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1. Youth employment measures

2. Flexicurity measures focusing on young people

3. Reconciliation of private and working life for young people

4. Funding of existing schemes/initiatives

5. Quality assurance

Youth employment measures

Since January 2014, young people aged 15–29, who have obtained the status of a registered unemployed in the SEA, in close cooperation with a career counsellor and other SEA specialists can find out their strengths, receive information regarding vacancies in Latvia, acquire new skills and their first work experience, engage in training, as well as receive a support for a business start-up. In total, 10 measures are available for young people, where participation is established on the basis of profiling results, including the previous experience of the young person in the labour market, acquired education, as well as the level of skills and abilities. In order to receive the support, young people may apply in 28 branches of the SEA throughout Latvia.

As from June 2014, the SEDA, in its turn, implements vocational education programmes in cooperation with 35 institutions of vocational education and colleges, in which young people may acquire vocational training in any of 72 professions during 12 or 18 months. Admission to the programmes takes place twice a year.

The main target group of the SEDA to be engaged in the initial vocational education programmes under the Youth Guarantee programme are young people aged 17–29 (included) who are not in education[1], employment and who have not acquired previous professional qualification[2] or have previous professional qualification that has been acquired at least 12 months before admission to the implemented educational programmes. At the same time, the support in the form of training programmes is offered to young people aged 15–29, who are not in education and employment, in detention facilities. Beyond the Youth Guarantee, the SEDA also involves employed young people in its initial vocational education programmes for acquisition of the second and third professional qualification level during one academic year or one and a half academic years (see information below).

In addition to the above, Agency for International Programs for Youth is implementing the project “KNOW and DO!”. The project is being implemented within the Youth Guarantee initiative aimed at young people aged 15–29 who are not in education, employment or training (NEET) and are not registered in the State Employment Agency (SEA) as unemployed.

The aim of the project “KNOW and DO!” is to develop skills of the target group of young people and facilitate their involvement in education, including vocational learning to master craftsman, Youth Guarantee activities implemented by the State Employment Agency or the State Education Development Agency, active employment or preventative unemployment reduction measures provided by the State Employment Agency as well as in non-governmental organizations or youth centre activities.

The provisional number of young people who are going to receive the support during the project is 3500. To achieve the set goal, the project is being implemented in close collaboration with local municipalities and their strategic partners, such as national and local governmental and non-governmental institutions, youth centres and other institutions engaged in youth work. To ensure quality of services provided to young people, the AIPY provides methodological support to municipalities by organizing trainings to the project implementation staff, evaluation meetings to exchange experiences and good practices as well as supervisory visits.

The project “KNOW and DO!” foresees several phases of youth engagement. During the first phase, young people of the target group are being identified and outreached to inform them about the opportunities provided by the project. This is being done by municipalities in close collaboration with their strategic partners.

During the second phase, young people are being profiled by experienced/trained specialists to identify what skills and competences the particular young person shall develop, i.e. personal, social, labour and/or others in order to successfully return to social and economic life. Based on the profiling results, an individual support programme of measures is being elaborated, which at a later stage of its implementation can be improved according to the young person's needs in terms of measures and programme duration. Those young people who have expressed readiness to actively participate in the process of job search or further education during profiling are directed to join Youth Guarantee activities implemented by the State Education Development Agency or State Employment Agency. The profiling process as such is based on an individual approach and support provided by qualified specialists including consultation about possible vocational opportunities.

The individual support programme of measures is elaborated to fit the particular young person’s needs therefore it encompasses individual and group support activities such as consultations, formal and informal learning activities, volunteer and social work, leisure time activities and others. The implementation of an individual support programme is very significant therefore the mentor’s involvement in the implementation of the individual support programme is obligatory.

The project is aimed at young people aged 15–29 who are not in education, employment or training (NEET) and are not registered in the State Employment Agency as unemployed.

Within the framework of the project, until the end of the year 2020, it is planned to achieve the following monitoring indicators:

• Output indicator – 3500 NEETs who are not registered in the State Employment Agency and have participated in the ESF supported measures.
• Result indicator – 2450 NEETs who are not registered in the State Employment Agency and have successfully completed their individual support programme within the framework of the ESF support.

[1] According to Regulations of the Cabinet of Ministers No. 207 of 28 April 2015, young people who study in an evening school or have undertaken distance learning in order to acquire secondary education, or partial-time study programmes specified in the Institutions of Law on Institutions of Higher Education in addition to participation in measures 7.2.1.1 or 7.2.1.2 may also be involved in the measures.

[2] Young people may be registered with the SEA as unemployed or job-seekers, while not being support receivers within a measure implemented by the SEA (except for young people involved in job-seeker support measures, competitiveness enhancement measures and career guidance) Mostly they are young people who have acquired basic education or general secondary education and had commenced acquisition of vocational or higher education due to different reasons, for instance, they wished to earn money, took care of children, but did not finish their studies.

Flexicurity measures focusing on young people

The aims of the solutions to many problems is to support young people at certain stages of life, to solve specific problems or to provide targeted support to certain groups of students, strengthening the elements of education and training system. It means that such solutions are limited in terms of time, they are based on individual projects or they deal with certain issues contrary to an activity within a common framework in terms of both strategy and tactics.

A teacher, a school, an organisation or an administrative authority alone cannot ensure everything required for a young person. When projects, activities and programmes are prepared within the strategic framework including systematic approach to career guidance support measures, young people can receive comprehensive support on their path to education. This increases synergy with other initiatives and external partners ensuring greater flexibility and responsiveness. 

Reconciliation of private and working life for young people

Remote placement is still not widespread in Latvia, it is also not separately regulated by law or regulations of the Cabinet of Ministers. There is no separate regulation that would highlight youth as a group in Latvia.

The majority of employers look for employees in offices, at certain facilities. In terms of remote work, most often the following vacancies are published: freelance translators, data input specialists, editors, IT specialists, designers, accountants, active sales specialists and photographers.

In Latvia, distance learning becomes more and more popular; it is a type of correspondence education characterised by specially developed learning materials and webinars in e-environment, and an individual tempo of learning.

Distance learning is particularly suitable for employed, active and busy people; and it is an opportunity to combine work and family life, additionally acquiring a profession in distance learning. Distance learning would be impossible without a special e-learning environment that provides each student with a profile and an individual schedule for taking tests.

Within the framework of the Youth Guarantee, young people are offered opportunities to combine education with the acquisition of a profession/trade (see the previous chapter).

Funding of existing schemes/initiatives

The project “KNOW and DO!” is being implemented with a financial support of the European Social Fund and state funding. The overall budget of the project “KNOW and DO!” is 6,80 MEUR, 5.78 MEUR of which is the funding provided by the European Social Fund and 1.02 MEUR is the state provided funding. It is planned that 5,47 MEUR will be allocated to local municipalities to ensure direct support to the target group of young people. The amount of funds each municipality receives is calculated according to a quota principle.

Quality assurance

Within the framework of the project, until the end of the year 2020, it is planned to achieve the following monitoring indicators:

• Output indicator – 3500 NEETs who are not registered in the State Employment Agency and have participated in the ESF supported measures.
• Result indicator – 2450 NEETs who are not registered in the State Employment Agency and have successfully completed their individual support programme within the framework of the ESF support.

Individual support programme is considered to be successfully completed if, by the end of its completion, the young person of the target group re-enters education system including vocational training with a master craftsman, Youth Guarantee activities implemented by the SEA or the SEDA, active employment or preventative unemployment reduction measures provided by the State Employment Agency or joins the activities of non-governmental organizations or youth centres.