Supported by the European Social Fund (ESF), SkillsLatvia competitions promote the development of vocational education and its prestige in Latvia. Successful participants can become candidates for EuroSkills and WorldSkills competitions, and can then benefit from ESF-funded training for their preparation. The ESF contributes to strengthening the governance of vocational education and training (VET)  institutions, training VET teachers and other staff, work-based learning for VET learners, and general activation measures for NEETs, who are people not in employment, education or training. 

Like many other EU countries, Latvia faces a critical skills shortage, making it increasingly difficult for employers to replace skilled workers leaving the workforce. This situation could threaten future investment. This is why the SkillsLatvia competition is important and could help to change the situation.  

Nils highlighted how competitions like SkillsLatvia represent real opportunities for people from vocational backgrounds to rise to the top of their field: ‘Skills competitions were a big challenge for my professional abilities,' says Nils who is now head chef at one of Latvia’s most prestigious restaurants after getting third place in the 2017 competition.' Success showed me where I was at that point and what I needed to improve to grow in the world of gastronomy’. 

Dita Traidas, who is Director at the Latvian State Development Agency (VIAA), pointed out that  VET skills competitions highlight how vocational careers offer a good salary, room to grow and opportuntiies to fill high-skill gaps in the labour market.  ‘This is important because there are still some negative stereotypes that suggest vocational education standards are lower than in secondary or high-school education,' he says, 'Latvia faces a critical skills shortage that only vocational training can fill.' 

Nils hasn't looked back since his initial success in the LatviaSkills 2017 competition. After that, he participated in EuroSkills 2018 and won a medal of excellence in the WorldSkills 2019 competitions. However, winning the Latvian Chef of the Year 2022 competition was his crowning achievement. ‘Chef of the Year was my biggest success in the catering industry,’ says Nils. ‘It built my confidence and increased my ambition to raise my profile in future competitions. It also made me pretty well-known as a young chef.’