Young people start to think about their future at a rather early age. Some try to reach their goals by reading books, while others get inspired by the accounts of successful individuals. However, a significant number of young people yearn to witness and encounter everything themselves.
Fortunately, they have the opportunity to do so. Lietuvos Junior Achievement, a non-governmental organization that has been successfully working on various projects for 30 years, has been actively running a Job Shadow program for the last few years, which aims to help explore different career options. Delfi recently spoke to Indrė Engelkytė-Iršė, the program manager, to learn more about the program and the opportunities it provides.
Great opportunity to explore your dream career
According to Engelkytė-Iršė, the JA Job Shadow program organized by NGO Lietuvos Junior Achievement is a career education program dedicated to Lithuanian schools. It offers multifaceted benefits to young individuals, and everyone should take advantage of it.
"The program allows students to increase their self-awareness, interact with various professionals, explore their dream careers at a workplace, and connect with experts in their desired field of study," she said.
While job shadowing, students visit (either physically or virtually) the selected organizations and get familiarized with their work processes.
"Students are given the opportunity to observe professionals in their workplace, learn about their schedules, assist in accomplishing common tasks, and even participate in company staff meetings. Students also get an excellent chance to hear firsthand what skills and knowledge are required to achieve the heights of excellence in a particular field," explained the program manager.
As Engelkytė-Iršė stated, the primary objective of the JA Job Shadow program is to assist students in grades 9 through 12 in discovering their true selves, becoming acquainted with various careers, choosing a desired educational path, and working towards their professional ambitions through practical experience.
"The program is divided into four parts. The introductory and concluding lessons are held in classrooms, while shadowing takes place in a selected company or organization. The program empowers the participants to recognize their personal qualities, evaluate their potential, and understand what expertise is required for a particular career path. Students learn how to choose a profession that matches their personalities, utilize career search tools, and establish professional connections," explained Engelkytė-Iršė.
Although the majority of companies that have joined the JA Job Shadow program are based in Vilnius and Kaunas, Engelkytė-Iršė assured that this year the program is open to everyone interested.
"Everyone who wants to participate in the program should approach their teacher or career expert who will complete the form provided at seseliavimas.lt and get in touch with Lietuvos Junior Achievement team responsible for the program," said Engelkytė-Iršė.
The program is gaining popularity
In Lithuania, the JA Job Shadow program has been conducted for three years, and with each year its popularity steadily grows.
"We witness growing interest not only from the part of students but also from business representatives. In 2021, when the program first started in Lithuania, there were over 20 companies involved, over 40 shadowing positions created, and 4 schools as participants. This year, we are proud to announce that we have attracted more than 100 companies and organizations, which has allowed us to offer over 240 shadowing positions," said Engelkytė-Iršė.
She claims that the number of Lithuanian schools participating in the program has grown too.
"This year, over 30 Lithuanian schools are taking part in our program," said Engelkytė-Iršė.
According to her, in the meantime, the students participating in the program are introduced to a variety of career opportunities.
As noted by Engelkytė-Iršė, the range of positions to shadow includes jobs in fields like law, medicine, business, finance management, banking, engineering, human resources, and many other sectors. The program manager believes, that this diversity allows the participants to observe a wide range of professionals and gain a better understanding of different roles in various business fields.
It’s good that there is no need to attract companies, institutions, and organizations because they themselves are willing to get involved in this activity.
"This year, the number of companies, institutions, and organizations eager to welcome representatives of the young generation is particularly large. They could be driven by a thought that such involvement may help to attract future colleagues," said Engelkytė-Iršė.
Meanwhile, the interest in the program on the part of young people is just obvious.
"More than 97% of students who have participated in the program and completed the questionnaire claim that job shadow experience has helped them in defining their target career. The benefits of on-site contact with professionals are rated at 9.7 points out of 10. The students emphasize that involvement in the program has not only boosted their professional motivation but also influenced their decisions in their personal lives," said I. Engelkytė-Iršė.
The Job Shadow program started on November 20th. The students were offered a chance to visit various companies and organizations, including Delfi, where they could learn about working in the fields of journalism and marketing. Hopefully, the students will have only positive experiences and will feel more motivated to pursue their goals.