On 22 April 2026, the “Regional Skills Partnership for Latgale Growth” was founded. It is led by the Latgale Council of the Latvian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and it brings together municipalities, universities, vocational education centres and the business community. We at the Latvian Textile Industry Association take part in it as industry representatives.

Why this partnership is needed right now

Latgale is the region where the workforce question has become one of the most serious in all of Latvia. The population is shrinking faster than anywhere else in the country. Young people leave to study and often do not return. Many companies that have work cannot find people to do it.

This problem cannot be solved alone by an entrepreneur, a municipality or a school. Everyone needs to be at the same table. That is exactly what this new partnership tries to do.

What the partnership does

The goal is to change Latgale from a region where people are missing into a region where the skills the economy needs are deliberately developed.

In practical terms, this means building a regional talent development platform based on labour market data rather than assumptions. Then flexible retraining and additional education programmes, including micro-qualifications, that allow a person to add skills quickly without completing a full course. An emphasis on digital, green, STEM and general skills. And finally a regional talent retention plan that directly connects educational institutions with employers. By 2030, the partnership plans to expand to 20 or more organisations.

Why textile is in this conversation

Latgale has three hundred years of textile experience, starting with the first textile manufactory that began work here as early as 1724. In Soviet times, both the Chemical Fibre Factory and a garment factory operated in Daugavpils. Skill and attitude towards work have been preserved in the region.

That is why textile has something to say here. We know what specialists we will need in the coming years. Seamstresses and pattern-cutters. Textile engineers and quality specialists. Designers who understand production. Logistics and export managers. This is not theory, this is our real workforce map.

If our need is matched with what Latgalian educational institutions actually teach, both sides gain. The school sees which graduates will find work. The entrepreneur receives people who already know what the job is about.

Connection to our own work

This partnership is not an isolated event that exists only within its own framework. It aligns with several of our initiatives that we are already preparing. The educational institutions rating, which will show which schools truly cooperate with the industry. The trainee and excursion system that brings young people to our companies. And the support packages for members that include access to prepared people.

The partnership provides a platform where these initiatives can work together with other regional players, not in parallel to them.

Honest: this is only the beginning

We do not promise that tomorrow enough skilled seamstresses, designers and technologists will appear in Latgale. The partnership has just been founded, and real results will be visible in years, not months.

But the approach itself is right. Everyone at the same table, shared data, shared plan. If it works, Latgale will finally have the system it has lacked for years.

If Latgale and its people matter to you

If your company works in Latgale and struggles with the worker shortage, write to us. We carry this problem to the partnership table on behalf of the industry.

If you are an educational institution that wants closer cooperation with the textile sector, we want to talk with you. And if you care that there should finally be work in Latgale to stay for, become a member. The more of us, the more clearly the industry’s voice sounds in conversations like this.