For more than a month, the talent development program in Bulgaria has been announced to the public through various media channels. We are pleased to have already gained first impressions about potential applicants. Dr. Krasimir Manev, lecturer at the University “Angel Kanchev” in Russe together with Mr. Rusan Georgiev, senior teacher at a vocational school in Byala, have already held initial talks with people interested in the program. Dr. Manev, who is our representative in the country, reports about his first experiences: “The first meetings with candidates of this project have already taken place. There were many interesting conversations and most of the candidates left a very good impression. They impressed with strong motivation and showed abilities to correctly assess their own realization possibilities. Overall, I can summarize the dialogs as follows: – The candidates find the opportunities offered extremely attractive. Unfortunately, we still encounter doubts about their reality, as the terms “foundation” and “non-governmental organization” trigger a negative association in the country. Frequently asked questions during the interviews were:
- How sustainable and safe are the proposed project conditions;
- What would happen if the candidate is unable to complete their training for one reason or another;
- What is the content of the course, the internship and the future work activity.
Overall, I am convinced of the potential of the candidates and the first interviews have shown that they have great desire and motivation, which is the most important thing at the moment to get to the next application stage.” We are pleased with the initial feedback from the information exchange with the candidates and hereby provide a brief summary of the answers for the most frequently asked questions. The talent development program aims first of all to support young talents who themselves do not have the opportunities to develop through education, so that they have better opportunities to shape their lives. At the same time, they should be directly involved in other projects in their country of origin, so that they can spread the qualifications and experience they have gained in Germany. Each scholarship holder is worked with individually and a personal plan is developed. According to the jointly developed plan, a decision is made regarding the course of study or the teaching profession. In this process, we assist all applicants with the necessary procedures. Of course, contractual framework conditions are created, in which, for example, unsuccessful completion is regulated. We are pleased with the progress made on the project and would like to thank everyone for their support and interest.
