Pencho Milkov opened a meeting for employment and inclusion of young people with special needs and autism spectrum disorders

Thursday, 02 October 2025

A working meeting on the topic of "Partnership for Employment and Inclusion" was held in the "St. George" Hall of the Ruse Municipality. The event was organized by the Ruse Municipality on the initiative of parents of children and young people with special educational needs (SEN) and autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and brought together representatives of state and municipal institutions, employers from various sectors, educational and cultural organizations, non-governmental structures and the parent community. The meeting was opened by the Mayor of the Ruse Municipality Pencho Milkov, and was also attended by Deputy Mayors Dimitar Nedev and Encho Enchev.

“Ruse is one of the cities in Bulgaria with the richest palette of social services – both municipal and in partnership with the non-governmental sector. But in order to have a real effect, these services must be complemented by opportunities for education, work and active social life. Only through dialogue, shared experience and joint actions can we build a sustainable environment in which young people with special needs and those with autism spectrum disorders can develop their potential and feel like full citizens of our city,” Mayor Pencho Milkov addressed the attendees. He also stated that the problem is real and believes that this meeting will mark the beginning of the joint work of the institutions and will identify the initial tasks and their solutions.

Deputy Mayor Dimitar Nedev also took part in the discussion, stating that society needs to learn from a very early age to accept people with special needs. He also shared that this year the charity Christmas concert, which the Municipality of Ruse is organizing, will be dedicated to the people who give their heart and soul to their work with children with special educational needs.

The initiative was provoked by the challenges faced by families after the completion of secondary education by children and young people with special needs. In most cases, due to the lack of sufficient employment opportunities, they remain at home, which makes it difficult for them to integrate into society and the labor market.

Good practices and measures to support employers and young people were presented within the program. The Director of the Labor Bureau Directorate - Ruse, Ioana Terzieva, focused on the topics of "Youth Employment" and "Youth Practices", Milena Georgieva from the Regional Educational and Cultural Organization - Ruse shared her experience in inclusive education, and Nikolay Gospodinov from the Regional Library "Lyuben Karavelov" presented his innovative project "Laboratory for Future Builders". The Social Future Foundation – JAMBA, the Children and Environment Association, the Ruse Chamber of Commerce and Industry and partners from the Ministry of Labor and Social Policy also participated in the presentation of significant initiatives.

The participants in the discussions discussed the challenges facing employment and the opportunities for building effective partnerships between institutions and businesses. Special emphasis was placed on the creation of more internships, trainings and social enterprises that would meet the real needs of young people with SEN and ASD.

view all >