Where to study as an adult learner in Latvia

Art & culture

“You can’t earn a living from being creative” is a phrase familiar to many since their days in high school. At the same time, the average monthly salary of a decorator in Latvia is 2000 euros—which helps disprove this myth.

Zuzeum

An art centre with the world’s largest private collection of Latvian art. It is a place of cultural exchange, exhibitions and events; as well as a studio for artists and a public area for meetings and seminars. It also hosts lectures as part of a public program.

For example, on the 26th of September, a lecture was held as part of the public program “Beyond Boundaries: The Baltic Art Journey“. The exhibition hall presented a comprehensive, large-scale exhibition “UTOPIC CELLS” by the internationally renowned artist Donna Huanka for the first time in the Baltic states.

Study at the National Museum of Art

Two types of adult classes are available at the art museum:

The event “Me and Art II”. This class is taught by museum educator and artist Diāna Dimza-Dimme. Here you’ll learn to distinguish between different art movements, understand works of art in a more nuanced and critical way, as well as work with colours.

Teambuilding “How to Make a Painting?”. A variation of a group class for colleagues and friends. The first part of the event is a tour of the museum, getting to know the works of Latvian artists. The second part is a creative assignment. The artist Diāna Dimza-Dimme will help to create an A2 or A3 sized canvas painting, which the participants get to keep.

Rīgas DJ skola

The aim of the school is to create a new generation of DJs able to compete on the world stage. The school organises raves and participates in DJ battles, where the first place prize winner can snag up to 500 euros. So if you want not only to learn how to manipulate sound, but also earn something along the way, this might just be for you. 

For each course, the school announces the current enrollment on their website or social networks. You can choose from a range of convenient learning formats:

Basic beginner course: Classes meet once a week on Wednesdays. 

Intense beginner course: Classes meet twice a week on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Private lessons: Available by appointment.

Sports

It’s never too late to take up a sport. Oscar Swan, three-time Olympic champion in shooting, is proof of this. The 61-year-old athlete took part in the Games and won six medals in three seasons. Why not turn a hobby into a source of income?

Courses for fitness instructors

Alternative education in the field of sport and fitness. The agency’s goal is to simplify the path to a coaching career and enable you to get a job faster. Different training programs are available:

Category C Trainer’s Certificate. The course is suitable for those who are already involved in sports. The program is led by certified trainers.

The basics of training management in the gym. The course is suitable for beginner trainers as well as practitioners as additional education. The program is led by instructor Elvis Rudbahs.

Basics of classical aerobics. Basic level of aerobics, suitable for people of all ages and fitness levels.  Alina Silitskaya, certified aerobics trainer with 15 years of experience, will lead you along the way. 

The basics of step aerobics. Step aerobics is a dance-based cardio workout with the use of an elevated step platform. The course is also suitable for people of all ages and fitness levels.

Conducting functional training sessions. Functional training is a system of exercises that develops a person’s physical qualities evenly. It is also suitable for people of all ages and fitness levels, because you can vary the intensity and difficulty level of the workout.

Video lectures. Lessons are available in the following topics: sports physiology, anatomy, sports medicine, sports psychology, fitness and recreational sports. Video lectures are led by sports psychologists, certified physical therapists, physicians and a range of other teachers.

Fencing club

The club trains athletes of different ages: children, youth and adults. Two types of classes are suitable for adults:

IT and Tech

According to a study by Netology and international communications agency Zecomms Agency, there is a shortage of IT staff in Europe. In spring 2023, 416 thousand advertisements were published on regional labour markets—51% of all IT vacancies in the world.

Startup and community for women Riga TechGirls 

According to the DESI 2021 index, only 23% of all ICT employees in Latvia are women. Therefore, Riga TechGirls aims to inspire and educate women and girls, to teach them how to create content, products and services using the latest technology.

Different programmes are available in the courses, depending on the desired outcome. You can learn an IT profession, build your startup or improve your digital skills. Here are three courses for different purposes:

“Get to Know Technology.” The program will be the first step for newcomers to the world of IT. You will learn about technologies that will help you in any field, even if you aren’t an IT woman yet. The course is suitable for women of all ages.

Hackathon. Participants will develop their own products and technologies together with experts from different fields. Your mentors will be managers, supervisors, senior researchers and designers. The most successful projects will be rewarded; first place receiving a prize of 1000 euros.

Digital Skills for NGOs. The programme was developed with the support of Google.org. The course is suitable for creatives, teachers and health professionals. You will be taught about current tools and technologies, from social media to artificial intelligence.

Izaugsme ar Google

Free online artificial intelligence training supported by Google. Here’s one of the upcoming free programs:

“Data-driven decision making”.  This lesson covers 4 areas of data-driven decision making: asking the right questions, different types of data and using data in business. You will explore working with Google Analytics and learn how to analyse data. The lecture is suitable for anyone who wants to learn anything about artificial intelligence. The lecture will be hosted by Jānis Birgelis.

You can register for any of the above on the website. Follow the updates—lectures are sometimes repeated and new programmes tend to appear.

Codelex programming basics

This school helps adults change career pathsQ. The courses teach the programming languages C#, Java, C++, JavaScript, PHP, Python and SQL. There are also courses in web development and data analysis. Here are two from different areas:

Web development. You will understand the difference between frontend and backend development. Learn JavaScript, TypeScript, HTML and CSS, as well as React, Vue and Angular frameworks.

Duration: 4 months

Introductory programming course. The program is suitable for those who know nothing about development and are planning to start from scratch. During the course you will learn JavaScript, TypeScript and unit testing.

Languages

Knowledge of languages can be of great help if you are confused, don’t know what to do or what profession to choose. For example, English is in demand in almost any job: whether it’s in the hotel business or IT. Therefore, if you’ve decided to find a new path, studying a language can be your plan B.

Skrivanek Baltic

The Learning Center teaches English, German, French, Latvian and many more. The programs are suitable for different purposes: self-development, study at a foreign university or business trip. Individual and group lessons and corporate training are available. Here are examples of two programs for adults:

English language grammar B2. This course is suitable for those who want to learn and practice communicative grammar for everyday use. To speak, communicate and find common language with people in everyday situations, to improve pronunciation and accent, to write formal and informal texts.

Individual italian language courses. The program is tailored to the student’s pace, ability and time. The course is suitable for beginners as well as people with some knowledge of Italian. General, business and exam preparation Italian are all available.

Valodu kursi RSU

Courses are taught by teachers of the linguistics department of the Rīgas Stradiņa University. Here you can learn English, Spanish, German, Lithuanian and Latvian. The programs are more suitable for beginners, because the maximum level of attainment per course is B1. Here, for example, are two courses in Latvian:

A2 Latvian. The course teaches you how to communicate in simple everyday situations. For example, to ask a passerby what time it is or to order a pizza.

B1 Latvian. The aim of the course is to learn Latvian across a variety of topics. Teachers teach Latvian in accordance with the Common Language Proficiency Standards developed by the Council of Europe.

Science

Sometimes the desire to change profession is false. It may arise after a specialist is dissatisfied with something. For example, a small salary or lack of career growth. In order not to lose your passion and years of hard work, you can opt to become more knowledgeable and improve your qualifications.

RSU

The Center for Continuing Education organises different professional development programs: interdisciplinary conferences, theoretical and practical training, simulation training and individual courses. Programs are available for the following fields: medicine, health, sports and social sciences. Here are two courses from different fields:

Radiation safety in medicine. The course includes 9 subjects. The instructors of the program are associate professors and doctors.

Data analytics and artificial intelligence in medicine.The course explores artificial intelligence, data analytics and machine learning.

There is also a calendar of events. For example, the event “How to successfully implement a MedTech business” will be held on the 8th of October. You can view the calendar and explore the courses on the website.

RTU

The purpose of a continuing education program is to add to the knowledge and skills of professionals or newcomers who are interested in the profession. You can apply for continuing education courses or begin one from scratch. Here are two of the available programmes:

Professional development. There are programs for athletes, managers, executives, designers, analysts and other specialists. The minimum course cost is EUR 36 for 25 hours of training.

Developing digital skills. The course is available for areas ranging from business analytics to construction mechanics. For a full list of areas, please see the link.

Culinary classes

University of Texas psychologist Mary McNaughton-Cassil concluded that cooking helps you cope with stress. We don’t know how true that is. But we do know that you can make good money at it if you become a food blogger or a chef at a trendy restaurant.

Nordic Macaron

Individual and group master classes are held here. At a master class, you can learn how to make any dessert of your choice. For example, a macaron, a bento cake or a doughnut. You can see the current schedule on Instagram.

Cost: EUR 40 per person

Gourmando 

Gourmando is home to cosy evenings with friends, banquets and master classes from chef and TV host—Elmārs Tannis. This master class is suitable for beginners and experienced chefs alike: 

Master class in the kitchen studio. The chef will reveal the secrets of the kitchen and give you a delicious evening with friends. The master class includes drinks, appetisers and a main course prepared together with the participants according to a recipe chosen by Elmārs.

Dzērienu meistarklases

Masterclasses in the preparation of whisky, rum, cognac, gin and cocktails. The training will teach you the history, culture and tradition of the drinks. Sharing two programs:

Whisky, rum or cognac masterclasses. The bartenders will pass on to you the knowledge they have drawn from Scotland. You will learn about the history of alcohol, learn how to make it and taste 4 different drinks.

Cocktail masterclass At this in-person training you will be able to taste everything from the bar: liqueurs, self-made syrups, freshly squeezed juice; while enjoying the unique glasses and decorations. A special cocktail list of 6 alcoholic and 2 non-alcoholic recipes has been developed for the master classes, which illustrate different styles and preparation techniques.

Career and business

Understanding business is useful not only for entrepreneurs, but also for ordinary workers, managers, administrators, IT specialists, financiers and other professionals. Improve soft skills and better understand business processes with these courses.

KIC

The centre offers courses in two tracks, “Learning for Development” and “Problem Solving”. Here are two programs from different areas:

“How to run a business”. The program includes 8 courses: business class, digital marketing and sales management, manager and leadership, effective structural unit management, productive production management, process management, practical digital transformation, LEAN and leadership skills for shift supervisors. You can take any course from the program separately.

“The strategy needs to be reworked”. The program offers customised solutions for your company. You need to answer three questions and fill out a form to apply. You will be offered a course based on the answers provided.

Training Lab

Here you can choose a training course that will help you develop or establish your business. Courses will be useful not only for entrepreneurs, but also for managers, executives and IT specialists to develop soft skills. Choose the training format that best suits you: 

Business training. Different programs are available: 

 “Effective Visualisation of Business Ideas”, “Respectful Communication in an Organization”, “Artificial Intelligence Tools” and more.

Masterclasses. Masterclasses are quick lessons with Training Lab trainers and guest experts that last roughly 90 minutes. Anyone can find a topic close to their heart and quickly bump up a point skill. Different topics are available, such as “How not to burn out” or “Artificial intelligence for productivity”.

Public training. Several employees from different organisations take part in these training sessions. In this way, participants can learn from the trainer as well as from each other’s experience.

Profesionālās tālākizglītības centrs

A wide variety of online courses at the European Learning Center for Continuing Professional Education. You can find everything here: 

Learn a new profession. For example, becoming a commercial employee of an advertising service.

Study a new language. English, Latvian, German, French, French or Russian.

Teachers courses. Improve your qualifications: learn more about child protection or how to work with Canva.

Take a free course. Learn Language programming or how to use spreadsheets for free.

Choose a masterclass. Events are being updated, however, there are courses on data analysis in Power BI, creating an online store, and protecting children’s rights currently available.

Riga Business School

For aspiring managers. It doesn’t matter what field you work in or how long ago you graduated university, as long as you have the desire to keep growing. Choose a course that will be of use in any line of work:

“Leading through influence”. Participants will learn how leaders can effectively guide a team, negotiate and motivate employees.

Cost: EUR 125 excluding VAT