The National Skills Competitions for Young Professionals SkillsLatvia 2018, organised by the State Education Development Agency (SEDA), is completed with 60 winners in 20 different professional skills competitions. The winners have shown the best skills and knowledge in the evaluation of industry professionals and employers.
At SkillsLatvia 2018 young professionals were awarded in many skill competitions, for example, visual merchandising, fashion design, fashion manufacturing, graphic design, IT network systems administration, mobile robotics and electronics, electrical installations, plumbing and heating, wall and floor tiling, hairdressing, cooking, and other skill competitions. The TOP 3 professional training education institutions with the most awards are Riga Art and media school, receiving 3 gold and 2 bronze medals, Ogre Technical School, receiving 1 gold, 2 silver, and 2 bronze medals, and Riga Technical College, receiving 2 gold, 1 silver, and 1 bronze medal.
The full list of winners and their represented schools is available here.
Kārlis Šadurskis, Minister of Education and Science of the Republic of Latvia: “This competition confirms the high quality of professional education in Latvia and demonstrates the great cooperation with employers. Each year we discover many outstanding talents, skilled, dynamic, and smart young people, who honourably represent our country in international professional mastery competitions. We are especially pleased that Latvia is in first place in the world according to the number of medals received per inhabitants in the country!”
Dita Traidās, SEDA Director: “SkillsLatvia 2018 is an excellent point of reference for versatile, high quality, and skills-based vocational education in Latvia. One of the greatest benefits of the competition is the opportunity for our most talented young professionals to meet industry experts and potential employers. At the same time, the competition selects the best young professionals who will have a chance to represent Latvia at international EuroSkills and WorldSkills competitions, in which so far Latvia has shown an outstanding and competitive performance.”
During SkillsLatvia 2018 the contestants tested their skills according to international standards. The tasks had to be completed within 14 hours in a competitive setting and under increased supervision. “The tasks of the competition are deliberately closer to the real environment of each profession, in which young people will work in the future. It is a great opportunity to experience the beginning and finishing of a task from start to finish. The eyes of each participant shine with pride! The best professionals in the field are those who can combine theory with practice”, says Normunds Grinbergs, Head of the Latvian Builders Association.
In total, 130 contestants from 31 education institutions participated in the 20 professional skills competitions (two of which took place in Jelgava) of SkillsLatvia 2018.
About SkillsLatvia 2018
SkillsLatvia 2018 is a national skills competitions for young professionals, which is taking place in Latvia for the second year and is organised by SEDA. The motto of the competition “The doer wins!” celebrates the skills of young professionals and demonstrates cooperation between vocational education institutions and the labour market.
More information about the competition SkillsLatvia 2018 is available on the SEDA website SkillsLatvia 2018, while news about the competition – on the SkillsLatvia Facebook page. The competition is within the framework of the project "Career Support in General and Vocational Education Institutions", co-financed by the European Social Fund.