Estonia, like much of Europe, is facing a growing shortage of skilled blue-collar workers. This is often addressed by hiring talent from abroad. To work in Estonia foreign laborers need to secure a visa as well as prove their qualifications to the Police and Border Guard Board (PPA) to obtain a short-term employment permit. This is often a time-consuming and unpredictable process, as most professional certificates are in foreign languages and their authenticity can be difficult to verify. This leads to postponed start dates which cause losses for employers as well as unnecessarily straining public resources of the Police and Border Guard Board.
Werk’s vision is to remove this friction. By offering an AI-based tool to assess and validate vocational skills, they standardize proof of competence. The results are compiled in a clear report, helping PPA officials make informed decisions about granting temporary work permits. Accelerate Estonia, in cooperation with Werk, is exploring the legal and bureaucratic hurdles standing in the way of implementing this solution, with the goal of simplifying the cross-border employment of skilled labor.
