PROFOUND SKILLS FROM BORDER SCHOOL WITHOUT LIMITS!

Cross-border labour movement on the EE-LV border in Valga-Valka area Rainer Kuutma Valga County Vocational Training Centre Murmansk, 28.04.2017

Valga-Valka on the EE-LV border

Developments in Valga/Valka Area Inhabitants in Valga Town EE – 13 thousand Inhabitants in Valka Town LV – 6.2 thousand Up to 1991 – formal administrative border with free cross-border labour movement 1992-1993 – building of rigid national border No visa demand, Stamping passports of non-citizens, 3 border-crossing points, Customs check-up 1994 – Employees of Valga companies coming from Latvia are asked to leave Around 2000 – Noone from Latvia employed

Developments in Valga/Valka Area (2) 2004 – EE-LV join the EU single market. First Latvian residents are employed in Valga. 2006 – LV residents working in EE get EE ID-codes Employers pay taxes (health insurance, pension) to the state. Labour cannot use the money without ID-codes 2007 – EE-LV join the Schengen Agreement and no passport check-up on the border (but 200 meters away). The border between Valga-Valka is an EU internal border

Cross-border employment dynamics Employment of LV residents in companies of Valga has risen a lot. 2004 – 50, 2007 – 250, 2011 – 500, 2016 – 1000 It is complicated to give exact numbers. There may be double registration. These figures are based on opinion of personnel workers of major employers. The number of Estonian residents working in Valka is 10 times less

Training of Latvian Students After basic school (9 years of school) special groups for Latvian students with instruction in the Latvian language Cooperation with Valka Gymnasium. Estonian Vocational Education Certificate Latvian Secondary Education Certificate Study period 3 years Professions: woodwork (cabinet making, carpentry) Problem: Low birth rate in the 1990s. Latvians encourage their basic school leavers to continue in Latvian secondary schools otherwise the schools will be closed

Training of International Students After secondary school (12 years of general education) groups for International students with instruction in the English language Study period 2 years Profession: logistician and freight-forwarder on the 5th EU qualification level The students come from: Estonia and Latvia but we have also students from the Russian Federation (Pskov Oblast), Georgia, Armenia and Ukraine.

Adult Training Every year 300 – 400 adult learners take part courses of different length in the Adult Training Department of VCVTC either Free of charge for participants (unemployment office or Ministry of Education pays) in professions that are regarded as necessary (finisher-plater in construction, pottery, chimney-sweeps, felling of trees, lifting devices, etc.) Employers order and pay for courses (it happens but seldom) Students pay themselves (practically foreign language courses only) The number of courses ordered by Unemployment office were higher during the recession

Young adults’ cross-border movement (1) Language barriers. Estonian and Latvian languages are very much different Communication for Estonian and Latvian youth goes in English, in case of older generations it is Russian Young people of Russian roots. There is more effory made for teaching them national languages than English Anyway, knowlege of languages won’t be a big problem if people want to talk

Young adults’ cross-border movement (2) Bureaucratic barriers is a much bigger problem Problems with free cross-border movement of public services. Obstacles for public financial resources. VCVTC train Latvian students without Latvian finacial support Employment offices cannot retrain youth from the neighbouring country. Way out – EU projects Taxation differences Less salary of Latvians working in Estonia compared with a person living and residing in the same country

Registration of residence Residence registration in Valga gives cross-border commuters more benefits (tax-exempt income can be used on monthly basis, coverage with EE social benefits in addition to LV, etc.) Border-commuters’ income tax – to the EE state Illegal registration. Officially 90 days/half year Everybody happy with cheating: the person, Valga municipality, Valka municipality, EE state There is a good side, too. A cross-border labour commuter can choose which country’s social benefit to take. In case of youth, they are usually healthy and don’t think about pension yet.