Improving the qualifications of regional development specialists is the focus of the REGIO.DIGI.HUB project

On 20.07.2023, the Rousse Chamber of Commerce and Industry organized an information event and a discussion meeting on the topic "What is Upskilling" and why it is important for employees today. What skills are needed to increase the qualifications of those working in the regional development sector". The event was part of the activities of the REGIO.DIGI.HUB project, focused on upgrading the capacity of the vocational education and training system for regional development at the European level. It was attended by representatives of the Municipality of Ruse, University of Ruse, Bureau of Labor, Bulgarian-Romanian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, training centers and Ruse non-governmental organizations actively working in the field of regional development.  

During the meeting, in addition to the project, the main results realized so far were presented. The focus was on familiarizing the audience with the innovative training methodology and validating 15 core competencies necessary for the work of regional development specialists. They were presented and discussed with the attendees. The methodology with which the participants got acquainted is an essential part of the development of the overall training course, which is to be integrated into a Moodle-based platform and will be available in 6 languages, including Bulgarian. It is expected that the platform will be operational by the end of the project, and information about its launch will be widely disseminated so that it can be used as a resource both by professional training centers and individually by specialists working in the field of regional development. The event ended with a discussion in which the representatives of the stakeholders shared about the challenges, problems and needs they face on a daily basis in their work. The need to constantly upgrade their skills and competences in the field of digital technologies, the new realities facing the regions related to climate changes and the need to adapt jobs were also discussed. Various good practices in the field of regional development in other European countries were also presented.