ICT and Related Sectors Employee Skills Development and Productivity Training Project

Project No. 4.2.4.1/1/24/A/001

The Innovation Summit “Innovate360°” will bring together industry leaders to create a new momentum in the IT and innovation sector

Recently, on April 10, the second Innovation Ecosystem Summit “Innovate360°” took place at the Science and Innovation Centre of Riga Technical University (RTU), with this year’s event particularly highlighting Latvia’s development opportunities in the digital technology and IT sectors.

The summit aims to bring together leading innovation experts from the public, private, and academic sectors to identify concrete steps for developing Latvia’s innovation ecosystem and strengthening its digital competitiveness. The event was especially significant for Latvia’s IT industry, which is one of the strategic drivers of innovation and economic growth.

Currently, Latvia ranks only 25th in the European Innovation Scoreboard, classified as a “modest innovator.” This position highlights a critical need to strengthen digital skills development, promote technology transfer, and improve collaboration between IT companies, educational institutions, and policymakers.

“The IT sector is one of the main innovation catalysts in Latvia. To harness its potential, we need to create an effective collaboration platform among all stakeholders. The ‘Innovate360°’ summit is a step in this direction, enabling us not only to identify challenges but also to develop concrete action plans to make digital innovation a driving force for Latvia’s growth,” says RTU Vice-Rector for Innovation Liene Briede.

The summit program included not only inspiring presentations and discussions but also practical workshops, where concrete proposals for developing Latvia’s digital innovation environment were created, taking into account successful examples from other countries such as Denmark, Estonia, and Belgium.

Source: labsoflatvia.com

A targeted training strategy in companies promotes the effective development of employees’ skills.

Challenges to Overcome for Effective Employee Skill Development

Companies face several significant challenges when providing training and developing employees’ skills:

1. Time constraints and competing priorities – Employees often lack time for learning because daily work tasks are seen as more urgent. Managers may also view training as an additional burden rather than a strategic investment.
2. Low employee engagement and motivation – Not all employees are interested in training, especially if it does not align with their career goals, or if the training format is dull or irrelevant to their work reality.
3. Measuring training effectiveness – It can be difficult to assess how training impacts productivity or business performance. Without clear indicators of return on investment, resistance and implementation challenges may arise.
4. Diverse learning needs and generational differences – Employees have different learning styles, and generational differences can influence preferences. Some prefer traditional methods, while others favor digital, interactive approaches.
5. Technology integration and accessibility – Digital training is increasingly available, but not all companies have the necessary infrastructure or tools, and employees have varying levels of digital literacy.
6. Applying knowledge in practice – Even when employees acquire new skills, they may struggle to apply them in their daily work. Without support and practical opportunities, learned knowledge can quickly fade.
7. Continuous skill renewal – Rapid changes in technology require ongoing updating of employee skills. Long-term skill development is often insufficiently flexible.
8. Budget limitations – Training requires financial investment, and companies are not always ready to allocate sufficient resources. This sometimes leads to choosing cheaper, less effective solutions.

Conclusion: To overcome these challenges, companies need a targeted training strategy tailored to employees’ needs, integrated into daily work processes, and supported by management. This ensures skill development is effective, sustainable, and aligned with organizational goals.

Course Title:

“5 Choices for Achieving Outstanding Results”

“5 Choices for Extraordinary Results”

The difference between merely drowning in tasks and moving purposefully toward goals lies in the ability to make smart decisions and the right choices. The 21st Century Productivity Solution provides measurable ways to increase the productivity of individuals, teams, and organizations.

The training includes:

• Debrief session
• Assessments
• Participant workbook
• Digital tools

What skills and knowledge does the project offer to learn?

LATVIAN COMPUTER TECHNOLOGY ASSOCIATION

Offers a training project
“Skills Development and Productivity Training Project for Employees in the ICT and Related Sectors”

Project No. 4.2.4.1/1/24/A/001

The project is implemented until 31 December 2029

Please apply by sending an information request to: apmacibas@itnet.lv

The project is based on the goals of the European Union Cohesion Policy Programme:

• Promote lifelong learning
• Provide flexible opportunities for skills development and retraining
• Support the need to acquire new skills
• Facilitate professional mobility

The project is implemented with the financial support of the European Social Fund Plus (ESF+).

The views and opinions expressed in the publication are solely those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of the European Union or the European Commission. Neither the European Union nor the European Commission can be held responsible for them.