Online courses created for young people to develop future skills
In today’s age of digitalisation, opportunities to acquire various new skills and knowledge online are becoming increasingly accessible, enabling people to improve their professional qualifications without leaving home. They are particularly relevant for young people who are just beginning their careers and often have not yet discovered the fields and opportunities that interest them most. Keeping pace with rapidly changing labour market trends, the Latvian organisation "Jauno uzņēmēju centrs" has launched an unprecedented project in Latvia—the “Future Skills Academy”—which invites young people to develop their personal and professional skills free of charge, learn the fundamentals of entrepreneurship and enhance their competitiveness.
The “Future Skills Academy” offers online courses for young people who are still planning their careers or are already taking their first steps in professional life, providing knowledge on such relevant topics as future skills, entrepreneurship, the labour market and social projects with lasting value. Which subjects should they focus on and what will be the most sought-after skills in the coming years; how to prepare for a job that may not even exist yet; how to establish their own company and become an employer—these are questions to which anyone interested can find answers during the training. The courses consist of an informative reading section, as well as inspiring stories and videos, and at the end participants have the opportunity to test their knowledge and receive a certificate. To provide broader insight into European and global labour market trends, “Jauno uzņēmēju centrs” developed the digital course programme together with experts from Portugal at the professional consultancy firm "Advancis Business Services".
The Academy’s programme is based on four self-study courses, freely available upon registration at yourfutureskills.com, with the aim of helping every young person begin a career in the competitive labour market. The first course focuses on future skills and modern trends such as digitalisation and globalisation, which are already largely shaping tomorrow’s world and require the ability to adapt to it quickly. The second course is devoted to today’s labour market and opportunities to pursue one’s dream job, offering practical advice on how to develop the skills required for it and enhance one’s competitiveness. The third course module is designed around business, inspiring young people to start their own businesses while also exploring global trends and identifying successful entrepreneurial opportunities, as well as recognising potential risks in good time. The fourth course focuses on innovative social projects, which open up opportunities to generate ideas and develop different approaches to improving the world through genuine long-term solutions.
"The idea of creating an online academy arose as a continuation of the work we had already begun on labour market trends and changes, as well as on the entrepreneurial ecosystem as a whole. In 2018, as part of the "Youth Bizz Skillset" project, we analysed 2,500 job advertisements in Latvia and 1,500 in Estonia, and as a result identified the skills, knowledge and personal qualities that would be required in the labour market in the coming years. Therefore, drawing on our experience of working with young people and focusing on opportunities for the development and growth of young professionals, we wanted to create a valuable tool—strategically designed and informative digital courses that they could use at any convenient time to learn, find inspiration, discover their talents and become future leaders in their chosen field,” comments Līva Stūrmane, co-founder of the “Future Skills Academy”.
