation in partnership with the largest Bulgarian trade unions and it now develops under the auspices of the Ministry of Labour and Social Policy. According to a recent peer review, MyCompetence is a tool useful to make skills and competences visible, both for the users and for employers (DG Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion, 2020). It also provides the opportunity for jobseekers to improve their self-esteem and to identify qualification and skills gaps by self-administering a competence assessment.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Bulgarian Employment Agency offered to all those interested in self-improvement to use MyCompetence.

Several weaknesses were identified during a recent peer review process that brought together government representatives and experts from Bulgaria and eight peer countries (Belgium, Croatia, France, Greece, Italy, Malta, Slovenia and Spain) (DG Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion, 2020).

There is a need, for example, for MyCompetence to be more flexible to reflect the future of work and be open to changing/adapting the job descriptions that are currently offered in the platform. In addition, target users with low digital skills fall out of reach of the platform. Furthermore, the platform has the potential to grow in scope and importance as now it is not integrated with skills forecasting systems, nor with the VET system in Bulgaria. On a side note, the platform can also be advertised more broadly.

Target groups

Workers	Businesses	Citizens
Employees in standard employment	Applies to all businesses	Does not apply to citizens

Actors and funding

Actors	Funding
National government Trade unions Public employment service	European Funds

Social partners

Social partners' role in designing the measure and form of involvement:

	Trade unions	Employers' organisations
Role	Agreed (outcome) incl. social partner initiative	Agreed (outcome) incl. social partner initiative
Form	Direct consultation outside a formal body	Direct consultation outside a formal body

Social partners' role in the implementation, monitoring and assessment phase:

• Social partners jointly
• Main level of involvement: Unknown

Involvement

The MyCompetence platform was initiated by the Bulgarian Industrial Association (BIA) and implemented in two consecutive EU-funded projects. BIA partners in the first project were the two main trade unions in Bulgaria – Confederation of Independent Trade Unions in Bulgaria (CITUB) and ῾Podkrepa῾ Labour Confederation (MyCompetence, 2019).

Views and reactions

Unknown

Sources

• 28 September 2018: 5 years from the creation of the competence assessment information system: MyCompetence (www.bia-bg.com)
• 28 November 2019: Key messages from the peer review on 'Competence Assessment System: MyCompetence' (mycompetence.bg)
• 08 May 2020: Self-improvement at home with the Bulgarian Employment Agency [Самоусъвършенстване в домашни условия с помощ от Агенция по Заетостта] (bnr.bg)
• 16 February 2022: MYCOMPETENCE IS ALREADY USED BY OVER 30,000 USERS (www.bia-bg.com)
• 13 October 2022: About MyCompetence (mycompetence.bg)
• 13 October 2022: About the project [Za proekta] (mycompetence.bg)
• 13 October 2022: Sectors [Сектори] (mycompetence.bg)
• 13 October 2022: Registered enterprises (mycompetence.bg)