On April 25 and 26, the National Skills Competitions for Young Professionals SkillsLatvia 2018, organized by the State Education Development Agency, takes place at the Ķīpsala exhibition centre. 118 contestants from 31 vocational education institutions are competing for medals in 18 different skill contests.
The contestants are testing their skills in tasks according to international standards for two intensive workdays (14 hours), which are judged by industry professionals and employers. For new professionals this is a great opportunity to show their level of knowledge and skills, as the winners of SkillsLatvia 2018 will get a chance to represent Latvia in international professional skills competition EuroSkills and WorldSkills. This year, young professionals are testing their skills in such competitions as web design and development, fashion technology, hairdressing, hotel receptioning, wall and floor tiling, mobile robotics, cooking and other competitions (18 total).
Dita Traidās, VIAA director: "The competition is a valuable reference point for assessing that vocational education institutions are training young professionals, who have acquired a strong base of skills and knowledge, required for the Latvian labour market. SkillsLatvia tasks are evolving along with the industry and technologies. During this competition, students are exposed to employers, which is very important for young professionals who are just starting to work."
Maksims Jegorovs, Accenture Latvija director, the inspirer of SkillsLatvia 2018: "In order to achieve their goals, I want young people to understand where they are today, and imagine what they want their lives to be in two or three years. After that, they have to focus on that direction by developing their skills." Meanwhile the leader of Ghetto Games Raimonds Elbakjans, the inspirer of SkillsLatvia 2018 emphasizes: "Each of us have different dreams and goals, but the only thing that helps us achieve them are skills. They have no limits, which is why I suggest to develop, train and perfect them our whole lives!"
The event is open to all interested parties free of charge. On both days of the competition, every visitor has the opportunity to follow the performance of competitors on a guided tour, to learn more about the professions in the Parade of Professions, as well as participate in the activities of the Career Cafe: get valuable advice on career development, inspiration from stories of other young people and their experience and find out what employers expect from young professionals.
About SkillsLatvia 2018
SkillsLatvia 2018 is a national skills competitions for young professionals, which takes place in Latvia for the second year and is organized by VIAA. 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, contestants and represented professional skills, as well as the event agenda and visitor times are available on the VIAA website SkillsLatvia 2018, while news about the competition – on 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.
