On the Role and Challenges for Continuing Training Development of Human Potential: From Knowledge to Competence

Continuing training plays a vital role in making people who participate in it more significant and more active in lifelong learning which will guarantee them higher employment, earnings, professional development, active participation in professional life, as well as the entire future life in general. It is the duty of Bulgaria’s current educational system to create and nurture the pursuit of more knowledge for continuous participation in the learning process and, subsequently, in continuing training, i.e. to create an enduring and systematic desire for learning. At present, the constant reforms in Bulgarian education have been unsuccessful in that endeavour. Other factors that play a key role include: the labour market, the management of human resources in organizations, the place and role which they assign and expect from education; they also reward and encourage it. The mindset and desire to learn, to improve one’s knowledge and skills, are crucial to continuing training and lifelong learning – they are largely predetermined at a young age by family and the environment, as well as the enrollment and nurturing of children in childcare facilities at a young age. What plays a significant role in that regard is early career guidance – a system which remains underdeveloped and underestimated when in fact it is supposed to precede every choice from early age to old age. In order for the continuous lifelong training policy to be implemented effectively, the role of education and educated people needs to be strengthened through the role of parents, the educational system itself, employers and society as a whole. For Bulgaria this involves the prioritization of education and knowledgeable people, and the accumulation of knowledge and skills should be the goal of society, organizations and every single individual; in other words, a significant change in values and policies is needed.