During the visit, the President of Latvia visited the Smiltene Secondary School, where he met with pupils and teachers. The Smiltene Secondary School was established in 2016 when three schools were merged during reorganisation and optimization of the school network, Smiltene Three Hills Primary School, Smiltene Center Secondary School, and Smiltene Grammar School. “This is an example of the ability of Latvian municipalities to accomplish a lot if we focus on children and their need to receive high-quality education,” said the President of Latvia after the meeting.
Raimonds Vējonis participated in the event dedicated to the beginning of a new school year at the Smiltene Technical School, where he acquainted with the opportunities offered by the Technical School for obtaining high-quality vocational education. The Head of State acknowledged, “High-quality vocational education provides opportunities for young people to enter the labour market more quickly. Every professional in his or her occupation strengthens Latvia and contributes to the development of our national economy.”
During the meeting with officials of the Smiltene Regional Council and entrepreneurs, there were important issues for development of business in the regions discussed like support of various financial instruments for the development of business infrastructure, lack of skilled labour, and recent changes in tax policy.
The President of Latvia also familiarized himself with the operation of Smiltenes Impex Ltd, one of the largest wood processing companies in the municipality, and he visited the Iveta Purmale Dressmaker’s, who dressed up the athletes of Latvia for the Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.
At the end of the working visit, the President of Latvia met with the population of the region.