Professional High School "Dr. Stamen Grigorov" - Innovative education inspired by nature

The "Dr. Stamen Grigorov" Vocational High School in Sofia is a school where practice and nature inspire future professionals. The school offers an innovative method of education through real experiences, where students take care of fruit trees, grow cereals and herbs, participate in transplanting, and develop vertical greening and drip irrigation systems. The focus is on project-based learning, in which high school students conduct independent research and produce a finished product.

"We are a different school - the students here are happy because they have the opportunity to learn in nature," says Director Ivanka Stancheva. According to her, working with plants and soil not only calms the students, but is also particularly suitable for children with special educational needs, who feel significant and calm in the learning process.

The school is working on a project "Modernization of Vocational Education and Training," Education Program 2021-2027, which organizes additional internships and meetings with businesses and higher education. "Through the project, we are able to develop the key competencies of the students and their entrepreneurial skills for the future even more," adds the director.

The high school offers a wide range of specialties tailored to the current needs of the labor market. These include "Floristry" and "Perennial Plantings" with the profession "Technician-Grower," "Landscape Technician," and the new specialty "Veterinary Laboratory Assistant" with extended study of English. Students will have the opportunity to visit farms and veterinary offices during their studies. New for them is also the specialty "Assistant Educator in the Upbringing and Education of Children," for which there is also a need for trained professionals. Students also receive scholarships for their studies in specialties where future labor shortages are expected.