1. Overview of recent LLG policy developments in Latvia
17th Plenary Meeting of ELGPN in Riga, 03/03/2015

2. Latvia has traditionally had one of the highest per capita ratio of students in the world (447 students per inhabitants)
With 50 percent of its territory covered by forests, a vast network of free flowing rivers and thousands of lakes, Latvia is one of Europe’s best preserved havens for a wide variety of wildlife 
Population in 2014:
1, 935, 600
Area: 64,589 sq.km
Industries: Information technologies, chemical and pharmaceutical industries, electronics, mechanical engineering, timber and construction, food processing, textiles, fishery and agriculture
Structure of enterprises: micro (85.5%), small (11.6%), medium (2.4%), large (0.5%)

4. Employment rates among 25-64 year-olds,
by educational attainment in 2012
(OECD, Education at a Glance 2014)

5. UNEMPLOYMENT RATE (15-64 years), % (Eurostat, Latvian PES)

6. Forces behind demographic change matter (World Bank)
Decrease in labor force 18% over
Share pop 50+ (2010) 38%
Share pop 50+ (2030) 40%

7. Changes in the number of the employed in the EU and Latvia by sectors, 2020 in comparison to 2013, %
Source: Cedefop, forecasts by the Ministry of Economics of Latvia

8. Opportunities and Challenges
Little segmentation in the labour market (prevalent - one open ended labour contract)
Youth unemployment duration spells are short
High employment rate for women and people in the pre-retirement age
Higher levels of education associated with better labour market outcomes
Good labour market outcomes:
Ageing of the population
Not enough quality vacancies
Emigration, internal mobility
Long term unemployment, inactivity, poverty (improvements to social support - in progress)
Improvements to education and training systems - in progress
Challenges:

9. Lifelong
Guidance
System in Latvia

10. Council of Career Development Support System
Concept Paper “Improvement of the Career Development Support System” Approved by the Cabinet of Ministers (2006)
Council of Career Development Support System
The
Ministry of Welfare
The Ministry of Education and Science
The Ministry of Economics
MANAGEMENT
The State Employment Agency
The Social Integration State Agency
The State Education Development Agency
The State Education Quality Service
Labour market forecasting
IMPLEMENTATION
Education institutions
Employers
Sectorial expert councils (NEP)
COOPERATION

11. State Employment Agency (SEA) –
28 offices

12. Registered unemployed persons
Profiling tool
Consultations (individual and in groups)
Informative materials
E-services
Informative days
Designed campaigns
Campaigns as well for schools etc.
Assistance for faster entrance into labour market/skills improvement (short training, career management skills; road maps)
Persons 15 – 64
Job seekers
Registered unemployed persons
Youth Guarantee
(15-29)
More targeted approach:
Mentoring
Closer co-operation with Education sector and schools
Assistance linked with individual profile - in the framewok of specially designed active labour market measures (long term unemployment; 50+; persons with disabilities etc.)

14. SEA Career Guidance and Counselling - Work with unemployed person
Registration in SEA, unemployed persons data («portrait»), granting the status of the unemployed
Profiling of the unemployed person
Preparing the individual job search plan
Participation in active labour market policy measures, fulfilment of unemployed duties (job-search, job search diary etc.)
Career Guidance
Professional suitability
(professional background and education, tests)
Accessibility of the offered work
Information and appropriate support, developing career management skills etc.

15. Motivation to cooperate with the SEA
Profiling tool
Job opportunities
Information needed about the client for defining job opportunities:
Education
Previous occupation
Profession in which the client is willing to work
Residence place
Age
Disabilities (if relevant)
Language skills
Gender etc.
Profiling tool
Self-assessment of skills
Motivation to look for a job
Motivation to cooperate with the SEA

16. Client at the State Employment Agency
Profiling system
Labour market short term forecasts
Labour market medium term forecasts
CV/ vacancies portal
SEA/NIID education data base
SEA Quality Assurance System
Customer service standard
Code of ethics

17. Career Guidance and Counselling
For all unemployed
Profiling
Job search assistance
Career guidance
Key competencies
Regional mobility
Unemployed with no vocational background or with insufficient level of education
Vocational training
For unemployed with certain background but without necessary skills
Short term training (languages, IT etc)
Specific programmes for youth
First work place
Volunteering
Workshops for youth
Training at the work place
Disadvantaged unemployed (with disabilities, long term unemployed etc)
Subsidized employment
Unemployed with appropriate education or with entrepreneurship skills
Business start-up

18. Quality assurance within Guidance and Counselling services at SEA
Management by objectives
Expert approach: in the framework of existing co-operation and also contracted outside
Surveys: sample survey on person motivation (new survey on motivation (for youngsters), first results expecting 2015), client satisfaction survey, random calls to SEA clients
ICT tools: BURVIS data (percentage of SEA clients progressing into employment, education/ training, unemployed; follow-up principle: status of person six month after participation in SEA measures

19. Coordination and cooperation

20. Next level .... Education policy makers Employment policy makers
Labour Market Anticipating System – IT platform for better information merging and using by all stakeholders
Economic development and labour market forecasts – macro level
National Employment Barometer (short-term labour market forecasting)
Education policy makers
Employment policy makers
Economic policy makers
Social partners, NGOs

21. EDUCATION DEVELOPMENT GUIDELINES 2014-2020
ENVIRONMENT - INDIVIDUAL COMPETENCES - EFFICIENCY
REVISION OF «SCHOOL» NETWORKS
REVISION OF CURRICULA (COMPETENCE BASED STANDART AND MODULAR PROGRAMES)
REVISON OF FINANCING MODELS (INCLUDING TEACHER REMUNERATION)
TEACHER COMPE -
TENCES
EDUCATION DEVELOPMENT GUIDELINES
SUPPORT FOR AVAILABILITY OF CAREER GUIDANCE SERVICES
IN PARTICUAL FOR GENERAL EDUCATION AND VET

22. Future developments in education

23. Thank you!