SDA continues to support the labor integration of third-country nationals in Sofia. Since November, SDA has teamed up with the NGO Arms Wide Open to offer a free business language course in Bulgarian to migrants in the city. Classes are held online and will continue until February 2023. The business language course will be followed by a financial literacy course, set to begin later in 2023. The language training is part of the activities under the AMIF-funded project PLOUTOS, which is coordinated by Halmstadt University in Sweden.

Language training is one of the key enabling factors for migrant integration, and both job seekers and employers underline the need to expand the opportunities for Bulgarian language training in Sofia. We are glad to be part of the solution and will continue our efforts to build a welcoming environment for migrants in the city. We are also proud to announce that for the second year in a row SDA, together with Sofia Municipality, UNHCR, Caritas Bulgaria, and Za Dobroto foundation will honor local employers which offer jobs, training and housing to refugees. The award ceremony will be held on 15^th December at 4 p.m. in SofiaLab. The event will be broadcasted on SofiaLab’s Facebook page.

This project is funded by the European Union’s Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund.