Young job seekers are often hindered by a lack of experience and a low level of education which prevents them from earning more than the minimum wage. A project to roll out the European Union’s Youth Guarantee across Latvia is tackling these issues by providing vocational education young people need to find good jobs and be successful. Thousands of people aged between 15 and 29 years are benefiting from the scheme.
- 05 September 2018
The Youth Guarantee has shown itself to be an essential investment. It has given hope and a new direction to thousands of young people who are now more motivated, confident and educated than before. What’s more, they have been equipped appropriate job-related skills which are vital for the country’s future.
Latvia, like many parts of Europe, has had to deal with high rates of youth unemployment since the 2008 economic crisis. The EU introduced the Youth Guarantee to help Europe’s youngsters move forward in their lives. The scheme aims to ensure that all young people receive a good-quality offer of employment, continued education, an apprenticeship or a traineeship within a period of four months of becoming unemployed or leaving formal education.
Targeted support
In Latvia the focus is on helping young people either to acquire the country’s second level of professional qualifications within one academic year or enrol them on vocational secondary education programmes so that they can acquire third-level professional qualifications through a one-and-a-half academic year. Areas of training that are on offer reflect the country’s economic and labour market needs, which increases the chances of young people finding a job.
Through collaboration with the State Education Development Agency (SEDA), 34 vocational colleges in Latvia are taking part to ensure comprehensive implementation of education programmes, which are free of charge and cover more than 70 professions. Scholarships of between EUR 70 to 115 are also available to young people through the Youth Guarantee, which is helping to provide extra motivation. The scheme’s professional improvement programmes provide 160 hours of learning. While help is available for people up to and including the age of 29, there is a special focus on assisting 15 to 24 year olds.
Young people can gain qualifications in professions representing 12 different economic sectors. They can also qualify for certifications in sales work, tourism, driving and other area. Some programmes have also been rolled out in detention centres so that inmates can acquire basic skills or undertake vocational education and professional improvement during 160 hours of learning.
Finding work
Project data shows that 11 220 young people have been involved in the project in vocational colleges and detention centres, and 7 082 of them have received a qualification from vocational colleges by the end of July 2018.
The latest survey of graduates reveals that among 2 813 respondents, about 72 % became employed six months after graduation. For NEETs (young people not in employment, education or training) the employment rate was about 68 % half a year after graduation. Almost half of all survey participants acquired a job after graduation in the profession they were trained for through the project.
Both the one year and one-and-a-half year programmes are expected to continue after the project closes thanks to financing from national budgets.
Beneficiaries
"In general, I really liked the training because I learned a lot, even though I had several years of experience in the forestry sector. During the training I also got a certificate as a chainsaw and brush-cutter operator, as well as a certificate as a mobile hoist operator. The training under the Youth Guarantee programme helped me fulfil my dream to become a professional arborist. I currently work as a self-employed person. However, I and my brother, who is also an arborist, plan to set up our own company in the near future."
Artis Petenko, Youth Guarantee graduate
"In the future, I would like to open my own sewing salon. However, to make this happen both sewing and dress modelling skills are necessary. Therefore, I accepted the challenge of acquiring these skills through the Youth Guarantee programme. Apart from these professional skills, I also acquired certificates for professional English and the basics of business training that will help me set up my business. I also took training in the psychology of communication that will be useful for customer service. Any profession training will be useful – at first for yourself. If you can also earn money and set up your own business by doing this, then this is great!”
Elīna Skrindževska, Youth Guarantee graduate
Total investment and EU funding
Total investment for the project “The Youth Guarantee - Latvia” is EUR 36 183 092, with the EU’s European Social Fund contributing EUR 32 779 815 through the “Growth and Employment” Operational Programme for the 2014-2020 programming period. The investment falls under the priority “Promoting Employment and Work Force Mobility”.