The most recognized IT companies in Klaipėda have joined the project
Due to the increasing demand of IT specialists in the job market and the career perspectives it presents, a number of interested companies have joined the project, such as: software development company "Iamus", digital marketing startup "Whatagraph", a smart translation system developer "Interactio", IT company "Creative partner" and one of the most modern co-working spaces in Lithuania - "Lighthouse".
"I do believe, that "Future engineers" is a great initiative enabling students to have a clearer understanding of the ins and outs of certain careers. During the visits we have mentioned having employed a tenth-grader for a part-time position, meaning that taking extracurricular activities can be a great stepping stone for your future career, for example in IT. Right after we said it a couple of students inquired about the possibility to come and work in our company,” - said Henrikas Urbonas, founder and CEO of the "Interactio" startup.
During the visits, students had the opportunity to familiarize with the programmer's profession and understand how to prepare to become one while still in school.
"We talked about why it is fun to work in IT, what are the pros and cons, the expected salary and actions they could take now, for when the time comes they would shine through the mass of other similarly skilled colleagues", - said Giedrė Dubiševaitė, Business Operations Manager of "Whatagraph" startup.
Traditional engineering companies introduced career opportunities
For the second year in a row, these Klaipėda's region engineering companies have opened their doors: „Orion Global Pet“, „Bega“, „Mars Lietuva“. Representatives not only presented the companies but also introduced their engineers.
"During the tour we were joined by our colleagues from the technical department who gladly shared their stories, answered questions like why did they choose this career path, how their theoretical knowledge shapes practical application and how they have been growing as professionals of the field," - said Monika Benikaitė, HR specialist of "Mars Lietuva"
According to Laimonas Rimkus, CEO of the international shipping company "Bega", young people, who choose engineering studies, have a real chance to have a fulfilling career in the prominent marine industry here in Klaipėda.
"Our company has a strong belief, that the best technologies are not always bought, but quite often created by ourselves. We have noticed, that the presented possibilities to express your creativity has an alluring effect on junior specialists. They receive the message, that our company is not just a simple service provider, but an entity which produces added value," - said L. Rimkus.
Klaipėda's higher education institutions introduced the engineer profession
Klaipėda's higher education schools - Klaipėda's University, Lithuanian Maritime Academy, Klaipeda State University of Applied Sciences and SMK University of Applied Social Sciences - that participate in the "Future engineers" project organized interactive presentations and invited students to choose engineering or IT study programs.
"High school students were introduced to a wide-ranging engineer profession, some of the work examples of scientists at Klaipėda's University informatics and statistics department, ongoing projects, saw a demonstration of smart control systems and visited engineering laboratories. Students could challenge themselves with practical tasks such as 3D designing and 3D printing," - said Mindaugas Kurmis, Head of informatics and engineering Department at Klaipėda University.
The "Future engineers" project took place on June 10th - 14th with total of 13 groups resulting in more than 200 students from 6 schools visiting Klaipėda's companies and higher education institutions. Project participants especially liked laboratories, meetings with the students on campuses and the introduction to unseen technologies, experiments and smart devices.