Status in national legislation

According to the professional qualification standard  a youth worker engages directly with young people, promotes youth initiatives, facilitates the acquisition of necessary competencies for youth, ensures meaningful leisure activities, fosters youth participation, and implements projects in the field of youth work. The youth worker supports and advises young people, focusing on their personal development, promoting non-formal and everyday learning to enhance youth quality of life, encourage youth initiatives, participation in decision-making, and public life. They support the development and quality of youth work to promote its sustainability.

Youth workers operate in state and municipal institutions (including educational institutions, youth centers, day centers, children and youth centers, detention facilities); associations, foundations, social enterprises. A youth worker may work as a volunteer, as an employee, or as a self-employed individual. They collaborate professionally with youth affairs specialists, social workers, educators, career counselors, and other youth policy planners and implementers.
defines the duties and tasks of youth workers, as well as the necessary professional knowledge and competencies, to promote the professionalization of youth sector workers and ensure quality service provision to young people.

According to the Youth Law, municipalities, when establishing an institutional system for youth work, have the right to employ a youth affairs specialist—a person who plans, conducts, and coordinates youth work. The Ministry of Education and Science has developed recommendations for municipalities regarding the job description of a youth affairs specialist. Each municipality, when hiring a youth affairs specialist, can specify the competencies, professional knowledge, and skills required, as well as additional duties relevant to that municipality. When hiring youth workers, municipalities must adhere to professional qualification requirements.

Education, training and skills recognition

The Youth Law states that to obtain the knowledge and skills necessary for performing his professional duties, a youth affairs specialist shall, within two years from the day he has taken up employment or been recruited, take a training programme for a youth affairs specialist for a minimum of 80 academic hours. The content of this training programme is defined in regulations of the Cabinet of Ministers (issued under the Youth Law). However, as the financial capacity of the Ministry of Education and Science is restricted, not all youth affairs specialists have the opportunity to enter this training programme.

Numerous local experience-sharing seminars provide a similar contribution to the professional development of youth workers. Such seminars are another way of ensuring the professional development of those involved in youth work. For example, the Youth Capital of Latvia has the task of organizing an experience exchange seminar with youth actors in its municipality each year to set a good example, promote the development of competencies and networking among youth workers.

Mobility of youth workers

Youth Workers' Mobility Projects aim to promote the professional development of youth workers in an international environment, thereby enhancing the capacity of the organizations involved and enhancing youth work. Youth workers' mobility activities are based on the principles and methods of non-formal education, incl. using the Youthpass learning assessment tool in the learning process. At the end of the project, each participant has the opportunity to receive a Youthpass certificate.

In 2022, the Agency sent a total of 91 participants from Latvia to 52 international training programs under "Erasmus+" and the "European Solidarity Corps". These trainings were organized by national agencies from other countries, with the aim of developing their knowledge about EU program priorities, volunteer work, non-formal education, and various types of projects, as well as networking and attracting new international partners for their projects.