In order to achieve the objective of the project ‘Support for excellence in skills in vocational education’ (hereinafter ‘the project’) - to ensure cooperation between vocational education institutions and sectors for the development of skills skills skills in vocational education, the conduct of national skills mastery competitions (SkillsLatvia) and participation in international (EuroSkills and WorldSkills) competitions by promoting talent development support - in accordance with paragraph 13 of Cabinet Regulation No 575 of 10 October 2023 on improving the quality, inclusiveness, efficiency and relevance of education and training systems in the labour market, including through the validation of non-formal and informal learning, in order to support the acquisition of key competences, including entrepreneurial and digital skills, and by promoting the introduction of dual learning systems and apprenticeships, measure 4.2.2.9 ‘Individualisation of the educational process and cross-sectoral cooperation for vocational education excellence’ (hereinafter ‘Cabinet Regulation No 575’), the project envisages the following activities and sub-activities:1. Organisation of national skills competitions for young professionals SkillsLatvia:1.1. professional skills demonstrations and pilot activities to increase the attractiveness of vocational education;1.2. organisation and implementation of integrated communication campaigns;d1(1.3). organisation of national skills competitions for young professionals SkillsLatvia.2. Preparation of contestants and participation of the Latvian national delegation in the international skills competitions for young professionals EuroSkills and WorldSkills.3. Support to vocational education institutions and their educators in working with talented students in the acquisition and improvement of professional skills:3.1. informative and training measures for vocational education institutions and their educators on international skills standards, skills assessment and their application in vocational education;3.2. development of professional skills competitions and a model for implementing talent development in vocational education;3.3. information exchange and cooperation measures with the National Centre for Education, sectoral expert councils and sectoral organisations on the transfer of the requirements of international skills standards to the development, implementation and assessment of vocational education content.4. Ensuring project management and implementation.5. The project plans to implement 4 national skills competitions for young professionals SkillsLatvia, to organise 4 demonstrations of professional skills and pilot actions to increase the attractiveness of vocational education and 4 integrated communication campaigns (2024-2027), to prepare and ensure the participation of at least 35 contestants in 5 international skills competitions for young professionals EuroSkills and WorldSkills (2023-2027), to develop a model for the implementation of professional skills competitions and talent development in vocational education after 2027 in cooperation with the Ministry of Education and Science (hereinafter - MoES), the National Centre for Education Content (hereinafter - VISC), Sectoral Expert Councils (hereinafter - NEP), vocational education institutions, sectoral organisations, enterprises (hereinafter together - education and sectoral partners), to provide 240 information and training seminars for vocational education teachers to work with talented students and 10 regional events on the improvement of professional standards and educational programmes with the aim to develop modules for the acquisition of advanced skills, In accordance with Paragraph 4 of Cabinet Regulation No 575, the following monitoring indicators are to be achieved within the framework of the project by 31 December 2029: -the number of output indicators – national, regional or local public administrations or public service institutions and services that have received support – 1, including 1 by 31 December 2024; The total eligible funding for the project is EUR 3 850 000, consisting of financing from the European Social Fund Plus (ESF+) – EUR 3 272 500 and co-financing from the State budget – EUR 577 500. The project is implemented by the State Education Development Agency (hereinafter ‘the Agency’) from January 2024 to 31 December 2027. In accordance with Cabinet Regulation No 575, the implementation of the project activities started in the first quarter of 2023 before the conclusion of the agreement on the implementation of the project (hereinafter ‘the agreement’) with the cooperation institution – the Central Finance and Contracting Agency (hereinafter ‘the cooperation institution’), ensuring the preparation of 9 contestants and participation in the international skills competition for young professionals EuroSkills 2023 in Gdansk, Poland, starting preparatory work for the organisation of the national ski