Lifelong learning (LLL) is one of the areas in which Bulgaria lags significantly behind other European countries. Despite the long-standing traditions in this field, existing since the late 19th century (Boyadjieva et al., 2013; Boyadjieva, 2018) and the state's efforts over the last 15 years to directly or indirectly promote LLL, today Bulgaria remains with the lowest participation of adults (aged 25-64) in training and education: 1.4% compared to an EU average of 12.8% for 2023 (Eurostat, 2024). Low participation in adult learning is the main challenge facing skills and LLL policies in Bulgaria. This raises a number of questions about the way LLL policy is implemented in Bulgaria and what challenges may be hindering the expansion of the Bulgarians participation in LLL.

In order to answer these questions, this paper aims to present a comparative analysis of strategic documents which set the framework of regulations and activities for development and implementation of Bulgaria's policy on LLL. More specifically, it explores the coherence between policy goals, instruments/activities and implementation of LLL policy strategies. Coherence is seen as being able to provide a way to overcome fragmented institutional arrangements, agendas and actions (OECD, 2019). Authors (Den Hertog & Stroß, 2013; Rogge & Reichardt, 2013; CEPA, 2021) define various dimensions of coherent policymaking: horizontal, vertical, international, internal or institutional coherence. The internal policy coherence, which we will focus on, refers to one policy field and looks at whether the policies and objectives within it are mutually compatible (Evans, 2023).

Based on the definition of a strategic document (proposed by European Commission, EACEA, & Eurydice, 2021) we accept that strategic policy documents outline the objectives of public policy in a significant policy area, argue the necessity of implementing the set objectives, point to the means through which they will be carried out and identify who will implement the specific actions and the timeframe in which the measures will be implemented and the goals will be accomplished, as well as how progress will be measured. The most consistent with the stated understanding of strategic policy documents in the field of LLL in Bulgaria are: National Strategy for Lifelong Learning 2008–2013 (NSLLL 2008–2013) and National Strategy for Lifelong Learning 2014–2020 (NSLLL 2014–2020). Both documents are directed toward overcoming the challenges associated with the dissemination and application of the lifelong learning concept in Bulgaria.

In the paper we follow a broader view of lifelong learning/adult education that does not reduce it to a means for improving knowledge and skills. According to this understanding, lifelong learning has not only instrumental and economic roles/functions, but also intrinsic and transformative/empowering at both individual and societal level (Boyadjieva & Ilieva-Trichkova, 2021). This understanding pays attention to the importance of goals that go beyond the improvement of employability and enhancing economic growth; it acknowledges human capital and human resources not only as professional qualifications but also as instruments for strengthening democratic values and civic engagement, hence, for development of civic society and social inclusion.

Taking all this into account, this paper addresses the following research questions (RQ)s:

RQ1: How the goals of Bulgarian LLL strategic policy documents have developed over time and is there a coherence between them?

RQ2: Are LLL strategies targeted only at achieving economic productivity and raising people’s employability or are they more closely linked to personal development and wider social cohesion?

RQ3: How far the goals set in the LLL strategies are achieved, and what are the main barriers of their implementation?

The study is part of the work of a team of scientists from Bulgaria in the frame of international project Skills2Capabilities (funded by Horizon Europe Program under Grant agreement ID: 101094758). A similar study was also carried out in Austria, Germany, Italy, Norway, Scotland. The analysis of strategies in each country applied a common analytical framework (Unterweger & Markowitsch, 2023), including following elements: temporal relation between strategies within a country; thematic orientation of strategies; inclusion of quantitative indicators to capture progress on goals and specific actions to follow up on goal; implementation of a strategy. In addition, the analytical framework has been structured into several “issue areas”: vocational education and training (IVET, CVET); general and higher (academic) education; governance and coordination; stakeholder/social partner involvement; skills for life and skills to cope with structural transitions; skills information systems: anticipating/forecasting skills; (career) guidance and validation. The method of analysis is desk research of the strategic documents, the plans associated with them and existing assessments of their implementation. In addition, in-depth interviews (six in total) with experts who participated in the strategies’ creation were carried out to complement the findings from the desk research. The expert interviews were conducted in the period November-December 2023. They were carried out with representatives of Ministry of Education and Science, Ministry of Labor and Social Policy, Employment Agency, employers’ organization and National Agency of Vocational Education and Training in Bulgaria. Each national team decided who to interview in order to gain the most complete picture of the concepts underlying the creation of the strategies and the way they are implemented. A list of sample and guiding questions was created, which each national team adapted to the specific interviewee and the context in which the interview was conducted. The interviewees were informed in advance of the objectives of the study and gave written consent to participate and to audio recording the conversation. Anonymity was guaranteed by removing their names and assigning a code to the given interview. When conducting the study, the Bulgarian team complies with the Research Ethics Plan developed within the project, Code of Ethics of the Institute of Philosophy and Sociology and the Code of Ethics of the Bulgarian Sociological Association. Thematic approach was used for the analysis of the expert interviews (Braun & Clarke, 2006).

The objectives covered by the two LLL strategies were set on the basis of European strategic goals. A top-down approach and automatic transfers of ideas can be seen through strategies’ objectives. Factors such as the socio-economic conditions in the country, inequality of access to adult education, real characteristics of the educational system, low employers’ willingness to invest in training, and the attitudes and needs of adults were not sufficiently and thoughtfully taken into account. The two strategies do not contradict each other in terms of set goals, the second builds on the first with new priorities. The differences between the two documents are most of all in their adopted approaches. The concept of LLL was introduced with a limited understanding of its essence as a tool for achieving mainly economic goals and an emphasis on economic productivity and employability. The second strategic document expands the policy scope starting in early childhood, highlights the role of education in creating not only a workforce but also active citizens who embrace democratic values. A lack of coherence between actors was observed. Although there has been a broad participation of stakeholders in the preparation of the LLL strategy (2014-2020), in its implementation each institution involved performs its own tasks, with specific quantitative indicators. Furthermore, the adult learning sector develops within separate sectors of the education and training system or other socio-economic sectors, without ensuring connectivity between them. The analysis indicates a divergence between the set objectives and the achieved results. Bulgarian LLL policy has been well developed at a document level; in practice, the realisation remains ineffective and far from what was expected. Both strategies are overly ambitious and the country’s current policies fail to mitigate and overcome the effects of difficulties in education and training related to the socio-economic context.

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