Prime Minister Aigars Kalvītis, in a meeting with seven Latvian youths from abroad, said Aug. 1 he is pleased with the first year of a program that invited them to work in Latvia in state offices and private companies.

“Vēlies izaicinājumu” (Seek a Challenge), a program initiated by Kalvītis and administered by the State Employment Agency with support from the social integration secretariat and Ministry of Education, is a month-long internship program that allowed the youths to work in their chosen profession, improve their Latvian language skills and get to know Latvia, the Cabinet of Ministers press office said.

The seven with whom Kalvītis met ar Darja Berdņikova of Russia, Jana Božko of Russia, Lūkass Milevskis of the United States, Laura Osvalde of the United States, Aleksandrs Perevalovs of Russia, Rūta Rietuma of Sweden and Dainis Simsons of Canada.

“Your knowledge, experience and skills are needed by Latvia,” Kalvītis told them. “We have few inhabitants, therefore we are pleased with each one who has chosen to return and work in Latvia, and youth here have greater career opportunities and more rapid growth than in larger countries.”

The seven have been interning with the State Forensic Science Bureau, Rīga Technical University, Hill & Knowlton Latvia, the State Employment Agency, SIA Averoja and SIA Agroprojekts.

The internships run from July 15 to Aug. 15.

The Latvian government is committed to supporting the program and finding internships in state offices. It is expected the project will continue next year with greater participation, the press office said.