More than €54.4 million will be available for investment with the support of European Union (EU) funds to further modernise the learning environment in vocational education and training institutions to provide skills relevant to sectors of the economy. This is foreseen in the regulations approved by the Government on Tuesday 19 June.
The Ministry of Education and Science (MoES) has invested a total of €35.74 million in the modernisation of the learning environment in vocational education and training institutions during the current EU programming period. The first round of investments will amount to €26.14 million, which will ensure the sustainability of the current investments and the equivalent quality of the learning environment in all vocational education and training institutions of the MoES. Investments are also planned to provide state-of-the-art digital solutions, such as digital simulation equipment, hardware, internal computer networks and other digital infrastructure elements. As a result of the investments, more than 8300 students in 21 vocational schools of the MoES will benefit from the modernised learning environment.
EUR 9.6 million will be invested in the completion and equipping of the Kuldīga Technical College of Technology and Tourism and the reconstruction of dormitories at the Riga Style and Fashion Technical College and Riga Tourism and Creative Industries Technical College to ensure access to vocational education.
The Ministry of Culture will invest €9.8 million to improve the network of vocational education institutions and create a modern learning environment at the National School of Arts and the Latgale School of Music and Arts to ensure that 1 350 students will be able to study in a modernised learning environment.
EUR 8.9 million will be invested in the "Internal Security Academy" concept to modernise the learning environment at three Ministry of the Interior colleges, which train various security professionals such as police officers, border guards, firefighters and rescue workers. It is planned that more than 1390 learners will be able to study in the modernised learning environment.
This investment from EU funds will complement the 2014-2020 programming period's investment in modernising vocational education institutions - improving training equipment and infrastructure. In total, co-financing from EU funds and the national budget exceeded €104 million in the previous period. Funding has been allocated for the purchase of equipment and facilities in 17 priority thematic areas or programme groups, the modernisation or creation of new infrastructure for classrooms, common rooms and outdoor areas, the strengthening of the Methodology Centre, the refurbishment and creation of new classrooms for science (physics, chemistry, biology) and mathematics, the introduction of ICT and the creation of an ergonomic learning environment. At the end of the project, 70-80% of vocational training institutions are expected to be fully modernised.
Cabinet of Ministers' Regulation "European Union Cohesion Policy Programme 2021-2027, Specific Support Objective 4.2.1 "Improving equal access to inclusive and quality services in education, training and lifelong learning through the development of accessible infrastructure, including promoting retention in distance and online education and learning" 4. The Rules for the implementation of the first, second, third and fourth rounds of the selection of project proposals under Measure 2.1.6 "Learning environment of vocational education institutions and colleges for the acquisition of skills relevant to the sectors" are available on the website of the Cabinet of Ministers.
