The project “My New Profession” is designated for youths at the age 18-22, who are accommodated in the social service “Monitored Care Unit” in Plovdiv. The service has been managed by Crime Prevention Fund –IGA as a state delegated activity. In these units the youths, who have just left homes for children deprived of parental care, receive assistance in their transition from a life in an institution to a self-dependent life, in which they deal with the everyday activities, education, and budgeting.

The goal of the project is the six youths to receive a professional qualification and, consequently, a job. They will be included in a series of trainings for forming working skills and behaviour approaches in this process, as well as for preparing job application documents. They will also go through a training for becoming “waiter-bartender”. The total number of classes for a training is 324 hours, divided as follows: theory - 152 and practice – 172. The participants will acquire knowledge and skills regarding the organization of work, the organization of their rights and duties in the working process, the rules of teamwork, the normative requirements of the position, and the necessary professional competencies. They will be introduced to the organization of serving in the restaurants, the technology for serving meals and drinks, and the peculiarities of the national cuisines. Three employers and managers of restaurants in Plovdiv have agreed to sign a contract for a possible consequent employment of part of the youths, after they go through a probation period of traineeship.

One of the youths, who is a participant in the project, said: “Now everything depends on us, you have to give in order to receive. A period of traineeship and of mastering the knowledge is necessary. You have to go deep into the profession, to learn all its subtleties, there have to be visible results from your work. Only then you will start receiving.”

Project “My New Profession” has a six-month duration. Crime Prevention Fund – IGA won a funding under the project from Fund “Start Up – assistance for work realization of disadvantaged youths” of Foundation “Assistance for the charity in Bulgaria”, which has been gathered by donations from the members of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.