Initial and Continuing Vocational Training System

Within the Latvian education system, initial vocational training includes basic vocational education, vocational education, secondary vocational education and first level higher vocational education. It provides training for professions of qualification level 1 to 4. Implementation of training is regulated by the Law on Vocational Education. Second level higher vocational education is a part of the higher education system and is regulated by the Law on Higher Education Establishments.

Initial vocational training as a component of the education system

In the 2000/01 academic year 8.5% (48,625) of all students were attending vocational education establishments. Pre-schools were attended by 11% (61,759), 63% (359,181) attended all types of general education establishments, and 17.5% (101,270) attended higher education establishments.

During the 2000/2001 academic year 120 vocational education establishments were in operation in Latvia. Colleges established by higher education establishments are not numbered among vocational education establishments. Vocational education establishments are still under the authority of various line ministries.

The greater part of vocational education establishments are located in Riga and other larger cities. So, during the 2000/01 academic year, 42 of 120 vocational education establishments were located in Riga, and 41.5% of the student population were in attendance there. All together during the 2000/01 academic year 48,625 students were attending vocational education establishments, which is an increase of 2% over the previous academic year. The sharpest increase in the number of students has occurred at private schools (a 48% increase over the previous year), even though the number of students at private vocational schools makes up only 2.3% of the total. The increased enrolment at private vocational schools is the reason that the number of students paying for their training is increasing each year. In the 2000/01 academic year, 10.5% of all new students were paying for their training; in the 1999/2000 a.y. it was 9.5%, in 1998/99 it was 9%, 6.7% in 1997/98 and 5.8% in 1996/97.

Application forms for enrolment in vocational education establishments were submitted by 22,756 candidates in the 2000/01 academic year – of these 77.3% or 18,440 were accepted. Although the number of students attending vocational education establishments has increased slightly, the number of students admitted, as compared the previous year, has decreased by 92 students.

In the 2000/01 academic year, among the total number of students admitted to vocational education establishments, 2% had not completed basic education, 66% had completed basic education, 21% had completed general secondary education and 11% had graduated from other schools. This distribution of students enrolled according to previous level of education has remained approximately the same in the previous academic years.

In April-May of 2000 the Career Guidance Centre, a state non-profit organisation, surveyed pupils of the 9^th and 12^th form concerning their choice of careers. A total of 1,319 students from various urban and rural schools in Latvia were surveyed.

The results of the survey show that in April and May 12% of 9^th form pupils and 6% of 12^th form pupils had still not chosen where and whether to continue their studies.

Four percent of 9^th form pupils and 34% of 12^th form pupils expressed a wish to combine work with studies; 1% of 9^th form pupils and 2% of 12^th form pupils wish to look for work, which means that they are potential job-seekers.

Similar to last year only one third of twelfth form pupils (28%) and one third of 9^th form pupils (33%) can indicate that they have chosen their future profession.

The main motivating factor for students in choosing a profession is a good salary. Among the 10 most popular professions 6 are the same for both 9^th and 12^th form pupils, and these are: lawyer, police officer, computer programmer, accountant, designer and teacher. The same as last year the most popular profession is that of lawyer.

According to the data of the survey 30% of 9^th form pupils and 8% of 12^th form pupils wish to study at vocational schools, while in fact a slightly greater number enrol, which seems to show that vocational schools attract a portion of those students who are undecided.

Along with the changes in labour market demand, changes have taken place in the curricula offered by vocational education establishments. If during the Soviet era the vocational education system offered only secondary-level education programmes, then as of 1997 vocational schools also offer remedial basic education programmes (these are intended for young people who return to education after a break and for whom it is important to acquire professional skills along with a basic education), and as of 1999 first level higher vocational education curricula are also offered.

Students can be enrolled in basic vocational education programmes without restrictions concerning previous education, but not before the year in which they will turn 15. The length of basic vocational education programmes is 1-2 years. The Certificate of Basic Vocational Education indicates that the student has acquired a basic vocational education and has received a qualification pertaining to the first level (theoretical and practical training that prepares one for performing simple tasks in a certain area of practical activity). In the 2000/01 academic year 1.5% of students were enrolled in such programmes.

Students can be enrolled in vocational education programmes without restrictions concerning previous education, but not before the year in which they will turn 15. The Law on Vocational Education states that the learner who has enrolled in vocational education programmes without having completed basic general education must be provided with remedial education and, after completion of final examinations, must be conferred an additional certificate of general basic education. Practically all students enrolled in vocational education programmes have already completed basic general education.

The national vocational education standard determines that vocational education programmes which the learner has enrolled in following completion of basic education last for 2-3 years, but if enrolment follows completion of general secondary education, the programmes last for 1-2 years. The completion of vocational education programmes is attested by the Certificate of Vocational education. This certifies that the qualification granted pertains to the second level of vocational qualifications (theoretical and practical training that allows the holder to independently perform qualified work). Vocational education does not qualify the student to continue education at university level, however those students who wish to continue their studies are offered 2-year education programmes of secondary vocational education, which make it possible to continue studies on a higher level. In the 2000/01 academic year 27% of students attended vocational education programmes.

In order to allow graduates of vocational education programmes who wish to continue their studies at higher education establishments to acquire general secondary education, vocational education establishments offer equalising courses. Those students who have already acquired vocational education can study general education subjects for one year, take national examinations and receive a certificate of general secondary education. During the 2000/01 academic year 1.5% of students attending vocational education establishments participated in these courses.

Vocational secondary education programmes are open to students who have completed general or vocational basic education. These programmes last for 3-4 years after basic education or 2 years after completion of secondary education. Upon completion of these programmes a Diploma of Secondary Vocational Education is conferred, as well as a qualification of level three (advanced theoretical training and professional competence which makes it possible to fulfil certain tasks, including the planning and organisation of work). This diploma provides access to further studies at higher education establishments. In the 2000/01 academic year 67% of students were enrolled in these programmes. These are (just as in previous years) the most popular programmes offered by vocational education establishments.

First level higher vocational education (college education) These education programmes are implemented by colleges and higher education establishments. College education provides qualifications of level four. The length of studies within these programmes is 2-3 years following completion of general or vocational secondary education. The Diploma of First Level Higher Vocational Education (which has been conferred only as of 9 June 2000) attests that the qualification achieved pertains to level four (theoretical and practical training that makes it possible to perform complicated tasks as well as to organise and lead the work of others). In the 2000/01 academic year 3% of students attending vocational education establishments were enrolled in these programmes.

Procedure for conferring qualifications

In order to obtain a vocational qualification, a qualifying examination must be undertaken. The examination is made up of two parts: a test of theoretical knowledge and an examination of practical skills. The Professional Education Centre (PEC) of the Ministry of Education and Science (MES) is responsible for the development evaluation criteria for the theoretical test questions and practical examination. In 2001 the PEC developed the content for national final examinations in three subject areas, as well as for qualifying examinations in 28 profiles. For this purpose working parties were established with the participation of representatives of vocational education establishments, enterprises and professional associations. In 2001, 4,578 students at education establishments founded by the MES and by local governments sat qualifying examinations having uniform content.

In order to help students at vocational education establishments to successfully prepare for qualifying examinations, the PEC of the MES has published the possible test questions for the theoretical examination on its home page www.izmpic.lv. In September of 2001 questions were available for examinations in the following profiles: clothes making, hair dressing, interior and exterior finishing, welding, and secretarial work.

The process of conferring qualifications is secured by either the education establishments or by training and examination centres (TEC) for those profiles in which they have been established. In the 2000/01 academic year centres for electric installations, metal lathing, automechanics, welding, finishing work, joinery, clothes making and hair dressing were in operation.

Qualifications to be acquired

The PEC of the MES has established a register of accredited vocational education programmes. As of 2001 this register is available to all interested parties on the Centre’s internet home page. The register shows which profiles are offered by vocational education establishments and at what level of education.

As can be seen in figure 4, vocational education establishments are becoming more and more adapted to labour market demands, because the percent distribution of students among groups of training programmes is converging on the distribution of the employed among economic sectors. With the increase in the proportion of employed in the service sector, there has been an increase in the number of students acquiring qualifications needed in this sphere. If in 1997 25% were employed in manufacturing, then 50% of students were enrolled in manufacturing training programmes, while 53% were employed in the service sector, with only 40% of students enrolled in service sector training programmes. In the 2000/01 academic year the situation has changed, however there is still a comparatively high number of students undergoing training in various manufacturing technologies (43% in 2000/01), even though only 27% of the total number of employed (in 2000) are working in manufacturing.

Changes in the structure of the economy do, of course, influence the choice of profession among young people. Statistical data on the last three academic years show that the number of students enrolled in various vocational education programmes has changed significantly.

The rapid development and popularity of the information technology branch has influenced the number of students in computer sciences training programmes, which has increased by 5.4 times. The number of students undergoing training in business and administration, construction, art and music programmes has increased.

The level of technologies employed in agriculture as well as the low income of persons employed in this sector have influenced the decision of young people to pursue professions of this sector. In the last three years the number of students enrolled in agriculture training programmes has decreased by 2.7 times. The number of students enrolled in engineering and industrial programmes has also decreased.

There are two incentives offered to students of vocational education establishments: student dormitories and personal maintenance grants.

During the 2000/01 academic year 92.5% of the students of vocational education establishments requiring housing lived in dormitories. Rental costs in dormitories are comparatively very low, which is why students much prefer them. Generally dormitories also contain public catering services, which allow students to take their meals cheaply on-campus.

Each full-time student at state and local government operated vocational education establishments receives monthly a minimum personal maintenance grant of 4.5 LVL from the state. In planning the average monthly grant budget, institutions calculate an average of 8.5 LVL (which is the average grant) per student per month. Each institution has its internal regulations on what categories of students can receive a higher grant. The maximum maintenance grant can be 27 LVL per month. Depending on the kinds of agreements with enterprises in which the school has entered, students may also receive part of what they have earned during their practical training placement.

Along with the grant, full-time students are reimbursed 50% of their travel expenses from home to school.

Discharged students

In the period from 1 September 1999 to 1 September 2000 14% of the students attending vocational education establishments were discharged. Half (48%) of those discharged were first-year students. This same level of student discharge has occurred also in previous years.

The most common reason for discharge is failure in studies, which is due to the low level of knowledge that students have upon entering the vocational education establishment. For example, of the students enrolled at vocational education establishments under the authority of the MES in the 2000/01 academic year, 33% had a mark of 3 (weak) or lower in at least one subject in their school leaving certificate.

This proves that additional funding must be provided so that vocational education establishments might organise remedial education for students in certain subject areas.

Teaching in vocational education establishments takes place in two languages: Latvian and Russian. In the 2000/01 academic year the language of instruction for 10,365 students, or 21% of the total was Russian; 1999/2000 it was 25% of the total; in 1998/99 it was 28%, but in 1995/96 it was 35%. This shows that the number of students for whom the language of instruction is Russian is gradually decreasing.

In-service training programmes have been developed for teachers, so that they might be able to teach professional subjects in the Latvian language, however, the discussion within society is still open as to whether it is necessary to provide training at all national and local government secondary schools solely in the state language (Latvian) as of 1 September 2004 as foreseen in the Law on Education

Training and employment opportunities for graduates of vocational education establishments

In October of 2000, the State Employment Service (SES) of the Ministry of Welfare had registered 94,270 unemployed, among them were 523 1999/2000 graduates of vocational education establishments, who made up 0.5% of the total number of unemployed.

An analysis of the distribution of unemployed graduates of vocational education establishments by region indicates that in those regions where unemployment is highest there is also the highest occurrence of unemployed VET graduates. In the city and surrounding region of Daugavpils 99 graduates of vocational education establishments have been registered as unemployed, which is 18.9% of the total. In Riga the number is 92, or 17.6%.

In May 2000 during the CBS Labour Force Survey participants who had graduated from vocational education establishments during 1990-1999 were asked additional questions regarding the training they had received. Of all graduates of vocational education establishments during the period in question, in May 2000 28% are unemployed, 42% are employed in a profession different from that which they studied and only 30% are working in the sector for which they were trained. Twenty-nine percent of those who had completed secondary vocational education and 27% of those who had completed vocational education were unemployed.

According to CBS data 13% of those who had graduated from vocational education establishments in 2000 continued their studies at higher education establishments. And of the total number of students enrolled in first degree programmes at higher education establishments in the 2000/01 academic year, 20% had completed secondary vocational education.

On 1 September 2001 the revisions to the Law on Vocational Education of 5 July 2001 came into force, which determine that further vocational education is a specific type of vocational education which allows adults with a certain educational background and professional experience to acquire a certain level of vocational qualification, while continuing vocational education is a specific type of vocational education which allows persons, regardless of their age, prior education or vocational qualification to acquire systematised vocational knowledge and skills.

However, these programmes have not yet been included in the Classification of Education of the Republic of Latvia and the CBS compiles education on all programmes of education for adults. Therefore, for the purposes of this report, the term continuing education refers both to formal and to non-formal adult training programmes.

Continuing education opportunities from the supply perspective

In 2000, according to data of the CBS, 196,160 persons (210,777 in 1999) participated in continuing education programmes. A total of 4,456 (6,044 in 1999) training programmes were offered. The information compiled by the CBS contains both formal and non-formal education programmes. The data of the CBS indicate trends.

Continuing vocational education programmes are offered by state and local government as well as private providers and non-government organisations. According to data of the CBS, in the year 2000, 367 (390 in 1999) institutions were involved in adult training. Of these, 115 provided economic and legal training programmes, 105 – language courses, 92 – driving courses.
The main providers of continuing education are:

The major providers of continuing education have united in the Latvian Association of Education for Adults.

Continuing education opportunities from the demand perspective

As indicated by data of the CBS (see figure 10), in the year 2000 the most popular programmes were health and social care (44,473 participants), economic education (24,342) and in-service teacher training (21,988) programmes. This could indicate that the professions of doctor, economist and teacher are those for which new knowledge is most important in order not to lose one’s professional qualification. These programmes were the most popular last year as well.

It is interesting that according to the results of the November 1999 Central Statistics Bureau Labour Force Survey, 47% of all job seekers had an incomplete basic, a basic or a general secondary education, that is, they had no professional background, however, this group represents only 28% of the total number of persons who are involved in continuing education programmes. While at the same time, 9.7% of job seekers had completed higher education, and among those who attended continuing education programmes 35% were holders of higher education diplomas. This indicates that more must be done in order to raise the general level of education of the population, because people with no particular professional background have difficulty becoming involved in continuing education, as they have no skills to up-grade and the learning process itself causes them difficulty.

Employer-sponsored staff training

The CBS, in co-operation with the Leonardo da Vinci programme, conducted a survey on the contribution of employers to the continuing vocational training of their employees. These data were still unavailable at 1 September 2001.

During the debates on the Life-long Learning Memorandum, it was concluded that enterprises who are aware of the continuously changing nature of the business environment willingly participate in the funding of staff training. The stimulus is the potential increase in profit which comes from the development and sales of more competitive services and products. Generally these are large-scale economically stable enterprises which have in place staff development plans, training centres, etc.

Small and medium enterprises which have comparatively lower profits find it much more difficult to invest in staff training, because ensuring survival is foremost.

In order to increase the contribution of employers to the training of workers, it is necessary to apply tax breaks to investment not only in technologies, but also in human resources, because technologies and equipment can’t produce goods without the participation of human resources.

Retraining and upgrading training for the unemployed

Training and retraining for the unemployed are the most essential active employment initiatives for the improvement of employability and quicker reinsertion into the labour market. In Latvia these activities are organised by the State Employment Service (SES).

As of July 2001 the SES has begun the implementation on a pilot basis of two new active employment initiatives: practical training placements at enterprises for young people and subsidised employment for the disabled unemployed.

Within the framework of these pilot projects modularised training programmes for the unemployed have also been developed. More and more training for the unemployed takes place outside of Riga (the capital).

In the year 2000, 10,267 unemployed persons were sent for training and retraining. Eleven percent of the unemployed registered at the end of 2000 were sent for training, thus 36.6% (33% in 1999) of the unemployed who expressed a wish to undergo training upon receiving official unemployed status in the year 2000 were involved in training funded by the state. In 2000, 66.3% (50.6%) of those who completed training courses found employment. Of the unemployed persons sent for training and retraining in the year 2000, 44.7% did not have prior vocational education.

In the year 2000, 75 education establishments (both public and private) participated in the tender procedure for state funding for unemployed training and retraining courses, with a total offer of 935 training programmes.
In 2000 the majority of the unemployed were trained in the following programmes:

In 2000, using the testing-interview method, staff of the SES and training institutions determined the most suitable candidates for acquiring training, and this has produced results, as in the year 2000 the number of unemployed persons dismissed from training programmes has decreased by 324. In 2000 the national budget funding available for training and retraining of the unemployed was 3,988,571 LVL, and this is 16.7% less than in the previous year.

Participation in individually motivated continuing education

There are no statistical data on the number of persons who have participated in individually motivated vocational training. The results of the interviews conducted in connection with the debate on the Life-long Learning Memorandum show that a graduated income, career opportunities, a secure future, as well as employer support stimulate the individual to contribute financially to his or her education.

While deterrents are: the lack of career prospects (nothing changes regardless of the employee’s quality of work and level of knowledge), lack of time and money, laziness, lack of self-confidence.

Revisions (done on 05.07.2001) in the Law on Vocational Education provide that a programme of further vocational education contains not less than 30% of the compulsory professional subject matter contained in the national education standard for vocational education or secondary vocational education programmes, or not less than 30% of the compulsory content of the national standard for first level higher vocational education programmes. In this way the relationship between the content of initial vocational education programmes and of further vocational education programmes is defined.

On 1 September 2001, Regulation No. 383 (2000) of the Cabinet of Ministers “On vocational qualifications which are acquired by sitting centralised qualifying examinations” came into force. This regulation confirms the list of second and third level qualifications which are conferred after the sitting of centralised qualifying examinations. Centralised examinations must also be taken by persons who complete further vocational education programmes.

The length and content of continuing vocational training is determined by the training programmes.

Higher and vocational education establishments continuously develop new further vocational training programmes for the acquisition of vocational qualifications. These programmes apply modularization, distance learning, as well as traditional teaching methods.

There is much more difficulty as concerns the assessment of skills acquired through non-formal learning, as in the evaluation of the quality of such education. With Europe on the way to a learning society, this issue is becoming more and more pressing, since the changing needs of the labour market require that the individual is capable of quickly acquiring new sills and abilities, but the path of formal education will certainly be time-consuming and less up-to-date, since a certain amount of time must pass for the development, implementation and accreditation of new training programmes. Non-formal education can react to changes much more quickly.

The discussion on the assessment of skills and knowledge acquired through non-formal education has begun within the framework of the debate on the Life-long Learning Memorandum.

EMP/SKILLS - Skills and Employability Department