Promoting Youth Entrepreneurship and Employability through Non-Formal and Informal Learning: The Latvia Case

Abstract

This paper presents some results of the research on ‘Adult education resources to reduce youth unemployment’, which is a part of the project ‘Implementation of the European agenda for adult learning’. The research applies a mixed-method approach (quantitative and qualitative data analysis). The purpose of the paper is to identify the most/least-efficient non-formal and informal learning methods, forms, and initiatives to promote youth entrepreneurship and employability in Latvia as well as to show the relationship between the profile of young adults and their opinion on these methods, forms, and initiatives. The findings show that the young adults stressed the importance of cooperation with employers in organising educational activities, field trips as well as the necessity of having internships, projects, and meetings with entrepreneurs to learn from their experience. The most efficient non-formal and informal learning methods, forms, and initiatives to promote youth entrepreneurship and employability in Latvia are as follows: internship in a company or institution, projects, other persons’ experience and success stories, and training enterprises. The least efficient ones are mentoring, business incubators, coaching, individual work/action plan for the young people, business clubs, and business start-up funds/grants. The opinion of young adults on all aspects of non-formal and informal learning methods, forms, and initiatives depends on their profile (gender, education level, employment status, learning experience, etc.).

Entrepreneurship education in Post-Soviet states developing programmes for hospitality and tourism students in Samarkand

“…The Balkan Post-Soviet states, those in central Europe and some of other Post-Soviet countries have made significant transitional changes to EE programs within higher learning institutions (Pigozne et al, 2019;Velychko et al, 2018 andPutta et al, 2014), and the literature here offers insight here into the way this can be approached in Uzbekistan. Notably, many of the more successful changes have developed from a partnership approach, applied in a variety of ways.…”

“…Also revealed in the study was a wide range of non-formal adult education opportunities, provided by the state, local government, and private education institutions Pigozne et al, 2019. The research further identified other positive work conducted within the Latvian higher EE institution, including social pedagogical, the organisation of the study process, the modernisation of educational resources via financial support and the evaluation of education quality, which enables balancing the proportion of theory and practice in the study process (Pigozne et al, 2019). Pedagogic culture probably plays a major role here.…”

“…The curriculum is designed to realise the national goals and expects students to be able to process, reason and conceptualise in concrete and abstract realms in solving problems (Lvov et al , 2019). Training was one of the reoccurring themes that surfaces in post-soviet EE research, training in the basic principles of entrepreneurship is essential to student’s knowledge and skills development (Pigozne et al , 2019). Effective education programmes are highlighted within current research and represent a significant gap in certain states including Kazakhstan (Abenov et al , 2019) and the Ukraine (Kryvorucko 2018).…”

“…The research identified programme links principles and methods of social work and social entrepreneurship in interdisciplinary package with the aim of reaching social goals in entrepreneurship. Pigozne et al (2019) studied the Latvian framework of the formal educational system found, adult education extends over general education (basic and secondary), vocational education and training, post-secondary education and higher education. Also revealed in the study was a wide range JEC 17,2 of non-formal adult education opportunities, provided by the state, local government and private education institutions Pigozne et al (2019).…”

“…Pigozne et al (2019) studied the Latvian framework of the formal educational system found, adult education extends over general education (basic and secondary), vocational education and training, post-secondary education and higher education. Also revealed in the study was a wide range JEC 17,2 of non-formal adult education opportunities, provided by the state, local government and private education institutions Pigozne et al (2019). The research further identified other positive work conducted within the Latvian higher EE institution, including social pedagogical, the organisation of the study process, the modernisation of educational resources via financial support and the evaluation of education quality, which enables balancing the proportion of theory and practice in the study process (Pigozne et al, 2019).…”