The Role of Learning Experiences for the School-to-Work Transitions of Young People in Vulnerable Situations in Bulgaria

The paper explores how, in the context of social, economic, and political crises and different vulnerable situations, young people in Bulgaria perceive and use their learning experiences in making the transition from education to employment. We focus on the life course perspective, examining the learning experiences as influenced by both the specific historical context and the local structure of opportunities and constraints. For the paper, we analyzed a total of 20 interviews with young people between the ages of 18 and 29, affected by diverse factors of vulnerability – ten from the socio-economically thriving Plovdiv district located in the South Central region and ten from the socio-economically declining Gabrovo district located in the North Central region. One of the important findings of our study refers to the beneficial link between formal education and non-formal education, which helps young people in vulnerable situations to make prompt, more conscious, and adequate choices for their future and career orientation. The analysis confirmed that the regional inequalities in terms of access to opportunities for quality education and satisfactory employment strongly shape young people’s educational choices and academic achievements, but it also highlighted the importance of the subjective agency of young people. The young should have greater awareness and a higher willingness to take advantage of the diverse education and training opportunities.