Vocational Training Export

The Skilled Up Project comes to an end

When you think of the Baltic landscape, you think not only of the impressive Baltic Sea, but also of the beautiful forests. Working with wood has a long tradition here and forestry is an important part of the national economy in Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia. In recent years, however, there has been a growing problem of too few workers with the necessary contemporary skills and ideas.

That is why we decided to start “Skilled Up”. Actually, the title is a bit more complex: “Skills for the Baltic Wood industry – European Quality in Vocational Education and Training” was launched in 2018. The opportunity to train skilled workers in the forestry sector was linked to our desire to establish work-based learning (WBL) in the Baltic countries.

We presented the success of the project on 16 September at the hybrid final conference in Riga. Speakers from Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia and Germany shared their experiences, while stakeholders discussed the development of similar projects in other industries.

Interview with Eugenija Novicki-Bittner

We talked to Eugenija Novicki-Bittner, project manager in the vocational training department of the German-Baltic Chamber of Commerce, about the project.

The Skilled Up project period is coming to an end. What has been achieved in 3 years?

We achieved a great deal. First of all, we brought together the representatives of the wood industry and educational institutions in the Baltic states in order to find out what skills specialists lack the most. To this end, 10 modules have been developed and are already being taught successfully together with partners from the Rosenheim Institute in Germany. Throughout the project, we had the opportunity to monitor, adjust and improve the curriculum, depending on how students see it and, of course, the companies that send students to improve their qualifications.

The project has initiatedlong-term changes and has had a positive impact on education systems in the Baltics. The transferability of the implemented approaches will provide tools for adopting the results in other countries and sectors.

What concrete benefits did the participants gain from the project? What feedback did you get?

During the project, we asked participants (employers, teachers and students) to rate their experience: Almost all participants in all the Baltic countries agreed that the subjects taught were relevant and important as well as preventive for the future. That’s fantastic news for us! Our goal was to give the students a combination of theoretical and practical knowledge that is most relevant to the market. What’s more, bearing in mind that Industry Revolution 4.0 is already here, we see that the market requires an increasingly new approach to production, seeing not only the individual processes but also the big picture. Of course, it is also important to emphasize the "green course of production" and digitalization. We paid a lot of attention to these topics in the training materials and in our experience sharing.

We are sure that the students participating in our project have acquired new, relevant competencies and skills which will help them to continue their successful careers.

What role did the AHK play in the project design?

AHK was not only the project founder, but also led the organization and administrative work. As Germany has extensive experience in dual vocational training, we shared this knowledge with the project participants. Furthermore, we managed the project dissemination and ensured the project’s sustainability. As the largest Chamber of Commerce in the Baltics with a network of almost 400 members, we aspire to build a bridge between the Baltics and other countries. That’s what we did with Skilled Up!

How do you see the future of Skilled Up?

We hope that other organizations will also benefit from the program in future, as it can be extended to other industries. In this way, the vast German expertise can be transferred on a European level. We see the dynamics of various industries in the Baltic countries and also hear what specialists are most lacking for companies developing production in the Baltic countries.

During recent years, the development of work-based learning (WBL) has been a priority of vocational education and training (VET) policy in the Baltic states and Europe. However, the main activities and improvements are focused on secondary level VET, and there are minimal elements of WBL and quality assurance (EQAVET) in the next stages, including EQF level 5 VET.

Further promotion should be achieved through various actions, such as creating a sector skills alliance, guaranteeing a further exchange of experience and information, developing a European quality VET training program which aims to improve the skills of the labour force in the wood processing sector in the Baltic states in the future, and similar activities.

The AHK is always interested in supporting educational projects, so I am sure that many interesting projects will follow.

Thank you!

The interview was conducted by Meta Friedrich

September 16, 2021

Today the “Skilled-Up” final conference took place live in the “Pullman Hotel Rīga” and online on the YouTube channel of the German-Baltic Chamber of Commerce (AHK). The participants were able to follow the presentations on the internationalization of vocational training, development of the EQF-5 in Europe and the Baltic States and “Skilled-Up” project results. Afterwards, the stakeholders discussed the development of similar projects in other industries and signed the letter of intent for future cooperation.

Thanks to our speakers – Florian Schröder (AHK), David Johnsson (European Confederation of Woodworking Industries/ CEI-Bois), Alexander Hochradel (Federal Ministry of Education and Research), Rita Kask (Ministry of Education and Research of the Republic of Estonia), Dr. Agne Kudarauskiene (Ministry of Education, Science and Sports of the Republic of Lithuania), Rūta Gintaute Marihina (Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Latvia), Eugenija Novicki-Bittner (AHK), Artūrs Bukonts (Latvian Association of Wood Processing Entrepreneurs and Exporters (LKUEA)), Dr. Giedrius Gecevičius and Viktorija Gudauskaite (Kaunas University of Applied Sciences), Tomas Interesovas (UAB “Theca Furniture”), Giedrius Pilkis (Association of Wood Producers and Exporters of Western Lithuania) and Peter Hörr (Lehrinstitut Rosenheim eV) ! We would also like to thank Ronalds Saksons (National Education Center of the Republic of Latvia) and Samanta Garbenčiene (SBA Home) for participating in the panel discussion!

On December 7, 2023, the closing event of the project “Auf zum grünen Handwerk in Lettland!" (Let's go green crafts in Latvia!)  took place at the Latgale Industrial Vocational School. This project, funded by the German Federal Foreign Office, was implemented by the German-Baltic Chamber of Commerce in cooperation with the BTZ Rohr-Kloster Vocational Training and Technology Center, the Latgale Industrial Vocational School and the Daugavpils Vocational School of Technology and Tourism.

The project included, among other things, a practical workshop in Germany, where six teachers from the Latgale region exchanged knowledge and experience in the field of environmentally friendly construction with German colleagues. The focus was on sustainability in crafts and the use of environmentally friendly building materials as well as efficient energy use. The participants were given the opportunity to work practically with clay, build half-timbered structures with ecological clay bricks and plaster them with clay material.

The final event gave participants the opportunity to present the activities carried out during the project. Inspired by the workshop in Germany, Latgale Industrial Vocational School organised seminars and master classes, including a seminar on the restoration of historical masonry in cooperation with SIA Caparol in Daugavpils Fortress. The school also held a training course for Latvian vocational school teachers, led by green craftsman Mārtiņš Norvaišs.

The Daugavpils Vocational School of Technology and Tourism presented how they had implemented the project idea in the field of renewable energy. They demonstrated how materials that would otherwise be considered waste were used to build a training stand to demonstrate solar cells. In addition, the young people expanded their German language skills in the field of renewable energy sources.

Finally, the Daugavpils Technical and Industrial Design Center "Inženieru arsenāls" was presented, which received the "Grand Prix" award of the Latvian Construction Prize in 2022. The project participants thanked the German Embassy in Riga for their support and emphasized the importance of the project for understanding ecological sustainability in professional activities.

With financial support from the Federal Foreign Office of the Federal Republic of Germany, AHK organized a virtual exchange of experiences with German organizations from September 28th to October 1st, 2020 as part of the project “You are not worse!” with the aim of promoting educational and employment opportunities for people with disabilities in Latvia.

The project was originally planned as an educational trip to Germany, but due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the exchange took place in a virtual format. In cooperation with the association “Apeirons” and the association “Deutsch-Latvischer Freundeskreis e.V.” (Willich, North Rhine-Westphalia), AHK organized four video conferences on educational and employment opportunities, accessibility, state and municipal support, volunteering, leisure and social inclusion.

The participants had the opportunity to learn what activities are organized for people with disabilities in Germany and Latvia. Both differences and common problems that still need to be addressed were discussed. We hope that next year there will be an opportunity to organize trips and that participants will also be able to get to know German organizations on site!

From April 8th to April 12th, 2019, as part of the project of the State Center for Educational Content, financed by the European Social Fund “Effective management of vocational schools and development of personnel competencies (Agreement No. 8.5.3.0/16/I/001)”, the AHK vocational training team accompanied the Latvian vocational school teachers and trainers during their internship at the Latvian pharmaceutical company “Grindex” and at the Institute of Organic Synthesis. The participants had the opportunity to learn about the latest developments in the chemical industry and to carry out practical work in laboratories themselves.

In the second part of the project, the participants traveled to Germany, where from April 22nd to April 26th, 2019, another internship was held at the “Sächsische Bildungsgesellschaft für Umweltschutz und Chemieberufe Dresden mbH”. As part of the internship, the participants learned about the German dual education system and vocational training in the chemical industry and environmental protection technologies. The participants also visited various companies in the chemical industry - “Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf e.V.”, the pharmaceutical company “Bombastus-Werke AG” and the sewage treatment plant company “Stadtentwässerung Dresden GmbH”. During the visits, the participants learned about the activities of these organizations, the technologies used and the methods for implementing in-company training.

From March 23rd to March 28th, 2019, the AHK vocational training team organized and accompanied an educational trip to Germany for Latvian vocational school teachers and trainers as part of the State Center for Educational Content project "Effective management of vocational schools and development of staff competencies (grant agreement no. 8.5.3.0/16/I/001)" financed by the European Social Fund. During the five-day internship, the participants had the opportunity to get to know the printing industry and the German dual vocational training system. As part of the program, the participants visited the Leipzig Book Fair, the Federal Association of Printing and Media e.V. (bvdm), the Bundesdruckerei GmbH, the Saxon Institute for the Printing Industry GmbH, the Leipzig Museum of Printing Art and the Salzland Druck GmbH & Co. KG company. They were also able to acquire new or specific practical skills and abilities as provided for in the program.

The internship was rounded off with a visit to the Gutenberg School, the vocational school center of the city of Leipzig, where the Latvian participants were able to gain practical experience in the learning environment. There were also many opportunities to exchange experiences with their German colleagues.

With financial support from the Federal Foreign Office of the Federal Republic of Germany, the AHK Baltic States carried out and coordinated the project “Teacher – Trainer Shadowing in the Metalworking Industry”.

The project was implemented from November 5 to December 31, 2018 in four cities in Latvia: Daugavpils, Jelgava, Liepāja and Rīga. As part of the project, vocational school teachers visited companies and learned about their working conditions and technologies; trainers and representatives of the companies gained insight into the learning process, pedagogical work and performance assessment. Teachers from Daugavpils Būvniecības Tehnikums, Jelgavas Amatu vidusskola, Jelgavas Tehnikuma, Liepājas Valsts Tehnikums, Rīgas Valsts Tehnikums and trainers/representatives from SIA "AUTOFIRMA RAIVO", SIA ”Dinex”, A/S “EAST METAL”, SIA “KMK Auto”, SIA “Lesjofors Springs LV”, SIA “NAGLIS&ERR” and SIA ‘’Signum” took part in the project.

The final event of the project took place on December 27th in the hotel “Raddison Blu Hotel Rīdzene”. The participants evaluated the project and discussed further proposals for the development of practice-oriented training.

The winners of the vocational training award WIR BILDEN (WE TRAIN) (ourselves) learn about the German training system in Germany.

From September 24th to 26th, 2018, the vocational training team of the AHK, with the support of the Dortmund Chamber of Industry and Commerce, accompanied the prize winners on their educational trip to Germany. During the three-day study visit, the Latvian trainers had the opportunity to experience the multifaceted German dual vocational training on site. The program was designed to cover as many aspects and sectors as possible: At the Dortmund municipal utilities, the trainers were able to experience the everyday life of an in-house training workshop, while at excellent training companies such as WILO and REWE wholesale they were able to learn about the course of in-company training. There were also many opportunities to exchange experiences with German colleagues. The study visit was rounded off with a visit to the Robert Bosch Vocational College in Dortmund, where the Latvian trainers were able to take a look at the school's operations.

The award winners had very informative days in Germany, a lively and extremely exciting exchange of experiences and were able to take home many new insights and inspirations.

On May 30th, in the premises of the Latvian National Library, as part of the VETnet project implemented by the German-Baltic Chamber of Commerce, the vocational training award "WE TRAIN (OURSELVES)" was awarded for the third time.

The patrons of the vocational training award are the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economic Affairs of the Republic of Latvia, Arvils Ašeradens, and the Minister of Education of the Republic of Latvia, Kārlis Šadurskis.

This year, the award was given to the most committed trainers who implement the most practice-oriented training in companies. The trainers applied for the award through the training companies.

The following institutions were represented on the jury: the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Latvia, the Ministry of Economic Affairs of the Republic of Latvia, the Latvian Employers' Association, the Latvian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Free Trade Unions of Latvia, the German Embassy in Riga and Prakse.lv. The jury evaluated all applications, selected 6 finalists and visited them in the companies.

From 6 finalists, 3 winners were selected:

Jānis Tenis (SIA “ADS Baltic”, Liepaja), Viktors Adelmanis (SIA “Bucher Municipal”, Ventspils) and Audris Lukaševičs (AS “HansaMatrix”, Ogre).

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy of the Republic of Latvia, Arvils Ašeradens, Director of the Vocational Education Department of the State Center for Educational Content, Jānis Gaigals and AHK Regional President in Latvia Kaspars Kalviškis awarded the prize and congratulated the winners. The winners received the award and an educational trip to Germany financed by the AHK.

The German-Baltic Chamber of Commerce started events as part of the “Speed ​​Dating in Latgale” project in Krāslava and Daugavpils on 28 and 29 September. The project envisages the implementation of career guidance measures in seven eastern Latvian towns. During the events, students will be given the opportunity to get to know local companies and explore the career opportunities available in the district.

50 students from several schools in the district attended the event at Krāslava High School. They got to know seven local companies, including IKU Brāļi Vanagi, SIA IVIKS, SIA IV Plus, z/s Kurmīši, SIA LATGRAN, SIA NEMO, a/s Nidl, IKU Salve D. At the opening of the event, the deputy chairman of the Krāslava district, Mr Viktors Moisejs, emphasized the need for new career guidance measures and his joy at the interest shown by entrepreneurs and schools.

60 students from 15 schools in Daugavpils attended the Speed ​​Dating in Daugavpils. They were interviewed by local entrepreneurs SIA Funny Land Centrs, SIA Latvijas maiznieks, Park Hotel Latgola, SIA Pica Serviss, Silene Resort & SPA, SIA Urbanfoods, SIA Zieglera mašīnbūve, as well as the Daugavpils Business Incubator and the D-Juno Association. The event was opened by the first deputy mayor of the city of Daugavpils, Mr. Jānis Dukšinskis, the permanent representative of the German Embassy in Riga, Ms. Manja Kliese, and the head of the Latvian office of the German-Baltic Chamber of Commerce, Mr. Māris Balčūns.

The “Speed ​​Dating Marathon in Latgale” project is being carried out in Latvia with the financial support of the German Foreign Office.

With financial support from the Federal Foreign Office of the Federal Republic of Germany, the AHK Baltic States carried out and coordinated a project that aimed to strengthen cooperation between companies, general education schools and vocational schools in the Latgale region in the field of career guidance. A new career guidance tool, speed dating events, was to be used.

At the start of the project, the locations of the events or cities in the Latgale region and the associated dates were determined. Contact was then made with the education authorities, general education schools and local companies in order to present the project and the concept of speed dating and to persuade both companies and students to take part.

As a result, speed dating events were organized and carried out as a new form of career guidance measures in seven different cities in the Latgale region between the end of September and the end of November. This enabled students from Krāslava, Daugavpils, Līvāni, Preiļi, Ludza, Balvi and Madona - and from the surrounding area - to get to know the local companies better and to obtain information about employment and career opportunities with these employers. On average, 5 to 9 companies and 60 to 80 students took part in each event.

The project is considered an innovative addition to the activities in the field of career guidance measures that have been initiated and implemented in Latvia to date.

Project duration: June 27, 2017 to December 31, 2017 Project funding: by the Federal Foreign Office of the Federal Republic of Germany

• Project name: Learning Outcomes Approach and ECVET Principles for Assessment and Validation of Work based Learning and Apprenticeships: Training Program and OER for VET and Enterprise Tutors
• AHK: Partner
• Project duration: October 1, 2016 - September 30, 2018 F
• Funding program: Erasmus+
• Other partners: Latvia, Estonia, Finland

As part of the ECVET-Enterprise project, a methodology and training course is being developed for trainers and internship supervisors in vocational schools who implement, monitor or plan to implement international internships. ECVET is the European Credit System for Vocational Education and Training (ECVET) for describing state educational qualifications, which is based on the concept of learning outcome orientation (LO). The developed methodology was used in the training for internship supervisors in vocational schools and trainers from companies. The training took the form of an interactive seminar in which the partners from vocational schools and companies jointly prepared the following activities related to international mobility: formulation of learning outcomes, planning of international mobility, preparation of contracts, cooperation for the assessment and recognition of LO, as well as communication with the intern.

The basis of the training program is the experience from the four partner countries, as well as their application in the state and international context. This project continues the comparison of systems and their descriptions with a focus on practical application.

Partners:

• Latvian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LV) – Lead partner
• PIKC Kuldīgas Tehnoloģiju un tūrisma tehnikums, Kuldiga Vocational School (LV)
• Tartu Kutsehariduskeskus, Tartu Vocational School (EE)
• WinNova, Satakunta, Vocational School in Pori (FI)
• Baltic Bright, SIA (LV)
• AHK Baltic States (DE)
• VISC State Centre for Educational Content (LV)

Activities:

16 – 20 May 2017: Training in the premises of the Latvian Chamber of Commerce and Industry for internship supervisors of vocational schools and trainers from companies/ Facebook

Presentations:

• Laura Iveta Strode-EQF and ECVET and why do we need them (ENG)
• Vita Žunda-Learning Outcomes Based Approach in Assessment and Validation of WBL and Apprenticeships (ENG)
• Diāna Krastiņa-Learning Outcomes Based Approach in Assessment and Validation of WBL and Apprenticeships (ENG)

25 September 2018: Final conference of the Erasmus+ project ECVET-Enterprise

The final conference of the ECVET Enterprises project took place on September 25, 2018 in the premises of the Latvian Chamber of Commerce and Industry. The project results were presented at the event and current developments in the field of ECVET were discussed.

The ECVET Enterprise project was carried out between October 2016 and September 2018. As part of the project, a 5-day training course was held and internship managers from vocational schools and trainers from companies learned and discussed how to better assess learning outcomes in practice-oriented training by applying ECVET principles. Nine mobility programs were also organized and the companies took on interns from vocational schools in the EU. Two trainees from Latvia also completed their internships in Germany and Finland as part of the project. During the project, special learning materials on ECVET mobility for companies and vocational schools were also developed, which are available on the website. One of the long-term results of the project is the development of a five-day teaching methodology in Latvian, Estonian, Finnish, English and German.

The program of the event can be found here.

Presentations:

• ECVET im Kontext von Europa und Lettland, Antra Menģele, Staatliche Agentur für Bildungsentwicklung (LV)
• ECVET-Enterprise Projektergebnisse, Līga Sičeva, Lettische Industrie und Handelskammer und Vita Žunda , SIA Baltic Bright (LV)
• Individueller Ansatz und wie man es sichert, Liisa Sarasoja, WinNova, Satakunta, Berufsschule in Pori (ENG)
• Erfahrung von ECVET Mobility Teilnehmer in Tartu , Ingrid Sööd,Tartu Kutsehariduskeskus, Berufsschule Tartu (ENG)

Contact:

Lilita Moiseja
Project Assistant Vocational Training
E-Mail | Telephone: +371 66119816 

With financial support from the Federal Foreign Office of the Federal Republic of Germany, the AHK Baltic States carried out and coordinated a project that was intended to help young people in eastern Latvia to gain an overall picture of the educational and career opportunities in Rezekne and the surrounding area. In addition, the regional capacities in the field of career guidance were also to be strengthened.

At the start of the project, the locations of the events or cities in the Latgale region and the associated dates were determined. Contact was then made with the education authorities, general education schools and local companies in order to present the project and the concept of speed dating and to persuade both companies and students to take part.

Three events were then organised for the young people in Rēzekne to provide career guidance and to explore local educational institutions: the open days at Rēzekne University and at Rēzekne Border Guard College, which is the only educational institution with this focus in Latvia, were attended by around 85 students from the Alūksne and Gulbene regions. The career guidance event at Rēzekne Vocational School was attended by 155 students from Malta, Viduči, Dagda, Tiskādi, Pilda, Mētriena, Preiļi and Nirza.

To strengthen regional capacities in the field of career guidance, a handout of material on career guidance ("Career management skills in the content of standard curricula") produced by VIAA was produced in printed format. In addition, the teachers responsible for career guidance in the Latgale region were trained under German expertise. 50 teachers from the region took part.

The project is considered an innovative addition to the activities in the field of career guidance measures that have been initiated and implemented in Latvia so far.

Project duration: June 27, 2017 to December 31, 2017 
Project funding: by the Federal Foreign Office of the Federal Republic of Germany

With financial support from the Federal Foreign Office of the Federal Republic of Germany, the AHK Baltic States carried out and coordinated a project aimed at promoting the career prospects of young people in the city of Daugavpils and the region and at securing workers for local companies. The project was implemented in cooperation with the Daugavpils vocational school and the companies in the city of Daugavpils.

At the start of the project, the AHK's focus was primarily on popularizing practice-oriented training and its benefits and opportunities for the economy and society. To this end, local companies, representatives of the vocational school and social partners were brought together in several seminars. The representatives of the vocational school also had the opportunity to get to know the dual training system using various examples in Berlin and Potsdam.

Thanks to the joint activities, the practice-oriented training to become a technician for plumbing, heating, air conditioning and gas was started in September 2017 with 30 trainees. Of these, 6 young people are currently learning their chosen profession at the Daugavpils dzīvokļu and komunālās saimniecības uzņēmums and Daugavpils ūdens municipal utilities. The rest have chosen the school-based training model. The involvement of municipal companies could serve as a good sign in the future for the private sector to become more involved in in-company training of skilled workers. The newly launched training course now serves as a pioneer in the Latgale region for the implementation of training in close cooperation between schools and companies. It is considered a prime example for other training courses and a benchmark to be used in the future.

At the end of the project, it can be said that the project has achieved its objective. With the practice-oriented training course that has been launched, the vocational school and the companies have been given a tool that can contribute to the continuous improvement of the quality of training, to ensuring the skilled workers needed in the region and thus to strengthening the economy and the region as a whole. The companies contacted, the vocational school and other social partners were made aware of the advantages of practice-oriented training. It is now up to them to continue to implement this in their own interests.

Project duration: June 1, 2017 to December 31, 2017

Project funding: by the Federal Foreign Office of the Federal Republic of Germany

The year 2017 was an important milestone for the VETnet team. For the first time, examinations were carried out in Latvia with German expertise and elements of quality assurance were also applied.

Two examination boards (one in Liepaja, the other in Riga) were appointed for the profession of freight forwarder, which work according to the principles of the German training system: examination regulations, parity principle (employer, employee, teacher), appointment by the AHK, examiner training, confidentiality and support by the AHK.

The examiners were prepared for the oral examination in September by Frank Duhse, an experienced trainer of trainers and examiners, together with Annette Merkelbach (Schenker Deutschland AG), an experienced examiner and trainer from the Dortmund Chamber area, as part of a two-day training course. The two examination boards were trained as teams, for example how to create the right questions and tasks, how to deal with exam anxiety, how to avoid assessment errors. In role plays, the participants were deliberately prepared for the role of examiner.

The creation of the total of 30 oral examination questions proved to be the greatest challenge for the examiners.

At the beginning of October, 13 trainees from Riga took their exams in Liepaja, while the Liepaja examiners assessed the action competence of 17 Riga trainees.

The successful completion of the oral AHK exam was duly celebrated with a ceremonial AHK certificate award ceremony in Liepaja and Riga - there was double reason to celebrate, as 2/3 of the young people were taken on by their training companies directly after their apprenticeship.

After the successful pilot exams, the examiners, experts and representatives of the State Center for Educational Content met again for an evaluation in November at the invitation of the AHK.

Result: The 30 tested exam questions are to be adapted and made more equivalent with the support of expertise from Germany. The next step is to record the exam questions in a database.

Funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research, the VETnet project aims to implement elements of dual training into the vocational training systems at the 11 AHK locations in China, Greece, India, Italy, Latvia, Mexico, Portugal, Russia, Slovakia, Thailand and the USA.

Vocational Education in Latvia

With their contacts in business and politics, the AHKs also form an important platform for organizing various vocational training activities locally in the respective countries. During the five-year period, the VETnet team, coordinated by the DIHK, supports the initiative of the Latvian Ministry of Education and Science to introduce work-based learning. This includes analyzing various elements of dual vocational training, active marketing measures to increase the general awareness of vocational training in Latvian society, as well as supporting companies in implementing in-company vocational training and piloting new training courses in practice-oriented training.

The above-mentioned activities are to be understood as a “showcase” that makes initial, yet sustainable, contributions to improving the situation on the Latvian labour market.

Goals

The project serves to promote the Federal Government's existing international vocational training cooperation and to further develop the vocational training business area of ​​the AHKs. The medium-term goal is to establish permanent dual vocational training elements locally. The local vocational training systems should thus contribute to higher youth employment.