THE ROLE OF ADULT VOCATIONAL EDUCATION IN BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT IN LATVIA

Abstract

The decisive factor for the country's economic development is competitive workforce resources, for the preparation of which vocational education, its quality, compliance with the trends of economic sectors and the demand of the labour market are essential. One of the global socio-economic problems of the 21st century in developed countries is an aging population, due to the influence of which the importance of adult vocational education becomes significant, as changes in the demographic structure mean that labour market needs are increasingly being met by “silver” human resources. Currently, the demand in the labour market for employees with higher education dominates, pointing to the qualitative development of the labour market and the importance of professional higher education in the aspect of population aging. The authors conclude that the existing vocational education system needs to be improved, fully integrating adult education into it, which would serve as one of the basic elements of the support system for the creation of a high-quality state business environment and stimulate the achievement of the national economic goals. The aim of the article is to analyse the vocational education system and types of its acquisition in Latvia as one of the factors supporting the creation of a high-quality business environment that ensures the quality of the available workforce. As a result of the research, the authors have demonstrated the relevance between the implementation of vocational higher education and the quality of business environment. Recommendations for the implementation of high-quality vocational higher education are provided in order to ensure the compliance of the existing workforce with the requirements of the national economy and labour market and to create a high-quality business environment.