Young people are invited to take advantage of the opportunities offered by informal learning

The pre-working phase is the right time to develop skills that will be useful in the labour market. Therefore, when a new school year starts, the youth international programme agency (JSPA) invites young people to be active and use the opportunities offered by non-formal learning to increase their competitiveness in the labour market.
“Learning a variety of additional skills for young people is very important as it improves the competitiveness of young people and makes it easier to find jobs in the future. Skills such as persuasive skills, foreign language and computer skills as well as social and organisational skills are increasingly demanding in the modern labour market. These skills are very successful for young people to learn different non-formal educational programmes,” believes JSPA Director Dina Sproge.
According to THE JSPA public opinion poll, the population considers that the most significant benefits of non-formal education are the opportunity to develop personality (54%), including citizens highly appreciating the wide availability of non-formal learning, without discrimination on the basis of their age, level of education, nationality or occupation (39%). On the other hand, each third survey also considers that non-formal learning helps to develop important living skills that help to find jobs more easily.
Entrepreneurs also recognise that non-formal learning is an essential factor that entrepreneurs often take into account when choosing a potential employee. “If a young person engages in any extra-school or study activity selected by him, not by his parents or by the pressure from the edge, that means that he is the gene of the survivor who can be developed in the gene of the host. Specifically, informal learning is the one that generates our desire to learn, become better, as well as realise their free time in various hobbies, training, especially in the form of programmes. The aim of any employer is to obtain an employee who is interested in his or her profession, as well as acquired additional skills,” is confident AS “Sakret Holdings”, President of the Council, Andris hawgs.
More than half (85%) residents have observed that employers pay most attention to the professional knowledge of the jobseeker in the field where the employee is sought. The teju half – 48% also considers that employers assess the skills of the employee in the team, 45% – communication skills, and 39% – language knowledge. This shows that these skills are also directly attributed to the skills and competences offered by non-formal learning.
JSPA recommendations on how to engage in non-formal education activities:

1. Go to your municipality with a youth case specialist, go to the youth centre or find the closest non-governmental organisation in the youth field (http://jaunatneslietas.lv/cela-raditajs) to learn more about projects and other activities where you can get involved in your local government.
2. If you want to participate in volunteering, practice or work activities that are implemented IN EU countries and lasts for 2 to 12 months, register The European Solidarity Corps. Then wait for the organization to be contacted by your application for the best project implementation.
3. Come to THE JSPA and find out what options are available to you in the program Erasmus +: Youth in Action. Every 13 to 30 years of age is invited to write projects in this programme or become a member of these projects in order to gain new experience and competencies through informal learning methods. In their implementation, participants are also offered a variety of support opportunities – to apply for agencies and internationally organised training, to obtain advice from the regional coordinator or to apply for advice to the Agency.