site.btaBulgarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry Starts Computer Training for Migrant and Refugee Women

The Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI) has launced a computer skills training and mentoring program for refugee and migrant women from third countries, the chamber said on Friday. The trainings will be implemented under the European project RIDE (Reach Inclusion through Digital Empowerment for migrant women). It aims to improve opportunities for migrant and refugee women to enter the labour market through digital skills and thus optimize their inclusion in the host society. The project partners are organizations from Belgium, Germany, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands and Czechia.

The online event was officially opened by Tsvetan Simeonov, chairman of the BCCI, who emphasized the relevance of the topic, given the crisis in Ukraine. He shared that there is no better way to socialize and integrate into society than acquiring digital skills. Simeonov explained that there is almost no sector in which these skills are not applied, so they are a prerequisite for finding a job, retraining and improvement.

Iva Parcaleva from the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Bulgaria said that the BCCI has already gained experience in implementing projects related to the integration of refugees, migrants and people from third countries. She added that in the absence of integration support and a functioning state integration system in which employment is an important element, the role of the private sector is particularly important for the inclusion of refugees in the labour market. She presented the activities and assistance that UNHCR in Bulgaria provides to refugees in finding work, counseling and training.

Bistra Papazova, Member of the Board of the Bulgarian Association of Software Companies and Chief Executive Officer of CoBuilder International, presented the ICT sector in Bulgaria, emphasizing the importance of digital skills and the place of Bulgarian women in the sector. She informed that the software industry is the fastest growing in Bulgaria, employing over 40,000 people. Papazova shared that the COVID pandemic has led to faster digitalization, which makes the need for digital skills especially relevant.