OECD SKILLS STUDIES OECD SKILLS STRATEGY LATVIA ASSESSMENT AND RECOMMENDATIONS.

Foreword
Acknowledgements
Abbreviations and acronyms
Executive summary
	OECD-Latvia collaboration on the OECD Skills Strategy project
	Key findings and opportunities for improving Latvia’s performance
		Priority 1: Strengthening the skills outcomes of students (Chapter 2)
		Priority 2: Fostering a culture of lifelong learning (Chapter 3)
		Priority 3: Reducing skills imbalances in the labour market (Chapter 4)
		Priority 4: Strengthening the governance of the skills system (Chapter 5)
1 Key insights and recommendations
	Skills matter in the context of demographic change, digitalisation, and globalisation
	The OECD Skills Strategy project in Latvia
	Four important themes emerged over the course of the project
	Performance of the Latvian skills system
		Developing relevant skills
			Despite good progress, Latvia has considerable room to further develop the skills of its youth
			Educational attainment is high, but challenges remain
			Skills of adults could be improved through a stronger culture of adult learning
		Using skills effectively
			The skills of many Latvians are underutilised in the labour market
			Skills imbalances in the Latvian labour market hamper growth
			Skills can be used more effectively in workplaces, especially to raise productivity
	Policy context in Latvia
	Priority areas and recommendations
		Strengthening the skills outcomes of students
			Opportunity 1: Building capacity to improve the teaching workforce
			Opportunity 2: Fostering continuous quality improvement from ECEC to secondary education
			Opportunity 3: Improving equity between urban and rural areas
			Opportunity 4: Strengthening vocational education and training (VET)
			Recommendations for strengthening the skills outcomes of students
		Fostering a culture of lifelong learning
			Opportunity 1: Raising awareness about adult learning
			Opportunity 2: Reducing barriers to adult learning
			Opportunity 3: Expanding the provision of adult learning
			Opportunity 4: Raising the quality of adult learning
			Recommendations for fostering a culture of lifelong learning
		Reducing skills imbalances in the labour market
			Opportunity 1: Strengthening the responsiveness of the tertiary education system to changing skills demand
			Opportunity 2: Retaining talent in Latvia by stimulating sustainable wage growth and improving working conditions
			Opportunity 3: Facilitating internal mobility and attracting skilled workers from abroad
			Recommendations for reducing skills imbalances in the labour market
		Strengthening the governance of the skills system
			Opportunity 1: Strengthening strategies and oversight for skills policy
			Opportunity 2: Improving co-operation at different levels of government and with stakeholders
			Opportunity 3: Building an integrated monitoring and information system on skills
			Opportunity 4: Raising, targeting and sharing investments in lifelong learning
			Recommendations for strengthening the governance of the skills system
	References
		Annex 1.A. OECD Skills Strategy Dashboard
	Characteristics
	Indicator selection
	Method for the calculation of aggregate indicators
		Annex 1.B. Strategies and recent reforms in Latvia related to skills and education
	Notes
2 Strengthening the skills outcomes of students
	Introduction: The importance of students’ skills outcomes for Latvia
	Latvia’s education system: Overview and recent performance
		Overview of the education system
			Main features of the Latvian education system
			Organisation and funding of the Latvian education system
			Governance of the Latvian education system
		Overview of Latvia’s performance
			Student outcomes are close to the OECD average and stable over time
			Equity is relatively high, but there is a low share of top performers
			Strong disparities persist between rural and urban areas
	Opportunities to improve Latvia’s performance
		Opportunity 1: Building capacity to improve the teaching workforce
			Attracting and selecting the best candidates to build a skilled pool of new teachers
				Recommendation for attracting and selecting the best candidates to build a skilled pool of new teachers
			Promoting a life cycle approach to professional development
				Recommendations for promoting a life cycle approach to professional development
		Opportunity 2: Fostering continuous quality improvement from ECEC to secondary education
			Reviewing the appraisal system
				Recommendation for reviewing the appraisal system
			Strengthening school evaluation
				Recommendations for strengthening school evaluation
			Strengthening system level monitoring
				Recommendations for strengthening system level monitoring
		Opportunity 3: Improving equity between urban and rural areas
			Reviewing the school consolidation process
				Recommendations for reviewing the school consolidation process
			Ensuring equal access to quality ECEC
				Recommendation for ensuring equal access to quality ECEC
		Opportunity 4: Strengthening vocational education and training (VET)
			Boosting vocational education take-up
				Recommendation for boosting vocational education take-up
			Reducing the drop-out rates of VET students
				Recommendation for reducing the drop-out rates of VET students
			Improving the quality and labour market relevance of VET
				Recommendations for improving the quality and labour market relevance of VET
		Recommendations for strengthening the skills outcomes of students
	References
	Notes
3 Fostering a culture of lifelong learning
	Introduction: The importance of a culture of lifelong learning for Latvia
	Latvia’s adult learning system: Overview and recent performance
		Overview of the current adult learning system
		Overview of Latvia’s performance
			While participation in informal learning is relatively high, participation in formal and non-formal adult education could be raised
			The intensity of participation in adult education has decreased over the past 10 years
			Adults with disadvantaged socio-demographic characteristics, labour market status and certain occupations are less likely to participate in adult education
			A lifelong learning culture in the workplace is less common in Latvian companies than in their European counterparts
			Funding for adult learning from public, individual and employer sources is lower in Latvia than the EU average
	Opportunities to improve Latvia’s performance
		Opportunity 1: Raising awareness about adult learning
			Raising the level of motivation among adults
				Recommendation for raising the level of motivation among adults
			Improving guidance and counselling
				Recommendations for improving guidance and counselling
		Opportunity 2: Reducing barriers to adult learning
			Providing financial means to reduce the cost of adult learning
				Recommendation for providing financial means to reduce the cost of adult learning
			Encouraging employers to enable participation in adult learning during working hours
				Recommendation for encouraging employers to enable participation in adult learning during working hours
			Providing complementary social policies to make adult learning feasible for those with family responsibilities
				Recommendation for providing complementary social policies to make adult learning feasible for those with family responsibilities
		Opportunity 3: Expanding the provision of adult learning
			Expanding the provision of adult learning opportunities in VET, especially in Vocational Education Competence Centres
				Recommendation for expanding the provision of adult learning in VET
			Expanding the provision of adult learning in tertiary education
				Recommendation for expanding the provision of adult learning in tertiary education
		Opportunity 4: Raising the quality of adult learning opportunities
			Recommendation for raising the quality of adult learning
		Recommendations for fostering a culture of lifelong learning
	References
		Annex 3.A. Governance of adult learning in Latvia
4 Reducing skills imbalances in the labour market
	Introduction: The importance of reducing skills imbalances in the labour market
	Latvia’s efforts in reducing skills imbalances: overview and recent performance
		Overview of the key players involved in addressing skills imbalances
		Overview of Latvia’s performance
			Skills shortages in Latvia
			Mismatch by qualifications and skills
	Opportunities to improve Latvia’s performance
		Opportunity 1: Strengthening the responsiveness of the tertiary education system to changing skills demand
			Fostering collaboration between tertiary education institutions and industry
				Recommendation for fostering collaboration between tertiary education institutions and industry
			Encouraging employers to provide work-based learning
				Recommendation for encouraging employers to provide work-based learning
			Raising awareness about the role of career guidance in tertiary education
				Recommendation for raising awareness about the role of career guidance in tertiary education
		Opportunity 2: Retaining talent in Latvia by stimulating sustainable wage growth and improving working conditions
			Upgrading to higher value-added activities in global value chains
				Recommendation for upgrading to higher value-added activities in global value chains
			Improving the use of skills in the workplace
				Recommendation for improving the use of skills in the workplace
			Improving access to social protections
				Recommendation for improving access to social protections
		Opportunity 3: Facilitating internal mobility and attracting skilled workers from abroad
			Facilitating internal labour mobility
				Recommendation for facilitating internal labour mobility
			Attracting skilled workers from abroad
				Recommendations for attracting skilled workers from abroad
		Recommendations for reducing skills imbalances in the labour market
	References
	Notes
5 Strengthening the governance of the skills system
	Introduction: The importance of effective skills governance
	Latvian skills governance: Overview and recent performance
		Overview of current roles and responsibilities for skills
		Overview of Latvia’s skills governance performance
			Strategy and oversight to support effective skills governance
			Whole-of government co-ordination on skills
			Stakeholder engagement with policy makers and service providers
			Building integrated information systems
			Aligning and co-ordinating financing arrangements
	Opportunities to improve Latvia’s performance
		Opportunity 1: Strengthening strategies and oversight for skills policy
			Creating a comprehensive and influential education and skills strategy
				Recommendation for a comprehensive and influential Education and Skills Strategy
			Ensuring effective oversight of the education and skills strategy
				Recommendation for ensuring effective oversight of the education and skills strategy
		Opportunity 2: Improving co-operation at different levels of government and with stakeholders
			Strengthening the inter-ministerial co-ordination of skills policy
				Recommendation for strengthening the inter-ministerial co-ordination of skills policy
			Strengthening co-ordination between the state and municipalities on skills policy
				Recommendations for strengthening co-ordination between the state and municipalities on skills policy
			Strengthening co-operation on skills policy at the subnational level
				Recommendations for strengthening co-operation on skills policy at the subnational level
			Improving stakeholder engagement with skills policy makers and providers
				Recommendation for improving stakeholder engagement with skills policy makers and providers
		Opportunity 3: Building an integrated monitoring and information system on skills
			Improving information on learning participation, expenditure, outcomes and opportunities
				Recommendations for improving information on learning participation, expenditure, outcomes and opportunities
			Improving the quality and use of skills needs information
				Recommendations for improving the quality and use of skills needs information
		Opportunity 4: Raising, targeting and sharing investments in lifelong learning
			Ensuring sufficient, shared and stable expenditure on lifelong learning
				Recommendation for ensuring sufficient, shared and stable expenditure on lifelong learning
			Increasing the impact and equity of lifelong learning funding
				Recommendations for ensuring the impact and equity of lifelong learning funding
		Recommendations for strengthening the governance of the skills system
	References
	Notes
Annex A. Engagement