From October 6 to 7, Saldus Technical College will host a competition of young professionals in the field “Road Construction”, in which nine future road construction specialists from Smiltene Technical School, Saldus Technical School and Daugavpils Construction Technical School will compete in groups of three.
For two days, the contestants will demonstrate their skills in laying pavements on the basis of pre-levelled rubble, determine the particle size distribution of soil samples in a laboratory test, determine the consistency of bitumen by the needle penetration method and calculate the Los Angeles coefficient. At the same time, the new specialists will perform measurements with an optical and laser level, demonstrate practical and theoretical knowledge in the use of equipment and hand tools used in road construction. The competition will also assess young people's knowledge of labour protection. Theoretical and practical tasks for the competition were developed by the road construction company SIA Binders.
The State Education Development Agency (VIAA) has been organizing a national competition since 2018 to identify the best new specialists in the road construction sector, promote vocational education and create opportunities for cooperation between employers and educational institutions.
National competitions are financed by the European Social Fund project “Career Support in General and Vocational Education Institutions”, co-financed by the Latvian state to promote the development of vocational education, international competitiveness and quality. The project is implemented by VIAA until 31 May 2022.