We are truly grateful to Valmiera Municipality for honouring us with an award at the “Business of the Year Award 2024” ceremony. Our award was in the category “Cooperation of the Year with Educational Institutions”.
The award was bestowed in recognition of our active involvement in developing the mechatronics study programme, with a strong emphasis on promoting practical knowledge within Latvia's educational landscape. The surveyed educational institutions commended VALMIERAS STIKLA ŠĶIEDRA, AS for its commitment to offering internship and job opportunities to prospective specialists as well as for organising educational tours that provide students with valuable insights into the real work environment and labour market demands. Cooperation with Riga Technical University, where four institutes explore innovation opportunities in production automation, waste management and hydrogen production technologies, reinforces the company’s strategic commitment to strengthening Latvia’s engineering and technological potential.
Dace Purmale, Human Resources Director at AS VALMIERAS STIKLA ŠĶIEDRA, points out: “One of our well-considered and focused lines of action is cooperation with educational institutions of different levels. We firmly believe that young people are our future, which is why we engage, cooperate and communicate with them, as well as with educators and administrators of educational institutions. Over the past year and a half, 45 young people, primarily mechatronics students, have completed or are undergoing their internships with us, and we have hosted 21 groups for educational tours. We are pleased to have become more engaging, able to discuss both current and future occupations, as well as provide a glimpse into production processes. We also support and get involved in the improvement of curricula and study programmes. Only by working together today and supporting the educational system from the employer's perspective can we influence what kind of young people will enter the labour market in the near future."
We sincerely appreciate this recognition and respect for our work. A special thanks to our team, particularly to Ieva Laktiņa and Reinis Kušķis. We also extend gratitude to all our educational institutions and partners in the education sector – Vidzeme University, Riga Technical University, Rēzekne Institute of Technology, Valmiera State Gymnasium, Valmiera Pārgauja State Gymnasium, Valmiera Youth Centre "Vinda", Valmiera Technical School – for their significant contribution to our common work on the development of Latvia’s educational system.
The annual award of Valmiera Municipality is meant to recognise, commend and honour local companies that have made significant contributions to the municipality's development and demonstrated notable business performance.
Photo © Valmiera Development Agency