On 4 and 5 April, Kipsala International Exhibition Centre will host the most ambitious event of the year in vocational education in Latvia - the national SkillsLatvia 2023 competition for young professionals, organised by the State Education Development Agency (VIAA). This year, more than 120 contestants from 31 vocational education institutions will demonstrate their professional skills in 19 different skills competitions and compete for the best results. We invite students to attend the competition in person and to take part in parallel activities that will help them learn about professions and explore their career opportunities.
During the two days of the competition, participants from all over Latvia will demonstrate their talents, knowledge and professionalism in shop window design and decoration, costume design and production, computer network administration, graphic design, mobile robotics, mechatronics, hairdressing, restaurant service, reception, electrical installations, engineering systems, tiling, painting and decorating, furniture making, dry construction, heavy vehicle technology and freight transport. In parallel, the Riga Tourism and Creative Industries Technical School will host a cooking competition, which will not be open to the public. The tasks will be close to the requirements of international competitions of professional excellence and the performance of the young people will be judged by a jury of more than 60 industry experts.
"SkillsLatvia has been a unique and ambitious meeting platform for young professionals and industry representatives for many years. Participation in the event provides valuable experience for personal and professional development, as it is a challenge to the limits of one's abilities, to see oneself in new conditions, gaining experience for the future working life. Parallel events are also an integral part of the competition, giving students who are still on the path to exploring their skills and interests the opportunity to get to know a wide range of professions and career options. Successful participation in SkillsLatvia 2023 gives young professionals the opportunity to prove themselves in the EuroSkills competition at European level or even at global level – in WorldSkills," says Dita Traidās, Director of the VIAA.
SkillsLatvia 2023 will also be accompanied by "Try Skills" vocational skills exploration activities offered by vocational education and training institutions, so that young people can test their abilities in more than 40 vocational skills. Visitors will be able to take part in a "Schools' Open Mic" to find out more about vocational education institutions and training programmes.
There will also be an opportunity to talk to career counsellors from the Latvian Career Development Support Association, follow along and participate in the "Discover SkillsLatvia" quiz and "Skills Relay", competing for prizes, as well as play Brain Games board games. At the same time, former participants of SkillsLatvia, EuroSkills and WorldSkills competitions will share their competition experiences, personal and professional benefits and challenges both in person and online on the VIAA and SkillsLatvia Facebook accounts.
All interested parties, especially students, parents, teachers and career counsellors, are invited to visit and watch the competition and take part in the activities on 4 and 5 April from 10.00 to 16.00 at Kipsala International Exhibition Centre. Entrance to the event and parking is free.
The competition is funded by the European Social Fund and co-financed by the State of Latvia under the project "Career Support in General and Vocational Education Institutions".