CoVEs and the new skills requirements of the ICT sector

In the initial stage of establishing a Center of Excellence in VET in the ICT sector in Sofia - Bulgaria (CoVE), as one of the 5 CoVEs, on the basis of which a new network (INVESTech Project) will be built in Europe, it was necessary to outline the operational framework of this centre in the context of the national/regional specificities of the ICT sector, as well as the dynamically changing skills needs required to carry out a successful digital transformation.

Some trends of the labour market in the IT sector

The data related to the labor market for IT specialists is indicative of the changes in the requirements regarding skills and competencies in the ICT sector.

Here are the data given by DEV.BG - one of the largest job posting agencies in January 2024. According to the specialized Job Board for IT job postings on DEV.BG, there is a 34% decrease in the demand for IT specialists on an annual basis. The company reports that the competition for a job has increased three times over the past year - if in January 2023 there were an average of four CVs sent for one advertisement, then in the same month of 2024 their number already reached twelve. In January 2024 the highest interest from the job seekers side, with Junior/Intern positions, JavaScript, Backend Development, Frontend Development, PM/BA. Vacancies in Sofia are the highest in interest. It also has the highest concentration of IT employers, followed by fully remote work opportunities, Varna, Plovdiv, Ruse and Burgas. In terms of technologies, the most interesting and the most candidates in January 2024 were for JavaScript, .NET and PHP positions. In terms of Frontend technologies, the leading candidates in the same month were for JavaScript and REST. In the PM/BA and more category, the most attractive positions were IT Project Management and IT Business Analyst. The newest categories in the DEV.BG Job Board - Product Ownership, Customer Support, and Hardware & Engineering - are also starting to gain interest from the job market.

New skills requirements of the ICT sector

The study shows that the ICT sector and the overall digital transformation process require upskilling basic skills as well as education and VET in forming new skills and competencies in different areas in order for organizations and society to adapt to the rapidly changing technological environment. These skills and their wider use will be crucial for the successful implementation of the digital transformation. A larger and better quality offer of ICT training in these new areas of knowledge and skills is needed.

According the important for the Bulgaria’s difital transformation strategic document with name "Bulgarian Digital Decade challenges", one of the priorities to implement measures in the education system including in the VET that can contribute to increase the level of basic digital skills targeting professionals . It is settled that despite the seemingly good news for the ICT industry, many weaknesses and challenges related to the process of digitalization of society and the economy as a whole need to be pointed out. Only 31% of people in the country have at least basic digital skills, which is below the EU average of 54% and the lowest level in the EU. The gap with the EU average is also very large when it comes to people with above-basic digital skills (8% compared to 26% at the EU level). The country also has low results in terms of people with at least basic skills for creating digital content (44% compared to 66% at the EU level). 

The ICT sector and the overall process of digital transformation require also new skills and competencies in various areas to adapt organizations and society to the rapidly changing technological environment. These skills are critical for the successful implementation of digital transformations in various industries and organizations.

New specific skills and competencies of the ICT sector

One of the tasks of our study was to identify, based on current and future trends, the specific skills and competencies of the ICT sector in Bulgaria in the key areas for digital transformation. These will require special efforts from the education system and high achievements in vocational education and training (VET) to improve the qualifications of young people, as well as specialists.

Below we have generated a list of 10 possible areas of digital transformation, which indicate some of the knowledge, skills and competencies that are expected from those working in the ICT sector in the coming years:

1. Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning (AI/ML)

• Programming and Algorithms: Knowledge of Python, R and other programming languages ​​used in AI and ML;
• Mathematics and Statistics: Fundamentals of linear algebra, probability and statistics;
• Data Processing: Working with large volumes of data and pre-processing techniques;
• Modelling and Optimization: Developing and optimizing machine learning models.

2. Cybersecurity

• Network Security: Understanding network protocols and securing network infrastructures;
• Cryptography: Knowledge of cryptographic algorithms and techniques for data protection;
• Application Security: Developing secure software applications and detecting vulnerabilities;
• Incident Response: Ability to respond to cyberattacks and analyse incidents.

3. Cloud Technologies

• Cloud Architecture: Understanding the principles of cloud architecture and design;
• Cloud Service Management: Managing cloud platforms such as AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud;
• Devolution and Containerization: Working with Docker, Kubernetes, and other containerization tools;
• Security and Compliance: Ensuring the security and compliance of cloud services; 

4. Big Data and Analytics

• Working with Big Data technologies: Hadoop, Spark, Hive, and other big data processing tools;
• Data Analytics: Using SQL, NoSQL, and other databases to analyse data;
• Data Visualization: Creating visualizations and dashboards using tools such as Tableau, Power BI, and D3.js.;
• Statistical Analysis: Applying statistical methods to draw meaningful conclusions from data.

5. Internet of Things (IoT)

• Hardware and Sensors: Knowledge of different types of sensors and hardware devices; Communication Protocols:
• Understanding MQTT, HTTP, Zigbee, and other IoT protocols;
• Data and Analytics: Processing and analysing data generated by IoT devices;
• IoT Security: Protecting IoT devices and networks from cyberattacks.

6. Blockchain Technologies

• Blockchain Fundamentals: Understanding the concepts behind blockchain and cryptocurrencies;
• Smart Contract Programming: Developing smart contracts using Solidity or other languages;
• Consensus Algorithms: Knowledge of Proof of Work, Proof of Stake, and other consensus mechanisms;
• Security and Privacy: Ensuring the security and privacy of blockchain networks.

7. Robotics and Automation

• Robot Programming: Using languages ​​such as C++, Python, and ROS to program robots; Computer Vision:
• Developing image recognition and video analysis systems; Autonomous Systems:
• Developing autonomous systems and decision-making algorithms;
• Process Engineering: Designing and optimizing manufacturing and logistics processes.

8. UX/UI Design

• User Research: Conducting user research and analysing user behaviour;
• Interface Design: Creating intuitive and user-friendly interfaces;
• Prototyping and Testing: Developing prototypes and conducting user acceptance tests;
• Graphic Design: Knowledge of graphic design and visual aesthetics.

9. Project Management and Agile Methodologies

• Project management: Using methodologies such as Agile, Scrum, and Kanban;
• Planning and Execution: Project planning, resource management, and progress tracking;
• Communication and Collaboration: Effective communication and collaboration within a team;
• Risk Management: Identifying and managing risks in projects.

10. Creativity and Innovation:

• Design Thinking: Applying design thinking to solve complex problems;
• Innovation Strategies: Developing innovation strategies and models for business innovation;
• Creative Thinking: Stimulating creativity and innovation within a team;
• Prototyping and Experimentation: Developing prototypes and conducting experiments to validate ideas.

One of the activities of the future national CoVE Sofia - Bulgaria in this project will be to bring together a set of local / regional partners such as initial and continuing VET providers and schools and universities of applied sciences and polytechnics, etc., to make the described above new skills easily approachable by the target groups and with high quality of training and learning.