Over three thousand applicants are waited to fill the remaining places offered by vocational schools in the second admission stage during August 16-25.

The specialties left so far unfilled include agriculture and constructions, and this is especially true of the vocational schools outside of Chisinau.

According to the Ministry of Education, Culture and Research, there are also unfilled places for popular trades taught through the so-called dual system, where 30% of the courses are taught at school, and 70% at the workplace. For example, at the Nisporeni Vocational School, there are vacant places for the trades of shoemaker and cultivator.

Among the most sought-after specialties are service provision and food processing. As in the past years, chefs, waiters, tailors and electricians are also very popular. Many of these trades, especially in the vocational schools in Chisinau, were fully filled in the first stage of admission.

Vocational Education Department head Silviu Gâncu says this tendency reveals a discrepancy between the labor market’s demand and the young people’s interest in various areas. He thinks it is important to continue career orientation efforts to guide applicants towards embracing professions demanded by the labor market, such as in the IT sector, the automotive sector or agriculture.

The first admission stage in vocational schools during July 17-August 12 saw only 50% of places filled.