Vocational education is a modern, practical and promising opportunity for young people to obtain both secondary education and a profession while gaining first-hand experience of the working environment and establishing their first contacts with employers. That is why it should not be a “second choice”! Laila Umbraško, Head of the Business and Chemical Technology Departments at Riga State Technical School, is convinced of this. She has her own personal connection to vocational education – she was once a student at Riga State Technical School herself, and today she helps young people find their professional path and discover the wide range of opportunities offered by both vocational education and the chemical industry.
After completing Grade 9, Laila studied at the technical school and qualified as a commercial transport specialist. She later joined the school’s staff as a vocational subject teacher, became Head of the Business Department and today heads both the Business and Chemical Technology Departments. To deepen her understanding of the chemical sector, she took advantage of lifelong learning opportunities and obtained a qualification as a materials chemistry technician.
“I felt that I could not lead the Chemical Technology Department without truly understanding the field. So I took advantage of lifelong learning opportunities myself and obtained a qualification as a materials chemistry technician. It is important to me to be close to both teachers and young people and to understand what they do every day. Even as an adult, you should not be afraid to learn something completely new – it broadens your horizons and helps you grow professionally,” says Laila Umbraško.
Laila describes herself, with a smile, as a true enthusiast and fan of vocational education. In her view, vocational education gives young people not only knowledge and a profession, but also an opportunity to experience the real working environment much earlier and understand their own strengths. As a result, graduates of vocational education institutions are often better prepared for independent life and the labour market than their peers who choose only general secondary education after Grade 9.
“Vocational education provides a great deal of practical skills. While studying, young people already meet employers, take part in work placements, learn to take responsibility and understand how a particular industry operates. In my opinion, this is an extremely valuable benefit that helps them take their first steps into adult life with much greater confidence,” says Laila.
Although interest in vocational education has grown in recent years and society’s attitude is gradually changing, stereotypes have not completely disappeared. This also applies to the chemical industry, which many people still associate solely with complicated formulas and calculations, even though its applications are much broader.
“Chemistry today is one of the most interdisciplinary fields. It is present in food production, pharmaceuticals, the development of construction materials, quality control, environmental monitoring and many other areas. In fact, chemistry is almost everywhere,” says Laila.
The experience of Riga State Technical School shows that young people’s interest in the chemical sector is gradually increasing. This is driven both by the wide range of career opportunities and by a growing understanding of how diverse the work of a chemist can be. Laila emphasises that, in vocational education, chemistry is not just about formulas, reaction equations and calculations. Students spend a significant amount of time in laboratories, conducting experiments, analysing substances and developing skills that they will later need in real working environments.
“It is important for young people to see how theory works in real life. We spend a lot of time in laboratories, carrying out different tests and analyses, looking for connections with everyday life and real processes in companies. That is when they begin to understand why this knowledge is needed,” says Laila.
Employers also play an important role in the learning process, actively contributing to the training of future specialists. Riga State Technical School cooperates with companies such as “Grindeks”, “Olpha” and “Sakret”, as well as with the Latvian State Institute of Wood Chemistry and Riga Technical University. Companies not only provide work placements, but also contribute to the learning process by sharing practical experience, delivering guest lectures and introducing young people to current developments in the sector.
“It is very important to us that young people see the real working environment and understand where their knowledge will be needed after graduation. That is why cooperation with employers is one of our greatest assets. Moreover, specialists from companies often become vocational subject lecturers themselves, helping young people develop the skills that are needed in today’s labour market,” says Laila.
With approximately 2,500 students, Riga State Technical School is one of the largest vocational education institutions in Latvia. From the new academic year, the school will also develop closer cooperation with the former Olaine College of Technology, and the number of students studying in the chemical sector will be supplemented by young people who have previously studied in Olaine.
To ensure a high-quality and modern learning process, Riga State Technical School has also been systematically developing its infrastructure in recent years. Students in the chemical sector have access to three modern laboratories where they can develop practical skills and work with equipment that closely resembles the real working environment. In these laboratories, young people conduct experiments, analyse various substances and acquire skills that they will later need when working in companies or continuing their studies at university. A modern learning environment not only helps students acquire a profession, but also encourages interest in the sector and allows young people to see themselves as future professionals while they are still studying.
However, as Laila Umbraško emphasises, vocational education does not mean choosing just one future path. The career choices of Riga State Technical School graduates are diverse – some enter the workforce after graduation, some continue their studies at higher education institutions, while others successfully combine work and studies.
Many graduates of the chemical sector choose to continue their studies at Riga Technical University or the University of Latvia, but vocational education does not limit other choices either. Since students obtain both a professional qualification and a full secondary education and take centralised examinations, they can also continue their studies in other fields, including social sciences and the humanities.
“Sometimes we still hear the perception that vocational education limits future opportunities. In reality, the opposite is true – young people gain a profession, practical experience and, at the same time, retain every opportunity to continue their education. In my opinion, this is a very strong foundation for a future career, regardless of which path they choose afterwards,” says Laila Umbraško.
Riga State Technical School was modernised with the support of EU Funds within the project “Modernisation of the Vocational Education Competence Centre Riga State Technical School”, implemented under the specific support objective “Increasing the Number of Modernised Vocational Education Institutions”.
During the implementation of the project, the learning environment was modernised, creating the conditions for young people’s growth, engagement and development of future-oriented skills.
This story was created with the support of EU Funds.
