In childhood, each of us dreamed of acquiring a profession. One imagined baking cakes, another felt like repairing a car in the garage, and another one fantasised about building a house every day. Most of our childhood dreams have not come true because our work is very different from our dream profession, but we might indulge in daydreams sometimes. Everything is now possible! But how? There is an excellent opportunity to see our dream come true by acquiring new competences and skills. This article explores the importance of lifelong education and the scope for using it.
The significance of lifelong education
A plan for putting the adult education model into practice over 2016–2020 drawn up by the Ministry for Education and Science emphasises the significance of lifelong learning in adult education. To achieve the goal of education policy, they are carrying out a project titled “Improving the Professional Competence of Employed Persons,” which offers educating activities of various length: non-formal activities (classes, courses, seminars, workshops) and informal activities (knowledge acquired through socialising, i.e. learning in a less organised way through self-study, interaction on computer, visiting training centres, and communicating with other members of the public and learning from their experience).
The target demographics are –
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employees (including self-employed) aged 25 or older with any level of acquired education;
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employees aged 25 or older who are on childcare leave and retain their employment.
How to apply
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Go to www.macibaspieaugusajiem.lv;
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Choose your training;
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If you have any questions about the organisation and content of your training, check with the training institution;
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Email your application or file it in person at your chosen training institution;
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Wait for your training confirmation.
You can apply for multiple training programmes at various education establishments. The training courses on offer will vary from time to time, but one thing to remember is that each worker may learn only once during the project (1 January 2017 – 31 December 2022). So, if you have confirmation from two or more education establishments, you will have to choose only one of the programmes.
Expected to begin in May 2019 (date to be confirmed), Wave 4 will feature a wide range of industries, so everyone can choose what they like:
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Construction;
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Printing and media technologies;
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Electronic and optical equipment manufacturing, information and communication technologies;
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Catering and tourism;
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Energy;
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Chemical;
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Wood;
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Culture (libraries);
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Metal and engineering;
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Food and agriculture;
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Textile, clothing and leather production;
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Transport and logistics.
Tuition fees
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Tuition is free for qualifying workers on low incomes;
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Any other worker will see 90% of their tuition fees paid out of national and EU funds, with the balance of 10% to be paid by the employee or their employer.
After receiving confirmation, you should visit the education establishment, enter into a training agreement, and pay the balance of 10%, which cannot be split into instalments.
Riga offers the widest range of programmes (over 160). The most popular so far have been non-formal education programmes lasting up to 159 hours, with the worker’s payment of up to €36.
Make sure you don’t miss this opportunity – applications for Wave 4 are expected in May!
