Investing in future talent is a strategy MiTek Baltic believe is an essential part of building a stronger, smarter construction industry across the regions.
And engaging with students is one way the company is doing just that.
When the Latvian University of Life Sciences and Technology invited the MiTek Baltic team to take part in an educational event for middle school students from across Latvia, Director Intars Dīcmanis and Design Team Leader Santa Gorbacova, jumped at the opportunity to get involved, to share knowledge and spark curiosity about the timber construction industry in the next generation.
Getting hands on experience
The event was curated by Uldis Spulle, Associated Professor and leading researcher at the University, who invited the team to come in and work with the students. The University faculty focuses on forest science and the life cycle of timber, so Uldis wanted the session to focus on the variety of ways timber is used in the construction industry: from a simple plank to glulam posts and Cross Laminated Timber (CLT), for example.
But he didn’t want Intars and Santa to spend the session just talking. Uldis initiated a creative construction activity that was then led by the MiTek team. The students were divided into small groups and set a hands-on construction challenge. Tasked with assembling timber frame structures, the students not only discovered the difference between braced and unbraced designs but also learned just how critical support structures are to overall stability.
“The moment they saw their wobbly structures become solid just by adding a brace, it clicked,” said Intars. “That’s when they understood what engineering is really about.”
“For many of the students, this was the first time they had engaged with construction in such a tangible way,” explained Santa. “The task really demonstrated to the students that while the engineering profession is very challenging, it’s never boring!”
Inspiring ambition and lifelong learning
The session wasn’t just about timber, and that was deliberate. It was also about life, choices, and mindset. Santa and Intars shared their own journeys into the construction industry, and they invited the students to ask questions, not just about glulam and CLT, but about their work.
Santa was asked if she likes being an engineer: “I explained that I do and that the most exciting thing about my job for me is if the project we’re working on is complicated. I like a challenge and if the team is willing to work together, then we’ll solve it.”
Intars’ background, from Olympic athlete to director of an international pre-fab technology company, showed the students that no path is fixed, and that ambition can take you far beyond national borders.
The students were keen to find out about his time as an Olympian and how he transitioned from sport to the timber industry.
“It’s not about knowing everything,” he told them. “It’s about being open to learning and believing nothing is impossible if you set your goal and work for it. The more you learn, the more choices you have now, and in the future.”
Shaping the future cohort
For the MiTek Baltic team, events like these are about more than just inspiration, they’re about shaping a connected future for timber construction in the Baltics. Whether it’s through seminars for architects or talks with students, the goal is the same: to inspire, educate, and make knowledge accessible.
Their session clearly resonated. So much so that they have been invited back to the University for a Careers Day in September. Motivating the next generation of construction engineers and architects continues…
Read more about our vision of collaboration and knowledge sharing for the industry this year and beyond.
