- 2017Implementation
- 2018Implementation
- 2019Implementation
- 2020Implementation
- 2021Implementation
- 2022Implementation
- 2023Implementation
- 2024Implementation
Background
In 2015, one in 10 learners left education and training early. The government secured funding, including ESF, to implement measures for reducing early school leaving through preventive and remedy measures.
Objectives
To implement a system preventing early school leaving and rendering timely and individualised support to young people at risk of dropping out.
Description
The ESF project Support for reducing early school leaving (PUMPURS) aims at reducing the number of learners leaving education and training early. The project promotes the creation of a sustainable cooperation system between the municipality, educational institutions, educators, support staff and parents or representatives of the learners, in order to identify learners at risk of interrupting their studies and provide them with personalised support.
Educators are given the opportunity to improve professionally and strengthen their skills in working with students. Methodological aids have been developed. A unified database has been created, which ensures regular exchange of information at the levels of the State, municipality and education institution about learners who are identified as being at risk of dropping out of school, the preventive measures taken and their results. It provides full statistics and allows long-term evaluation of the effectiveness of the measures.
Initiatives by youth NGOs are also supported to raise the problem of dropping out from school among young people themselves, address learners through the help of peers and involve them in activities. Measures are aimed at early diagnosis of problems and solutions.
Local governments currently provide individual support to learners who might drop out from VET due to lack of financial resources. They cover transportation, meals, and service hotel costs. However,...
The ESF project Support for reducing early school leaving (PUMPURS) aims at reducing the number of learners leaving education and training early. The project promotes the creation of a sustainable cooperation system between the municipality, educational institutions, educators, support staff and parents or representatives of the learners, in order to identify learners at risk of interrupting their studies and provide them with personalised support.
Educators are given the opportunity to improve professionally and strengthen their skills in working with students. Methodological aids have been developed. A unified database has been created, which ensures regular exchange of information at the levels of the State, municipality and education institution about learners who are identified as being at risk of dropping out of school, the preventive measures taken and their results. It provides full statistics and allows long-term evaluation of the effectiveness of the measures.
Initiatives by youth NGOs are also supported to raise the problem of dropping out from school among young people themselves, address learners through the help of peers and involve them in activities. Measures are aimed at early diagnosis of problems and solutions.
Local governments currently provide individual support to learners who might drop out from VET due to lack of financial resources. They cover transportation, meals, and service hotel costs. However, their focus needs to shift towards creating a sustainable and comprehensive mechanism for a supportive and inclusive environment for every learner.
The project implementation started in 2017. VET learners were provided with preventive and intervention support measures to reduce early school leaving.
At the beginning of the semester, each pedagogue/teacher involved in working with at-risk students created an individual support plan which assessed the risks of dropping out of school and provided the necessary support measures for young people to mitigate these risks.
Young people were offered consultations and assistance from pedagogues, psychologists and other support staff as well as financial support for transport, accommodation, food, and teaching aids.
Educators received support and resources to work individually with learners, professional competence development opportunities (in all regions), tools for identifying and preventing early school leaving risks, and supervision.
A special television broadcast, Class, offered discussions with learners and included a broad spectrum of topics, including bullying, failure, pregnancy and many more.
In 2018, in addition to mainstream activities, 78 youth initiative projects were supported in 36 municipalities.
In 2019, in addition to mainstream activities, 97 youth initiative projects were supported in 50 municipalities.
In 2020, in addition to mainstream activities, 192 youth initiative projects were supported in 63 municipalities.
In 2021, in addition to mainstream activities, 126 youth initiative projects were supported in 63 municipalities.
In July 2022, young people at risk of dropping out of school participated in the first motivational summer camp, Pumpurs. They had an opportunity to go through a specially designed programme to improve their psycho-emotional health, learn life skills and increase their motivation to study. The programme was developed by specialists in work with teenagers, based on the latest research on the education and health of children and young people, as well as considering international experience.
The project SAM 8.3.4 'Reducing early school leaving through prevention and intervention measures' or PuMPuRS was completed.
During the project implementation in 2017-23, 41 municipalities have become partners, and successfully supported around 50 000 pupils, providing individual and economic support in 665 educational institutions. More than 94 000 individual risk reduction plans were developed and implemented during the project. To support teachers and support staff, 1 052 supervisions were provided, 10 professional development programmes and 7 methodological support tools were developed, and 10 conferences and 469 workshops organised in education institutions. More than 131 000 individual counselling sessions have been provided to pupils at risk of early school leaving. The project supported 2 724 pupils with reimbursement of transport costs, 2 581 pupils with accommodation in a dormitory or boarding school and 8 740 pupils with catering services. Individual learning materials were provided to 191 VET students and essential personal products were provided to 59 learners at risk of early school leaving.
The project has succeeded in raising awareness of the importance of cooperation in addressing early school leaving issues among all parties, but work on meaningful and systematic involvement and motivation to act by all parties continued, building comprehensive and result-oriented cooperation mechanisms.
The PuMPuRS project activities raised public awareness of the problems of children and young people that can lead to early school leaving.
The final report on the project outcomes, impact, results, evaluation and evidence-based recommendations for the fulfilment of the ex-post conditions of the project was published.
On 21 May 2024, the Parliament Committee on Education, Culture and Science discussed the possibility and conceptually supported continuing the project and introducing to the education and training system an additional one-year support programme for learners. As a result, a new project was started with a focus on collaboration between stakeholders.
Bodies responsible
- State Education Quality Service (IKVD)
- VET providers
Target groups
Learners
- Learners in upper secondary, including apprentices
- Learners at risk of early leaving or/and early leavers
Education professionals
- Teachers
- Trainers
Entities providing VET
- VET providers (all kinds)
Thematic categories
Supporting lifelong learning culture and increasing participation
Lifelong learning refers to all learning (formal, non-formal or informal) taking place at all stages in life and resulting in an improvement or update in knowledge, skills, competences and attitudes or in participation in society from a personal, civic, cultural, social or employment-related perspective (Erasmus+, Glossary of terms, https://erasmus-plus.ec.europa.eu/programme-guide/part-d/glossary-common-terms). A systemic approach to CVET is crucial to ensure adaptability to evolving demands.
This broad thematic category looks at ways of creating opportunities and ensuring access to re-skilling and upskilling pathways, allowing individuals to progress smoothly in their learning throughout their lives with better permeability between general and vocational education and training, and better integration and compatibility between initial and continuing VET and with higher education. Individuals should be supported in acquiring and updating their skills and competences and navigating easily through education and training systems. Strategies and campaigns that promote VET and LLL as an attractive and high-quality pathway, providing quality lifelong guidance and tailored support to design learning and career paths, and various incentives (financial and non-financial) to attract and support participation in VET and LLL fall into this thematic category as well.
This thematic category also includes many initiatives on making VET inclusive and ensuring equal education and training opportunities for various groups of learners, regardless of their personal and economic background and place of residence – especially those at risk of disadvantage or exclusion, such as persons with disabilities, the low-skilled and low-qualified, minorities, migrants, refugees and others.
This thematic sub-category refers to providing the possibility for individuals who are already in the labour market/in employment to reskill and/or acquire higher levels of skills, and to ensuring targeted information resources on the benefits of CVET and lifelong learning. It also covers the availability of CVET programmes adaptable to labour market, sectoral or individual up- and reskilling needs. The sub-category includes working with respective stakeholders to develop digital learning solutions supporting access to CVET opportunities and awarding CVET credentials and certificates.
This thematic sub-category refers to making VET pathways and programmes inclusive and accessible for all. It concerns measures and targeted actions to increase access and participation in VET and lifelong learning for learners from all vulnerable groups, and to support their school/training-to-work transitions. It includes measures to prevent early leaving from education and training. The thematic sub-category covers measures promoting gender balance in traditionally ‘male’ and ‘female’ professions and addressing gender-related and other stereotypes. The vulnerable groups are, but not limited to: persons with disabilities; the low-qualified/-skilled; minorities; persons of migrant background, including refugees; people with fewer opportunities due to their geographical location and/or their socioeconomically disadvantaged circumstances.
European priorities in VET
VET Recommendation
- VET promoting equality of opportunities
Subsystem
Further reading
Country
Type of development
Cedefop, & ReferNet. (2025). Inclusive VET for the young at risk of early leaving: Latvia. In Cedefop, & ReferNet. (2025). Timeline of VET policies in Europe (2024 update) [Online tool].
https://www.cedefop.europa.eu/en/tools/timeline-vet-policies-europe/search/43452