In mid-December, the training supported by AS DelfinGroup ended, during which more than 200 young people learned new digital skills for free in order to increase their competitiveness in the labour market. Training Learn the industry: digital marketing was held remotely giving the opportunity to a wide range of interested youngsters across Latvia to participate, to present the newly acquired skills to potential employers at the end of the course and allowing some of them immediately receive a job offer.

"We are happy that we have been able to help so many young people to become more competitive in the labour market and expand their opportunities by acquiring skills that are currently in high demand and meeting their potential employers during the training. It was very important for us to make it possible for young people anywhere in Latvia to attend the course, moreover, the acquired knowledge will provide them with a job for which the physical location is irrelevant,” explains Ivars Lamberts, Member of the Management Board of AS DelfinGroup. “AS DelfinGroup, as a socially responsible company, actively participates in promoting the social and financial inclusion of society and environmental sustainability, which is in line with our corporate social responsibility guidelines.”

"Together with the social enterprise and youth opportunities platform Visas Iespējas we are very happy not only for the great response from the participants, but especially for the development and implementation of an innovative concept. We are convinced, that there is a great potential for such digital training, led by industry professionals, and we plan to continue developing similar trainings in future!” Gustavs Mārtiņš Upmanis, the founder of Delve, is convinced.

The training was organised by the organisation Delve in cooperation with the social enterprise and youth opportunities platform Visas Iespējas, with the aim to promote the successful integration of young people into the work environment - especially those, who would not otherwise be able to participate in such training due to material constraints, their location or other limitations. There was a really high interest in the training - more than 350 youngsters from more than 30 places of Latvia applied, over 200 people aged 16 to 30 enrolled for the training.

During the course of seven classes, the participants, under the guidance of Latvian and foreign industry experts, learned topics related to the digital marketing, social media analytics tools, video producing and storytelling, social network management, graphic design and advertising customization. Participants also had the opportunity to strengthen these topics in practice - work in groups and prepare marketing strategies and develop a variety of materials for real businesses.

In addition to the training, participants also had a chance to participate in a specially designed event for job seekers called Quick job interviews: Digital marketing and meet representatives from 15 different companies looking for employees in this field.

Reinis Nikuļcevs, a representative of a company Rocketgrip, participated as an employer: "The experience is very positive, because this event provided an opportunity to get to know a young person better, apart from almost a blank CV, that young people without work experience usually have. Within a few minutes, we can see, if there is a match and is it worth to have further conversations. I was positively surprised by the created online environment, which made the process much more interesting than standard Zoom calls. If there is an opportunity, we will definitely participate again!

Meanwhile the participants of the training valued most not only the knowledge they acquired, but also currently highly demanded skills they learned, which open up new opportunities in the labour market for them. “By participating in the training, I gained the knowledge I need from various industry professionals, and I had the opportunity to practically apply them by working in groups with peers. After the training, I feel competent to take up work in digital marketing, moreover, I had a great opportunity to get a job in one of the companies,” one of the participants Gustavs Egle, shares his experience.

Chief lecturer, graphic designer and videographer at Gamechanger Audio, Alise Golovacka: "It is a great pleasure to share experience with the youth, who are open to learn about all aspects of the digital marketing area - social media management, data analysis, graphic design and even making videos. All lecturers and mentors were also inspiring as they continue to develop their own skills, even as recognized professionals. Enthusiasm does not come alone!”

About AS DelfinGroup

AS DelfinGroup is a licenced technology-based financial services company that was established in 2009 and operates under the brand names Banknote and VIZIA. The company continuously develops and offers consumer and pawn loans, loans developed for senior citizens, Buy now pay later loans (BNPL loans), as well as sale of pre-owned goods both online and at more than 90 branches across Latvia. On average, 35,000 thousand loans are issued every month and serviced by the professional team of more than 270 AS DelfinGroup employees. The company has a total of over 400,000 registered customers. Since 2014, AS DelfinGroup has been known on the Nasdaq Riga Stock Exchange as a bond issuer and since 2021 as a share issuer on the Baltic Main List. The company’s IPO in 2021 attracted almost 6000 new shareholders. The company regularly pays dividends to its shareholders. In 2020, the company's net loan portfolio grew to EUR 34.6 million, while its EBITDA reached EUR 9.3 million, with profits before income tax for dividends EUR 4.65 million. The company’s sustainability is based on focused corporate governance, fintech innovation, responsible lending, financial inclusion and facilitating the circular economy. The company has been profitable every year since 2010.

About Delve

Founded in 2013, Delve aims to inform young people about different ways of developing themselves, but as a result of the impact of Covid, the association has set another goal this year - to support young people from the regions by helping them to acquire new skills and find work. In the future, Delve plans to continue developing various educational projects, including hybrid training, providing opportunities for young people from all over Latvia to use their potential fully.

About Visas iespējas

Visas iespējas is a social enterprise, a youth platform that gathers information to help young people realise their potential. In addition to the activity of the platform, various events and training sessions are regularly carried out with the aim of bringing the youth together with the company, as well as representatives of various organisations and the opportunities they offer. Every month, the platform has more than 10,000 visits from the youth throughout Latvia, as well as more than 150 non-governmental organisations are registered on it, which actively post various opportunities of relevance to young people. The main goal of Visas iespējas is to create and develop a platform where young people, regardless of their interests and financial opportunities, are able to find suitable opportunities, thus developing their potential. In September 2021, the platform was expanded, opening a similar platform with partners in two more countries - England and North Macedonia.

For further information, please contact:
Aldis Umblejs,
AS DelfinGroup Management Board Member
Phone: +371 26189988
E-mail: [email protected]