After completing Year 9, Ingars Ignatovs faced a choice between his long-standing interest in the media industry and a new passion for cooking. Ultimately, he chose vocational education at Vidzeme Technical and Design Vocational School, where learning the art of cooking became part of his everyday life. However, Ingars emphasises that his years at the school have given him much more than professional culinary skills. He has gained practical experience in restaurants, taken part in the Media Academy and taken his first steps towards independent living, all of which have helped him better understand himself and his professional development path.
During lower secondary school, Ingars was most interested in the creative industries, so he initially thought he would continue his education in that field after Year 9. However, the summer after graduation brought a change of plans. Alongside his existing interests, he gradually discovered a new passion that ultimately influenced his decision to continue his studies at Vidzeme Technical and Design Vocational School.
“I’m from Salacgrīva. I grew up there, my family home is there, and I studied there until Year 9. I’ve always been interested in media, events and the creative industries, but during the summer after Year 9, I started experimenting with cooking, and I really enjoyed it. That’s when I decided to train as a chef, so I began studying at Vidzeme Technical and Design Vocational School after Year 9,” Ingars explains.
Ingars chose vocational education deliberately because he saw its practical benefits: the opportunity to obtain both a secondary education and a professional qualification. In fact, he could gain two qualifications! Although vocational studies take four years rather than the three years of a conventional secondary school, he does not see this as wasted time. On the contrary, he believes it is an opportunity to learn more about yourself, discover your interests and figure out what you really want to do after graduation. One of the school’s greatest advantages is the opportunity to gain practical experience, allowing students not only to learn the theory behind their profession but also to experience a real working environment and test their skills while still studying.
Alongside his studies, Ingars gained experience at several workplaces: the “Kārumlāde” confectionery in Cēsis, the “Kambīze” café in Salacgrīva and the restaurant at the Radisson Blu Latvija Conference & Spa Hotel in Riga, where he currently works. During his two-month placement at the Riga hotel, he had the opportunity to work alongside professional chefs in three different kitchen sections: hot kitchen, cold kitchen and breakfast service. At first, Ingars helped with basic tasks, preparing ingredients and food components. Later, he was trusted to prepare more complex dishes himself.
In addition to developing his practical skills, Ingars received valuable encouragement during his placement:
“On my very first day, the head chef at the Radisson Blu Latvija Conference & Spa Hotel restaurant told me: ‘If you want to develop your skills and try something new, just come and ask. Everyone is ready to help you — the main thing is to show interest.’ That really stayed with me because I realised that if you genuinely want to learn, you can gain so much from a work placement, from vocational school and from any other opportunity you’re given.”
Studying at vocational school has not replaced Ingars’ earlier interest in media, events and the creative world. Instead, it has given that interest a new direction. Thanks to the school, he also joined the Latvian Television Media Academy. The school’s career counsellor noticed his interest in the media industry and encouraged him to apply. Ingars seized the opportunity, went through the selection process and was accepted into the Media Academy. As a result, alongside culinary arts, media continues to play an increasingly important role in his life.
“Alongside my studies at vocational school, I’m part of the Media Academy at Latvian Television. We learn journalism, media literacy, editing, filming, graphic design and how to work in front of the camera. I’ve also appeared in Latvian Television programmes such as Plusaudzis and 16+, experienced what goes on behind the scenes, worked with artists and taken part in various projects. I’m very grateful to our school’s career counsellor for this. She was the one who encouraged me to apply because she knew how much I was genuinely interested in it,” Ingars says.
Another defining characteristic of Ingars is his desire to get involved and contribute actively. He has served on the student council and was its president for a period of time. He has also been a member of the scholarship committee and worked with fellow students to plan and organise various school events, including parties. He was also one of the hosts of the youth podcast Youthcast Plus. For several years, he contributed to the youth festival “Rampa” in Limbaži Municipality, helping with organisational tasks and even taking to the stage himself last year with a cooking show.
In recent years, Ingars’ involvement in activities has also gained an international dimension. Through Erasmus+ projects, he has had the opportunity to visit Czechia, Croatia, France, Germany and Finland, meet young people from other countries and discover a wide range of cultures. He has not only participated in these projects but also helped write and organise the Erasmus+ project Use Your Voice – Make Your Choice, which took place in Croatia.
Ingars says this kind of involvement is personally important to him because it allows him not just to participate, but also to take initiative, learn, meet people and grow through experience. In his view, Erasmus+ is one of the most valuable opportunities available to young people, helping them broaden their horizons and better understand different cultures and people.
After his busy days, Ingars could unwind at the student residence of Vidzeme Technical and Design Vocational School in Priekuļi. Following renovation, the residence has become a modern, well-maintained environment where students can comfortably return after an intensive day of learning. Students live in modern apartment-style rooms, with a renovated kitchen and common room on every floor. Laundry and drying facilities and wireless internet are also available. A new sports stadium, football pitch and basketball court are located nearby.
The learning environment at the vocational school has also become much more practical and modern in recent years. Students learn not only in classrooms but also in workshops, laboratories and professionally equipped training facilities, allowing them to gain skills in conditions closer to a real working environment.
“I’ve never been afraid of being independent. Living in the renovated student residence in Priekuļi means you have to organise your own daily life — think about how to plan everything, how to get where you need to go and when to wash your clothes in time for a special event. The hardest part is probably living with people you don’t know. I think that’s one of the biggest skills you can learn: how to get along with other people. You don’t know their habits or how they’ll behave or live, and it won’t always be easy to share a space with everyone. But that’s nothing to be afraid of. If problems arise, you just have to work them out.”
Ingars’ experience shows that vocational education can be an important stage in a young person’s life, offering not only practical skills but also a better understanding of themselves, their interests and what they want to do next. This has certainly been the case for Ingars. Alongside culinary arts, he has developed his interest in media, participated in school activities and contributed to youth initiatives.
Although he currently works as a chef, Ingars does not want to give up media entirely and would be happy to return to this interest in the future. He believes that young people do not need to have all the answers immediately after Year 9. The most important thing is not to be afraid to take the first step, because it is often the journey itself that gradually reveals what truly interests you and what you want to pursue next.
In recent years, European Union funding has supported significant investments in modernising the learning environment and improving access to vocational education at Vidzeme Technical and Design Vocational School. Under the project “Modernisation of Cēsis Technical and Design Secondary School” (Project No. 8.1.3.0/17/I/003), a new student residence was built in Cēsis, the student residence in Priekuļi was renovated, equipment was purchased for vocational education programmes, and furniture and household equipment were provided to improve students’ living conditions.
This story was produced with the support of European Union funds.
