Since July 2025, individuals who have completed 9 years of basic education with satisfactory marks in all subjects (at least 4 out of 10) but failed no more than one State examination can still enrol in vocational education and training (VET).
The new legal framework allows these learners to undertake a 3-year vocational programme leading to a third-level professional qualification, while simultaneously preparing for the State examination in the general education subject they previously failed.
Each learner follows an individual education plan, which includes information about the learner, risks of exclusion, support measures, and the staff involved.
If a VET provider does not offer a general education programme, the learner remains an external student at their former general education school. This arrangement enables them to retake the failed State examination at the end of the academic year, obtain a grade, and receive the basic education diploma required to continue in the VET programme.
In 2024/25, 441 learners did not complete grade 9 – almost half as many as in 2022/23. Most of them (376) had failed only one exam. According to the Ministry of Education and Science, 26 of these learners began a VET programme in September 2025, while the others chose to repeat grade 9 in general education.
Individual mentor support for learners enrolled in VET programmes without a basic education diploma will begin in 2026. At least 100 mentors are currently being trained under the EU-funded project School in the Community, which aims to promote equal access to quality and inclusive education for all, including individuals with disabilities.
| Please cite this news item as: ReferNet Lavia, & Cedefop (2025, October 14). Latvia extends access to VET for at-risk learners. National news on VET. |