Translated using ChatGPT service.
To promote lifelong learning, particularly by offering flexible skill enhancement and retraining opportunities for all based on labor market needs, facilitating career changes, and promoting professional mobility, the Cabinet of Ministers approved a new EU fund support program for sector-based adult education during its session on June 25.
The support program was developed by the Ministry of Economics (MoE) with the aim of providing support for employer growth sectors, targeting employee competency enhancement, and reducing learning barriers. This will encourage employers to invest in human resources and motivate them to involve their employees in further skill development to increase productivity.
“I, along with the MoE leadership, have repeatedly met with business organizations and companies to discuss human capital development issues. Entrepreneurs emphasize that acquiring employee skills alongside technological progress is critically important for business development. Employees regularly need training courses to continue developing and implementing innovations in companies, as well as to increase labor productivity. Moreover, at the request of entrepreneurs, the training process must be sufficiently diversified to meet the specific needs of different sectors and companies. Therefore, I am pleased that the government today approved the new program, which will make a significant contribution to the development of Latvia's human capital,” said Minister of Economics Viktors Valainis.
The total funding for the support program is 14.5 million EUR. Support for employee training will be provided through industry associations, which will be selected by the Central Finance and Contracting Agency. Support will be available to companies with an intensity of up to 70%, and applications for training provision will begin after the selection of organizations representing industry companies.
Within the support program, it is planned to support more than 450 employers by December 31, 2029, training nearly 1,200 employees in sectors such as wood processing, machinery and metalworking, electrical and optical equipment manufacturing, chemical industry, food and beverage production, construction, light industry, paper manufacturing, and printing. Training will be offered in fields and programs such as production engineering and management, physical sciences, mathematics and statistics, computer systems, databases and networks, design, project management, programming, production and processing, forestry, healthcare services, hotel and restaurant services, international transport organization, environmental health, hotel and tourism management, business and financial management, and more.
According to the World Economic Forum's forecasts, six out of ten employees worldwide will need training by 2027. Despite the objective need and ambitious goals, the previous target for adult education – at least 15% of adults participating in lifelong learning by 2020 – has not been achieved in Latvia or the EU overall. In 2022, an average of only 11.9% of people aged 25-64 in Europe participated in education, compared to 9.7% in Latvia. Meanwhile, the interest from employers and employees is growing. According to CSB data, the share of people aged 25 to 64 who participated in education in the four weeks before the survey increased from 6.6% in 2020 to 9.7% in 2022. Additionally, the proportion of employed adults participating in education during paid work hours increased by 12.6 percentage points, from 34.9% in 2020 to 47.9% in 2022.