No candidates to retrain miners at Maritsa East

Some of the public tenders announced in May, or specific positions within them related to the provision of training courses for workers at Maritsa East Mines, were terminated a month after their publication. The procedures under which miners were to be trained as technicians, foresters, RES equipment installers, and others exceeded BGN 2 million and were intended to find companies to undertake the process.

The vocational courses are divided into four tenders for the different specialties that state mine workers can apply for. The Register and the documentation uploaded to it make it clear that for most of these training courses, no external contractors will be sought, but they will be carried out by the Vocational Training Center at Mini Maritsa East, while no other candidates have come forward.

Mini Maritsa East will provide the training itself

By a decision of June 18, the procedure for qualification courses in the following professions has been completely suspended: electrical technician; electrician; technician and repairer of energy equipment and installations (specialising in renewable energy sources), for which the largest amount of funding was allocated – 1.36 million BGN – and which was intended to train around 400 employees. The documents state that the procedure or the award of the contract is no longer necessary "due to a significant change in circumstances." The reason is that twenty days later, at the end of May, the Vocational Training Center (VTC) at the Ministry of Economy and Energy supplemented its license so that it can now provide the training covered by this position itself. The extension of the VTC's license was approved by the National Agency for Vocational Education and Training. Thus, instead of looking for external companies to provide the relevant courses, they will be conducted by the training center.

The same applies to dozens of other separate positions in the other retraining tenders. On the same date, training for the profession of lift and transport equipment mechanic, lifting and transport equipment installed on road construction vehicles and electrically powered lifting and transport equipment, as well as for small and medium-sized business assistants, again on the grounds that the CPO at the mines will be able to provide this training itself.

With the proposed professions and specializations, the VET center will provide quality training to employees, thereby contributing to the achievement of two goals: to provide jobs for a large part of the workforce; to prepare personnel for the specific new low-emission production processes that the company plans to develop," replied the MMI to questions from Economic.bg.

No candidates

Despite the termination of the specific order and individual positions in the Public Procurement Register, there is still no information on what is happening with the remaining positions.

For almost all procedures published in May, the deadlines for opening bids and proposals have been extended, but by the end of June they had already expired. Mini Maritsa East told Economic.bg that there was no delay in the procedures and that in fact no bids had been submitted for the remaining positions.

There are no candidates for training courses in entrepreneurship, business services assistant, ceramics production worker, silicate production technologist, chemical operator, chemical technologist, forester, and others.

A few days ago, the deadlines expired for the procedure for courses in the professions of construction fitter; plumbing network installer, for which nearly BGN 800,000 had been earmarked, but no candidates have applied to retrain workers in state-owned mines.

The company responded that for the parts for which no proposals were submitted, the orders are to be canceled and it is unclear whether and when they will be reissued.

Funding is provided by the EU
The entire training program for workers in sectors affected by the transition is part of the procedure "Support for workers in affected sectors through training for qualification and retraining" under the European Union's Regional Development Program 2021-2027. It has a budget of over BGN 110 million, which will be used to support workers in the sectors most affected by the transition to climate neutrality.

The specific beneficiaries are AES TPP (Maritsa East I), TPP Brikel, Mini Maritsa East, TPP Maritsa East 2, TPP Contour Global Maritsa East 3, TPP Sliven, Pernik District Heating, the concessionaires of the Pernik coal basin, Bobov Dol TPP, and others. A check in the Public Procurement Register shows that, at present, only Mini Maritsa East has initiated the process of retraining its employees.

What do miners want to do?

More than two-thirds of workers in Bulgaria's coal sector want to remain in the energy sector, according to preliminary data from the Ministry of Labor and Social Policy and trade unions' program to map the skills of employees.

For example, in Kyustendil and Bobov Dol, there is widespread desire to keep their jobs and remain in the sector, despite concerns about the lack of clarity regarding the future of the energy transition. Over 82% of those surveyed do not want to retrain and insist on staying in the energy sector, while over 57% have said they are willing to upgrade their skills if necessary, provided they can keep their income.

Data from the mapping of the skills of people indirectly affected by the climate transition in Bulgaria's coal regions is yet to be released. It covers a total of 36 municipalities in the regions of Stara Zagora, Kyustendil, and Pernik, as well as neighboring settlements in Sliven, Yambol, and Haskovo, or over 15,000 people. BGN 3 million will be allocated for this purpose under the Regional Development Program 2021-2027.

The results for Stara Zagora will be presented at a regional career forum in the city, organized by Brand Media Bulgaria from September 11 to 13, 2025, at the Zahari Knyazheski Regional Library.

Translated with DeepL.