The government has approved €1,915,447 to pay compulsory social and health insurance contributions for students in dual training, the Council of Ministers press office said. The money covers January to September 2026.

The students are in the 11th and 12th grades and learn a trade by working at companies. They sign employment contracts with the firms that train them. Under the Vocational Education and Training Act, the state pays the full contributions due.

The aim is to get more employers to join the dual system, and the move supports business, the Council of Ministers said.

Deputy education and science minister Dr Tanya Pancheva opened the annual conference of the DOMINO 2 programme on 21 October. "Dual training is one of our most important priorities," she said, according to the ministry's press office. She said dual training is backed by different tools, the main one being DOMINO 2, which develops and builds on the dual system.

DOMINO 2 is part of the Swiss-Bulgarian Cooperation Programme.