The project “Transforming Social Inequalities in the Digital Society. The Role of Vocational Education and Training,” supported by Swiss-Bulgarian funding, is being implemented at the Institute of Philosophy and Sociology at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences. The project is led by Prof. Rumiana Stoilova and is funded under the Multilateral Academic Projects (MAPS) programme of the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF), with co-financing from the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Bulgaria. The project has a four-year duration: 1 July 2025 – 30 June 2029.
This is the second project of the Institute of Philosophy and Sociology supported by Swiss funding, following the project implemented in the period 2012–2015. The current call requires international consortia to include a research team from a third country, in addition to partners from Switzerland and Bulgaria. The partner from the third country is the Institute for Economic Research in Hungary.
The competition is characterised by a high level of selectivity: 318 project proposals were submitted, of which 9% were funded. In the field of social sciences, 37 projects were submitted from Bulgaria, Hungary, Croatia, Poland and Romania, of which 8 received funding. The project of the Institute of Philosophy and Sociology, “Transforming Social Inequalities in the Digital Society. The Role of Vocational Education and Training,” is among the funded projects.
Research Focus and Key Questions
The project examines the relationship between social inequalities, vocational education and training, and young people’s transition from education to employment in the context of digitalisation. The analysis focuses both on differences between Bulgaria, Hungary and Switzerland and on changes in this transition over the past two decades.
The main research questions are:
- How do the educational achievements of young people and their transition from education to employment differ in a European context and in a comparison between Bulgaria, Hungary and Switzerland?
- What accounts for these differences, and what is the significance of social background, gender, ethnicity and place of residence?
- How does vocational education affect young people’s chances of achieving sustainable employment?
- How has the transition from education to work changed over the past two decades, and what is the significance of digitalisation for social inequalities among young people?
In the European context, vocational education and training systems differ in their organisation and in the extent to which they are connected to the labour market. The project examines how these institutional characteristics interact with the individual characteristics of young people and how differences by gender, ethnicity, social background and place of residence affect their chances of achieving sustainable employment.
Particular attention is paid to the role of education in the context of digitalisation. The project examines whether and how digitalisation in education strengthens the connection between education and the labour market and influences the transition to employment among young people with vocational education.
By identifying the institutional mechanisms that support the successful and sustainable integration of young people into employment, the project aims to contribute to the development of policies addressing social inequalities in the context of digitalisation. The research findings are expected to provide a basis for dialogue among the academic community, institutions and employers’ organisations.
Data and Research Approach
To develop a comprehensive picture of the transition from education to work, the project combines different sources of information:
- field surveys among young people completing their education in Bulgaria and Hungary in 2026, adapting the study of transitions from education to first employment conducted in Bulgaria in 2014;
- international comparative studies;
- administrative data;
- interviews with employers.
Methodology
The project combines quantitative and qualitative methods. It includes secondary analysis of existing international studies and administrative data, alongside the analysis of new empirical data from field research among people who completed their education within the past five years in Bulgaria and Hungary, as well as interviews with employers.
The international studies used include PIAAC (the OECD Survey of Adult Skills), EU-LFS (the EU Labour Force Survey), and ESS (the European Social Survey). Combining these sources makes it possible to conduct a comparative analysis of young people’s educational and occupational trajectories and of the factors shaping their labour-market outcomes.
International Research Consortium
The project brings together research teams from Switzerland, Bulgaria and Hungary.
Switzerland – Swiss Federal University for Vocational Education and Training
Prof. Irene Kriesi – Consortium Coordinator
Bulgaria – Institute of Philosophy and Sociology, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences
Prof. Em. Rumiana Stoilova – Head of the Bulgarian team, e-mail:
Members of the Bulgarian team:
Prof. Rumiana Zheleva, e-mail:
Chief Assistant Prof. Dr. Martin Konstantinov, e-mail:
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Kamelia Petkova, e-mail:
Chief Assistant Prof. Dr. Aleksandar Gerganov, e-mail:
Hungary – Institute for Economic Research
Prof. Zoltan Herman – Head of the Hungarian team