Open first enrollment in an ambitious EU fund for adult learning
As from October 5, the first application for training in an ambitious adult education project “improvement of professional competence of employed persons” by the National Education Development Agency (VIAA) is open. In it, every worker or self-employed person from 25 years of age can increase his professional competence and competitiveness with EU funds and national co-financing. The first application was launched in four sectors of the economy where there are currently the most skilled workers.
Sustainable and economically justified adult learning
“There are skilled, smart and powerful people in our country, but their skills have sometimes stopped within formal education. I am very pleased that the country can offer our people a great opportunity to improve their knowledge and skills, which make it possible to improve their quality of life, well-being. Today, the professions are developing very quickly, so the skills and knowledge acquired need to be complemented. The resulting certificate, if not updated, is unsavourable obsolete. It is now a situation that even a person who considers himself a specialist does not know what he does not know. There will also be a situation where formally acquired qualifications will no longer be of such importance as skills need to be renewed every time. Like an antivirus program, it should be renewed every time," said Minister of Education and Science Karlis Šadurskis.
“First of all, i would like to emphasise that Latvia has become an integral part of the global economy. We see a huge conflict between the supply and demand of the labour market. Some 40% operators have acknowledged that there are significant problems with the staffing of employees. This is mainly due to the lack of people, but the reason that these people do not have the skills and skills required in the labour market. As technology develops, new professions arise, new knowledge needs to be developed, the education and profession acquired before teen years need to be improved. The adult education programme in certain specialities is a great way of reducing the critical missing labour force in key sectors. At the same time, this is an excellent opportunity for Latvian citizens to learn new skills towards a new, well-paid work," adds Economy Minister Arvils Ašadens.
“With this project, the country focuses on the provision of adult education for the first time, which has so far only been available to the unemployed. It is planned that the close cooperation of state, employers and municipalities in the provision of learning supply will provide the basis for the establishment of a sustainable adult learning management system, which could continue to exist after the end of the EU funds. On the other hand, it is a unique opportunity for each worker to improve his competitiveness in the rapidly changing labour market,” the Director of the State Education Development Agency Dita Traidas emphasized in the event.
Employers lack working hand
In order to respond as quickly as possible to changes in the labour market, first training is available in four priority sectors of the Latvian economy - construction, wood industry, electronic and optical equipment manufacturing, information and communication technologies, as well as metalworking, mechanical engineering and machinery in which the shortage of skilled labour is the most topical.
The courses offered in these sectors are in close collaboration with industry employers who have joined the Latvian Employers Confederation (LDDK) sectoral expert councils.
According to forecasts of the Ministry of Economics, the population of the population in the coming years will continue to shrink - by more than 60 thousand by 2022, leading to the shortage of more than 25 thousand secondary qualification specialists in the labour market:
• in construction specialties, a shortage of around 2500 specialists;
• ICT, electronics – a shortage of around 2000 specialists;
• a shortage of 700 specialists in woodworking specialists;
in metalworking, mechanical engineering and engineering, there are approximately 7200 specialists.
The labour market of Latvia has a large proportion of low-skilled labour. Currently, more than 90 thousand or approximately 9% of the economically active population is primary or non-finished primary education, and it is not expected that their share may be reduced in the near future. In 2016, almost 1/3 or ~ 360 thousand of Latvian residents aged 25-64 were average general, primary or lower education levels, and they formed half or 45,4 thousand of the jobseekers in an appropriate age group. In the coming years, the demand for low-skilled labour and the share of jobseekers with primary education and non-professional skills will be expected to increase.
In the 21 st century, the knowledge and skills of the technology era are ageing faster, so that it is constantly necessary to improve and improve them and to acquire new knowledge and skills in order to be able to compete in the labour market. In 2016 alone, 7.31 TP1T or 77.7 thousand of the population aged 25-64 were involved in lifelong learning activities. The national target is to increase the share of adult learning by 2020 to 15% or approximately 120 thousand.
You can learn new skills or requalify by signing up to 6 November
In the first round of login, 770 educational programmes are available for residents, which are offered by 55 educational institutions throughout Latvia. The application shall be made by 6 November at the time of submission of the documents to the educational institutions. The training is scheduled to be launched in January 2018.
Any employed or self-employed person aged 25 years to an unlimited age with completed or uncompleted education may apply for training. However, in the case of high number of applications, the benefits will be for adults aged 45, 7, 8 and 9 in the professions of professions, namely: service and trade workers, skilled workers and craftsmen, equipment and machine operators and product fitters or simple professions, as these groups are most vulnerable to unemployment in the future.
The project offers vocational training, professional development and non-formal education programmes. Adults may not only raise their existing qualifications and acquire new skills, but also learn the trade and retraining of other professional education institutions in the labour market.
Most of the training will be paid BY EU funds and the country, while the citizens will have to provide a co-payment OF 10%, which can also be covered by the employer. Low-income and poor training will be free of charge, as well as support for regional mobility, while the compensation of disabled workers or surrogate interpreters.
In order to create a sustainable adult education management system at the time of implementation of the project, the project partners are 64 Latvian municipalities, which operate and, where necessary, advise the adult education coordinator, as well as the State Employment Agency, which offers career consultant services to all employees interested in the project training.
If employees of the age of 25 years have already acquired the necessary skills in one of the professions in four sectors or elsewhere, they may, at the time of the project, use the opportunity to recognise the professional competence acquired outside the formal education system by passing an examination, the costs of which are co-financed by the project.
More information on training and project is available at www.macibasaugusajiem.lv.
About the project
The aim of THE EU fund project “improvement of the professional competence of employed persons” is to improve the professional competence of employed persons in order to prevent shortages of labour qualifications in the labour market demand in a timely manner, to promote the competitiveness of workers and increase in labour productivity. It is financed by the European Social Fund and the Latvian State, investing more than 25 million euros in six years until 31 December 2022.
Other information:
Gunita Veismane
Rezekne District Municipalities
Project Coordinator
Tel. (+371) 20214720, gunita.veismane@saskarsme.lv
