University of Latvia will prepare young specialists for "Latvia's State Forests"

"It is very important that we see what will happen next," said Mārcis Auziņš, rector of the UL, at signing the agreement. “If there are no specific goals and work plan, agreements can end up in museums, but this is not the case. JSC “Latvia’s State Forests” is a desired partner that we have been waiting for a long time, and I hope the cooperation we have launched today will expand. There are many options, since no serious business can develop without science and innovations, and, in its turn, JSC “Latvia’s State Forests” for us is an important partner, who can offer on-the-job training for our students and provide opportunities for researchers.” “It took some time before we realised that business competitiveness stems from the education system,” admitted LVM Board Chairman Roberts Strīpnieks. “Sadly, frequently there is a gap between business and academic environments. Therefore the time has come to establish cooperation with the University of Latvia. This will not be done just to tick it off in the list, but to truly assist the process of education and also to take advantage of what is happening at the university.” The UL and “Latvia’s State Forests” have agreed to cooperate both in issues concerning educational content, such as developing new programmes according to the needs of the industry and using LVM technologies in student training, as well as in supporting students: LVM will extend the scholarship plan for the company's priority programmes and specialities, and will engage LVM specialists to read lectures on the latest developments in forestry, latest technologies, etc. The cooperation is mainly intended for higher education and research assignments at the Faculty of Geography and Earth Sciences, the Faculty of Biology, the Faculty of History and Philosophy, the Faculty of Chemistry and the Botanical Gardens of the University of Latvia. The UL and LVM also intend to engage in joint social responsibility projects. The agreement enters into force from the date of its signing by both parties and remains in force indefinitely.

Translated by students of the professional study programme Translator of the University of Latvia.