Latvia

Description of the VET System in Latvia

The Vocational Education Law (revised in 2001) stipulates that VET programmes are classified as follows :

Vocational basic education programmes lasts for 3 years and are foreseen for students without a certificate of basic education (after completion of at least 7 grades of basic education, but they must be at least 15 years old); graduates receive a certificate of basic education and qualification level 1;
Vocational education programmes last for 2-3 years for students with basic education or persons at least 15 years old, and graduates receive a Certificate of secondary education and qualification level 2;
Vocational upper-secondary educational programmes take 4 years and are open to students who have completed compulsory basic education. Graduates receive a diploma and a qualification Level 3;
Post-secondary non-tertiary vocational education (ISCED 4) can be followed after graduating from general secondary schools. They are focused towards mastering purely professional skills and knowledge.
First level professional higher education (college education) programmes (2-3 years) leading to professional qualification Level 4 (ISCED 5B);
Second level professional higher education (ISCED 5A) leading to qualification level 5 (4-6 years). Having completed a programme, students are awarded with a professional qualification or a professional Bachelor’s degree that can be followed by a further 1-2 years of professional Master’s studies. The Master’s degree of higher professional education is awarded if the total duration of studies is at least 5 years.
Professional continuing education programmes enables adults with previous education and work experience to obtain professional qualifications;
Professional development educational programmes are for people regardless of their age and previous education or professional qualifications to master systematized professional knowledge and skills.

The Vocational Education Law (Profesionālās izglītības likums, 1999) determines the competence of those institutions responsible for the organization of VET.

The Cabinet of Ministers (Ministru Kabinets): determines the state’s political and strategic areas in VET; it funds VET providers according to criteria established by the Ministry of Education and Science (Izglītības un zinātnes ministrija); it sets the framework for issuing state-recognised qualifications and determines the recognition of qualifications obtained in other countries.

The Ministry of Education and Science (MoES): develops the framework regulations for VET and accredits providers. It also creates and updates the register of occupational standards and makes proposals about the allocation of funds from the state budget. It organises guidance and counselling services and researches skills demands of the labour market. It employs the heads of VET institutions under its supervision.

The Department of Vocational and Continuing Education (Profesionalas izglitibas un talakizglitibas departaments): is under the Ministry of Education and Science and it develops state policy and strategy in VET. The department guides, plans and coordinates VET development and supervises VET providers. It collaborates with employer institutions and trade unions and provides technical support for the work of National Tripartite Sub-council for Co-operation in Vocational Education and Employment. It also assures that national policy meets EU demands and takes part in developing transnational agreements.

The State Education Quality Service (Izglītības kvalitātes valsts dienests, since 2009): organises the accreditation of VET providers and programmes; evaluates the quality of general and vocational education programmes (accept higher education programmes); gathers and analyses data used for planning and implementing education policy.

State Education Content Centre (Valsts izglītības satura centrs, since 2009): participates in the development of occupational standards as well as the content and methodology for exams. It oversees the functioning of learning and examination centres and organises the professional development of VET teachers.

IVET

IVET institutions are classified according to ownership :

State VET institutions;
Local government VET institutions;
Private VET institutions. VET is free for full-time students at institutions operated by the state or local governments. Students also receive a grant determined by the Cabinet of Ministers. The number of VET institutions operated by local governments and private parties. Education system comprises pre-school education (pirmsskolas izglītība), 9-year basic education (pamatizglītība), upper secondary education (vidējā izglītība) and higher education (augstākā izglītība) .
Pre-school education (ISCED 0) is for children aged 5-7 years and is provided by general education establishments or kindergartens as a part of compulsory basic education.
Basic (primary and lower secondary) education (ISCED 1 and 2) lasts 9 years and is compulsory for children aged 6 and above. The National Basic Education Standard (Valsts pamatizglītības standarts) determines the curriculum and content of national examinations. Those who do not complete basic education by 16 should continue studying to complete the programme by the time they are 18. They can also choose VET programmes that allow them to obtain a first or second level professional qualification and to complete the obligatory basic educational programme. 3-year vocational basic education programmes are provided in vocational schools for students without a certificate of basic education (after completion of at least 7 grades of basic education, but they must be at least 15 years old).
Upper secondary education (ISCED 3) comprises two types of programmes: general secondary (vispārējā vidējā izglītība) and vocational secondary (profesionālā vidējā izglītība).

CVET

The Vocational education Law (Profesionālās izglītības likums 1999) regulates two formal types of continuing education: vocational continuing education and professional improvement. Vocational continuing education enables adults with previous education and work experience to obtain professional qualifications. They are always concluded by a specific qualification for a specific profession acknowledged by the state. Professional improvement enables people regardless of their age and previous education or professional qualifications to master systematized professional knowledge and skills corresponding to the requirements of the labour market. They lead to a formal qualification . Adult continuing education:

Enterprise staff training;
Training for unemployed people (organised and funded by the State);
Adult education provided in centres of adult education, night schools, etc. supported by local government;
Various training programmes and projects financed by international and local donor institutions and funds, carried out by the state, local government, nongovernmental and other organizations;
Individual continuing education financed by individuals themselves.

Vocational Continuing Education Programmes are determined by occupational standards and providers are accredited by the Ministry of Education in cooperation with the social partners through the Tripartite

Cooperation Sub-committee for Vocational Education and Employment. The accreditation process follows an evaluation of the quality of the provision on offer. Providers can only offer courses in programmes which have been licensed and programmes must meet both educational and occupational standards. The accreditation procedure for both providers and programmes is outlined in the Vocational Education Law (1999). Participants completing a programme take a centrally determined examination which are organised by the Ministry of Education and Science. They aim to ensure that all the graduates, obtaining a certain profession, have identical knowledge, competencies and skills. Social partners are also involved in evaluating examination performance.

Quality Assurance

Since 2005 school education quality evaluation system has been established for general education in the frameworks of the Education Development Concept for 2002-2005. Since 2009, The State Education Quality Service is responsible for arranging accreditation of vocational education providers according to the Cabinet Regulations Procedure of accrediting vocational education programmes, education establishments and examination centres and certifying heads of vocational education establishments (2005, 2007).

According to the Declaration on Co-operation in Quality Assurance of Higher Education the quality assessment is carried out using international experts. In 2001 the first accreditation round in Latvia was completed. Repeated assessments should take place no later than after six years.

The Guidelines for the Development of Education for the period of 2007-2013 (2006) define the goals of the development of education for further seven years and directions of operations for their implementation, as well as the results of operations, policy results and criteria of their achievement. The following tasks are defined in the above strategic guidelines :

Introduce and pay for the pedagogic work of a teacher’s;
Improve the social conditions of students at vocational educational establishments by means of increasing scholarships during years 2007-2010;
Develop the structure model for the distribution of study programs in compliance to the needs of agriculture and to ensure its implementation in the system of higher education
Ensure continuous attraction of the state investment for the purpose of arrangement and modernisation of educational establishments

The implementation provided for in the Guidelines is included in the Strategy of Operation of the Ministry of Education and Science for years 2007 - 2009. The sub-activity would assist to solve issues connected with vocational education, such as many vocational education students’ low level of general and professional skills, disproportion between the numbers of students in general and vocational education, slow adjustment of vocational education system to demands of labour market, teacher ageing and lack of new specialists. The direction Education and Skills comprises the following priorities :

Development of vocational education and general skills;
Development of lifelong learning improvement of institution involved in education and lifelong learning functionality and cooperation.

The first priority focuses on development of vocational education system, quality and compliance improvement through supporting implementation quality and implementation of initial vocational education programmes.

The second priority is devoted to the development of lifelong learning though fostering the progress of professional improvement and examination centres, supporting career education and guidance development, and providing education availability for socially excluded groups.

The sub-activity according to priorities has several objectives, of which related with attractiveness and access to vocational education are enumerated. The aims are to improve of national qualification system by doing economic sector researches, developing or improving occupational standards for all vocational education qualification levels, to improve vocational education standards, programmes and examinations, to develop recognition of informal skills and skills acquired during work life, to Increase social partners’ capacity within vocational education. To improve initial vocational education and further education teachers, to improve update of skills particularly, to improve vocational education teacher education, to improve implementation quality of initial vocational education programmes including increase of participation within secondary vocational education, to provide balanced acquisition of competences and skills for future working life and education and to sustain attractiveness of initial vocational education by improving vocational education programmes, thereby, increasing numbers of students acquiring vocational education and qualification.

Target groups of this activity scope are employers, institutions related to vocational education and employability, state administration involved in vocational education, vocational education teachers and academic staff within higher education establishments, as well as vocational education students.

For the longer term, the Ministry prepared the Guidelines for Lifelong Learning Policy 2007-2013 (Mūžizglītības politikas pamatnostādnes 2007.–2013.gadam) which outlines the vision for 2013 in terms of the needs of different target groups; mainstream development; policy aims and results indicators; and resources available. The main objectives are:

To provide availability of lifelong learning to all people;
To create qualitative education possibilities for adults;
To harmonise laws and regulations and efficient resource administration;
To develop a flexible lifelong learning administrative system;
To develop lifelong learning action programmes for the state and the regions.

In 2009, concept Raising attractiveness of vocational education and involvement of social partners within vocational education quality assurance (Profesionālās izglītības pievilcības paaugstināšana un sociālo partneru līdzdalība profesionālās izglītības kvalitātes nodrošināšanā) developed by the Ministry of Education and Science was approved. The Concept lists the major issues in vocational education, e.g. the low prestige of vocational education, and insufficient capacity and cooperation between policy making institutions and employers, and provides possible solutions involving reforms on rather large scale. This Concept is an important step in vocational education policy planning because last policy planning document devoted only to vocational education was issued for the period 2003-2005.

EQARF Indicators

The following PDF attachment summarises evidence identified that relates any indicators used at national level to the ten indicators proposed in the EQARF recommendation: EQARF Indicators Latvia