Project manager Alvis Šķenders explains the necessity and urgency of the project with the fact that there is a lack of further education courses for educated professionals in Latvia. “Employees lack information on immigration issues, working with immigrants, and intercultural communication. There are few competent employees throughout the country, who are prepared for working with third-country nationals. Moreover, due to the increase in the number of foreign students in Latvian universities and colleges, the teaching staff is often faced with culture, mentality and an understanding of problems that tend to be different from what they are used to. Therefore, within the framework of this project, we will try to solve the identified problems and give a helping hand to professionals in the field.”
A variety of activities aimed at increasing the expertise of specialists by developing an intercultural dialogue shall be carried out within the framework of the project: the training course “Third-country national – institutional customer”; a post-training practical seminar for the improvement of professional competence; the improvement of the competence of high school and college teaching and administrative staff on working with third-country nationals; the informative seminar “Co-operation opportunities between third-country nationals and the local community”.
The target audience planned to be involved in the activities are the employees of various institutions from the regions – Aluksne, Balvi, Liepaja, Olaine, Stopini, Salaspils and Ozolnieki, as well as the society “Lifelong Learning Association of Latvian Institutions of Higher Education and Colleges”, in which 10 Latvian institutions of higher education are unified: Daugavpils University, Latvia University of Agriculture, Latvian Academy of Sport Education, University of Latvia, Liepaja University, Riga Teacher Training and Educational Management Academy, Riga Stradins University, Riga Technical University, Ventspils University College and Vidzeme University of Applied Sciences – academic and administrative staff of higher educational establishments and colleges who work with third-country nationals (students) on a daily basis and lack knowledge of intercultural communication.
*A third-country national is any person who is not a citizen of the member states of the European Union, the European Economic Area or the Swiss Confederation
The project budget is EUR 44,214.77, including the Fund`s funding of EUR 33,161.08 and the state budget funding of EUR 11,053.69.
The project is (co)funded by the European Union. Implementation of the project “Improvement of interinstitutional and intersectoral cooperation on working with third-country nationals” is co-funded by the European Fund for the Integration of Third-Country Nationals (75%) and from the state budget (25%). This publication has been prepared with the support of the European Fund for the Integration of Third-Country Nationals. Society “Shelter “Safe House”” is responsible for the content of this publication.
Additional information:
Rasa Saliņa, PR specialist
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