At the core of the “Go Remote:Unlocking the potential of remote job opportunities!” pilot project lies a profound commitment to reducing youth unemployment in Latvia’s less developed regions. By addressing demographic, social, and economic barriers, the initiative aims to empower young jobseekers with relevant skills to access remote job opportunities. The project’s collaboration with international partners showcases a dedication to leveraging global expertise and best practices in remote working trends. Furthermore, “GO REMOTE” acknowledges the significance of remote work’s rising prominence in the contemporary job market and strives to bridge the skills gap, ensuring that young people are equipped to meet the demands of the evolving work landscape. Through its holistic approach to training, mentorship, and flexible learning, “GO REMOTE” lays the foundation for the brighter future of Latvia’s youth, enabling them to flourish in the remote work domain and contribute to the growth of the nation’s economy.
Next to the comprehensive training in remote-job professions like Data Input, Customer Support and Digital Project management, the Latvian team collaborated to provide an extra 60-hours recordings with additional tasks and homeworks that focuses on developing a range of valuable transversal skills highly sought after by employers in the field of remote jobs. These skills encompass communication, presentation, team management, leadership, online etiquette, cybersecurity, and data management and visualization. Trainees would have a choice to choose which topics to cover, but after each section, there would be a multiple-choice quiz of 10 questions, that would measure your knowledge.
In the context of Flip-learning, the “GO REMOTE” project exemplifies how trainers and youth workers can effectively leverage this approach to enhance the growth and success of young students in an online environment. Embracing the concept introduced to the international team by the academics from Kellir Academy, the project has tailored its training program to maximize the benefits of Flip-learning. Through the provision of a diverse range of activities and exercises, trainers create an engaging and interactive learning experience that encourages active participation and self-directed learning.
In the flipped classroom model, trainers utilize recorded content, such as the 60 hours of course material offered by “GO REMOTE,” which allows students to access and review the theoretical knowledge at their convenience. This asynchronous learning approach empowers students to pace their studies, ensuring they have a solid understanding of the concepts before engaging in practical exercises. The recorded content reinforces the commitment to the participants’ success, as it provides a valuable resource for continuous learning and revision.
During the live, interactive sessions, trainer together with a mentor guide students through role-playing scenarios, group discussions, and real-life case studies, fostering critical thinking and problem-solving skills. The practical application of acquired skills in these activities enables students to understand the relevance and real-world application of the concepts learned. The Trainer’s role is to be the head-master of knowledge and the mentor is there to help in breakout rooms or group sessions to those who feel behind. Furthermore, the emphasis on adaptability through unexpected challenges challenges students to think on their feet, promoting resilience and the ability to embrace change confidently—an essential skill for remote work and beyond.
Trainer together with mentor also play a crucial mentorship role throughout the program. By offering guidance and support, on the training platform online and 40 minutes before the live session the mentor offers guidance for practical works of the course – “Pop-in”concept, when those who need can come in at their own pace and ask questions or help.Trainees of the course together with a mentor create a positive and nurturing learning environment where students feel empowered to ask questions, seek clarifications, and grow both personally and professionally. The personalized attention provided in the flipped learning setup enhances student engagement and fosters a sense of community, where participants feel valued and supported in their learning journey.
All-in-all through a 2-month program consisting of theoretical and practical learning in 32-hour live sessions, young jobseekers from Latvia’s rural areas are equipped with the essential tools to excel in the remote working landscape by easy-access to 60-hour learning materials that are diverse by topics of transversal skills needed in remote environment. We partnered with “Riga Tech Girls” – a well-known community in Latvia dedicated to educating and inspiring girls & women about technology. Within their network for the first year of training, they gathered professional speakers from the field, 2- 3 speakers for each topic, to cover the most moderate and modern information out there. Their community’s “Explore Technology” education programme is increasingly gaining popularity in Latvia. Thanks to the widespread and successful sharing of the initiative on “Riga Tech Girls'” influential social network during the implementation year in Latvia, the project rapidly gained traction and increased its visibility, leaving an indelible mark on the first set of trainees and positioning itself as a trailblazer in tackling youth unemployment with innovative solutions.
“A big thank you to everyone involved. I learned and discovered many things that I once thought I would never understand, but now I do. Superb! Dāvis and Pēteris were exceptional leaders, very friendly, and always ready to help. It was a pleasure to attend the online lectures, especially to witness Dāvis’s magical enthusiasm and joy when talking about Excel. Pēteris was fantastic at solving everything and motivating everyone to move forward! Thank you! It was a wonderful experience, and it’s a pity that it’s already over” wrote a participant of the Data Input course. The team of the trainings in Latvia from all gathered feedback and comments can sum-up that participants are appreciative of the valuable knowledge and skills gained during the training, boosting their confidence in remote work. The young adults are creative, progressive and ready to communicate, if the trainers communicate providing personalized 1:1 communication with unwavering dedication to help each participant.
In the initial phase, 249 young individuals participated in the training, with 235 taking part in “Speed-dating” job-interviews, and 84 continued to work with mentors. During the second cycle, the project received over 400 applications, and more than 300 participants, aged 20 to 29 and including long-term unemployed and young mothers, engaged in the training program. The overwhelming response underscores the project’s impact in addressing youth unemployment and equipping young individuals with essential remote work skills for a brighter future. Looking ahead, the trainers are actively seeking to participate in other activities empowering more young jobseekers in their journey towards successful remote work opportunities.
The “Go remote: Unlocking the potential of remote job opportunities!“project benefits from a € 1.168.039 grant from Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway through the EEA and Norway Grants Fund for Youth Employment. The aim of the project is to reduce youth unemployment in Europe.
Article written by:
Darta Ansone
International project manager at “Visas Iespejas”
“Go Remote: Unlocking the potential of remote job opportunities!
