A total of EUR 160 million has been spent on both unemployed and adult education in the previous six years, with around EUR 110-120 million in this programming period. "But spending that money, accentuating the word 'spending', doesn't provide any positive effect. This money is burned without the specific goal we want to achieve," Bite said.
"People are being trained in different courses [..] in unrelated things to their basic or future occupation. There is no link to the labor market for these trainings," the head of the LDDK continued.
There should therefore be one responsible for coordinating education. Currently, several institutions are doing this – part of the money is managed by the Ministry of Education and Science, part by the State Employment Agency.
"Everyone lives with their kingdom, their wallet. Everyone makes their own programs, which often overlap, but connecting with the labor market and employer is minimal," Bite said.
The President of LDDK also emphasized that Latvia has a paradoxical situation – on the one hand, there is a shortage of labor force and, on the other hand, there are many who do not study or work. For Latvia's economy to develop, 900 thousand employed people are needed, but currently, less than 800,000 are involved in the labor market.
