DESCRIPTION
Riga State Technical School (RSTS) is the largest vocational secondary education institution in Latvia. The main task of RSTS is to prepare students for work in specialized professions and to promote knowledge, skills, and attitudes that correspond to vocational qualifications and support competitiveness in a dynamic and changing working environment. Currently, 22 accredited vocational education programs are being implemented at RSTS in nine departments:
- Auto
- Computer
- Business
- Chemistry Technology
- Energetics
- Mechanical Engineering
- Printing
- Woodworking
- Railway
2,500 students are enrolled, taught by 350 teachers.
WEBPAGE
https://www.rvt.lv/en/home/
Q1: INTRODUCE YOUR GREENVET TEAM
Riga State Technical School (RSTS) has established an ECO Council, in which young people are active and the staff of the vocational education institution, especially teachers, are also involved in order to work together on sustainability issues. Our main mission is to create an environmentally friendly and sustainable environment, as well as to educate and engage students in various initiatives. The ECO Council is a new unit at the technical school and has existed for about a year but has already shown its activity and is developing rapidly. The ECO Council has implemented several initiatives and set certain goals for the future.
The council consists of approximately 10 students who have voluntarily chosen to work in our team. Each member has their own interests and we represent different curricula, but we all work towards common goals and are open to new initiatives. Teachers, on the other hand, are a valuable support, providing the necessary help and advice. The ECO Council is also supported by the administration and cooperative and responsive personnel, who help to achieve the best results.
The ECO Council has been active and has implemented not only initiatives within the Technical School but also participated in international projects and formed cooperation with representatives of professional education from various European Union countries. The biggest goal that the council is currently aiming for is to educate young people on sustainability issues and in the future to receive the green flag of the ECO school, which requires comprehensive involvement and is quite a complex process, especially considering the difference between general education schools and vocational education institutions.
Q2: WHAT DO YOU EXPECT FROM YOUR SCHOOL'S PARTICIPATION IN THE GREENVET PROJECT AND THE EXCHANGE WITH EUROPEAN VET SCHOOLS?
We see the technical school as an active and influential member of the sustainability movement, both locally and internationally. The added value within the project could come directly from international cooperation, as it will be an opportunity to exchange experience and learn from other project participants. We see that it can be a good opportunity to create new collaborations because all project participants are interested in sustainability issues. We are motivated to work with partners and possibly create joint projects and exchange knowledge and experience.
Our goal is to further activate and involve young people in the ECO Council, offering them more opportunities and resources so that they feel motivated and confident in their abilities. We see great potential in increasing the activity and involvement of young people, and in this sense, our cooperation partners will be very important. It is possible that we can organize special activities for young people as part of the project because we see that they are interested in such international cooperation, competitions and experience.
The main thing is for all participants to be open and ready to both learn and share information because these issues affect us all and only in this way is it possible to achieve common goals.
Q3: GET INTO OUR GREENVET TIME MACHINE. WHAT WILL YOUR SCHOOL LOOK LIKE IN 5 YEARS?
We see that after five years, the Riga State Technical School is implementing a long-term education policy in line with the state's interests, creating a conceptual basis for an education model based on the working environment, providing students with the opportunity to acquire knowledge and skills according to the needs of the labour market, creating opportunities to develop into independent, responsible, spiritually rich, a creative personality and a citizen of modern society. The technical school is not only a provider of knowledge for students, but also a creator of civic attitudes, and spiritual and moral values, providing an opportunity for active creative activity in the social and cultural life of the technical school/city/state, engaging in the preservation of traditions and cultural-historical heritage and solving environmental protection issues. The ECO Council has become a full-fledged structural unit, even more so, sustainability values have become the norm, in everyday life, and are an integral part of thinking. We want young people to understand that their actions matter and that they can have a real impact on the environment, and that's why they are active. We are working on events and initiatives that make our movement stronger, inspiring and motivating students of other general education and professional educational institutions throughout Latvia.
We can also see that the ECO Council and RVT as a whole have expanded the Technical School's participation in various international projects and events, ensuring the creation and implementation of international educational processes at the Technical School.
In the future, RVT will continue to implement the green course by creating 1) energy-efficient infrastructure: solar panels and collectors counts increase and installation on the roof of the RVT training building, installation of prototypes of the hall panel canopy for electric car charging, rainwater purification and reuse; the use of environmentally friendly learning equipment, for example, the use of augmented reality training equipment in the learning process, the use of air pollution purification devices and filters; 2) implementation of sustainable educational programs: Renewables energy technician (4 years); Integration of unmanned aircraft piloting training for the needs of economic sectors (integrated program IP); 3) Green literacy integration learning in topics, tasks; 4) Activities of the Eco Council to promote "Green thinking" and environmentally friendly behaviour in everyday life and technical school in the practical in action; 5) continuous identification, research, analysis of resources necessary for the implementation of the mission and strategic priorities of the Technical School.