Varna, on the Black Sea, September 23 (BTA) - An online platform will connect tourist businesses that need staff and workers looking for a job. This transpired at a conference that brought together students and teachers from Varna schools, representatives of agencies and businesses, NGOs and other stakeholders, said the local information centre. The online platform is being developed as part of a project supported by the Financial Mechanism - EEA and Norway Grants and its budget is 1.53 million euro.

The project is implemented by the Varna Chamber of Commerce and Industry in partnership with 12 organizations from eight countries: Greece, Italy, Cyprus, Portugal, Romania, Croatia and Iceland.

The aim is to support the successful start of a career in the tourist industry for young people. The focus is on young people aged 15-29 who are neither in employment nor in education and training.

The software for the platform will work in seven languages.

The platform is being developed on the basis of analyses and polls among employers in the tourist sector and people of the target group. Those helped identify the key mismatches between the wishes of young people and their skills, as well as between demand and supply on the labour market.

The project has already trained 438 youths, including 53 from Bulgaria, in key skills for work in tourism. DD/LN/