SkillsBridge Project – a bridge to the professions of the future
On October 8, 2025, in the large hall of the Regional Library "Lyuben Karavelov" - Ruse, the first information event under the project "SkillsBridge – Cross-border Academy for Smart Industry Competencies and Future Excellence". The initiative is co-financed by the European Union through the European Regional Development Fund under the Interreg VI-A Romania-Bulgaria program and is implemented by the Ruse Chamber of Commerce and Industry (RCCI), the Bulgarian-Romanian Chamber of Commerce (BRTC) and the Romanian Association for Technology Transfer and Innovation (ARoTT) - Craiova.
What did we present?
The project team introduced the participants to the main activities that will be implemented within the next 24 months, including:
- Creation of a cross-border academy with two centers in Ruse and Craiova. Each of them will have 3 laboratories equipped with automation, robotics, mechatronics, electropneumatics and hydraulics technologies;
- Deploying mobile laboratories that will reach remote areas and provide access to training for vulnerable groups;
- Development of a digital platform with online training, virtual workshops and practical resources;
- Conducting Skill Booster Accelerator Program – practical training on Industry 4.0
- Creating a cross-border exchange and experiential learning program that will enable young people and specialists from Bulgaria and Romania to visit innovative companies, gain real-world experience, and build new professional contacts.
- Holding 15 demonstration events in the cross-border region, which will combine innovative demonstrations, training and real-world examples of the application of new technologies.
The event was also attended by 12th grade students from the Vocational High School of Electrical Engineering and Electronics "Apostol Arnaudov" - Ruse and representatives from the Vocational High School of Woodworking and Interior Architecture "Yosif Vondrak" - Ruse. The young people showed interest in the opportunities that SkillsBridge will open up to them - training with state-of-the-art technologies, real practice and first steps in the professions of the future.
Why SkillsBridge is important
The cross-border Romanian-Bulgarian region shares the same challenges – a shortage of qualified personnel, limited access to innovative training and low digital literacy.
• Only 1% of the population participates in lifelong learning (on average 9.2% in the EU);
• Over 70% of people lack specific technical and digital skills, especially those related to the needs of Industry 4.0 – automation, mechatronics, industrial systems and digital production processes;
• Barely 9.1% of Bulgarian companies invest in training their employees in these specific areas of ICT and digitalization;
• Romania has the lowest share of apprenticeship training in the EU – 8.4% (at average 60% for the EU).
SkillsBridge and the results it will achieve act as a bridge between education and business, making training more accessible, practical and oriented towards the needs of the labor market. The project will give more people a chance to build modern skills, increase the competitiveness of the region and promote sustainable economic development on both sides of the Danube.
