The inspirational movie invites you to discover an undeservedly underestimated but highly promising profession

Currently, there are two higher education institutions in Lithuania: Lithuanian College of Engineering and Vilnius Tech (Vilnius Gediminas Technical University). Both highs are ready to admit twice as many students as they join state -funded places each year.

For example, last year, 23 students, including three centenarians, chose a Bachelor’s degree in Road, Rail and City Engineering at Vilnius Tech University. Meanwhile, about 30 freshmen started studying road engineering at the Lithuanian College of Engineering. This means that the second place of study places for these professionals remained unrealistic.

Inspiring initiative « Have you already found your way? » You can see a movie that young people invite you to discover very promising studies of road engineering here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zgoywu63q0

Have no diploma yet but can already choose where to work

The low number of students and graduates leads to a lack of qualified professionals, which is particularly felt in the connection infrastructure and construction sector.

Head of Vilnius Tech Road Department Assoc. dr. Vilma Jasiūnienė notes that the need for several engineers in the labor market is extremely high. According to the associate professor, in recent years, the labor market has enough to « smell » that the student is looking for a job and employers are already calling students with offers. Senior courses road engineering students receive such queries at least once a week.

« The fourth -year student once told me – I don’t have a bachelor’s degree yet, but I can already choose a company where I want to work. I think it illustrates how strong the need for several engineers in Lithuania, » said Assoc. V. Jasiūnienė.

Vilma Jasiūnienė. Photo by partner

However, neither the need for professionals nor the state -funded science, a career of scholarship or a strong basis of life, it seems that graduates are not more interested in several engineering studies.

According to Gediminas Gribulis, the head of the FEGDA Group, which unites transportation infrastructure companies, students who choose their future profession lack a clearer imagination about the work of several engineers. The profession is often shaped by stubborn stereotypes that have nothing to do with reality.

In order to change attitudes and encourage graduates to discover many opportunities to open a few engineering studies, the FEGDA Group initiative was created an inspiring movie « Have you found your way? ». While supporting the initiative, it was joined by the Vilnius Tech and Lithuanian College of Engineering, which was preparing for several engineers. It is hoped that this film will help young people look at the daily work of road engineers with other eyes.

“Our group of companies is designing, building and reconstructing roads, bridges, viaducts and other structures, including the largest objects of strategic importance. With about 1,300 employees, we are one of the largest in the employer sector.

Road engineers not only design and build roads and bridges that thousands of people use every day. These are visionaries who create Lithuania for the future in their daily work. With their work, they make a contribution to the development of the country and improve the quality of our lives, ”noted Gribulis.

Nerijus Varnas, Head of the Administration of the Lithuanian College of Engineering, also agrees that the profession of road engineering is extremely important, but not sufficiently evaluated.

Nerijus Varnas. Photo by partner

« Road engineers solve two very important problems of Lithuanian society. First, they ensure the comfort of society and the opportunity to go from point A to point B. The second problem is our geopolitical situation. Naturally, the issue of fast, safe and comfortable movement must be resolved as soon as possible, and only several engineers can do so. »

From the profession discourages the stereotype of a « man with a shovel »

Four years ago, Domantas Burokas, who graduated from Vilnius Tech University at Vilnius Tech University four years ago, adds that road engineering is often a false impression that it is black and hard physical work, not a higher education that requires engineering thinking, physics and mathematics and the ability to work creatively.

« When thinking about road installation, most young people mistakenly imagine a person standing on the knees with a brightly colored vest and waving a shovel, not a man sitting at a computer and thinking solutions that would improve the Lithuanian infrastructure system, » said D. Burokas, project manager of the SRP project.

Domantas Burokas. Photo by partner

For example, according to Domantas, few people know that road engineers not only design roads and streets, but are also able to coordinate all projects of engineering networks related to infrastructure. This is necessary to ensure a harmonious Lithuanian infrastructure system.

Rusnė Aldakauskaitė, Project Coordinator of Tilsta, a company building bridges and viaducts, also emphasizes the stereotypical attitude of society to the profession and believes that the lack of knowledge of roads and bridges is influenced by the faulty beliefs of young people.

« I would like to deny the myth that road and bridge engineers are waving with shovels. As soon as I got a job, I saw how much I am surrounded by intellectual people with a wealth of knowledge and experience. The Tilssta Project Coordinator Rusnė said.

Rusnė Aldakauskaitė. Photo by partner

Mr Burokas also notes that for a long time the most popular entry choices have been dominated by information technology studies, so today the labor market has an excess of IT professionals. It is increasingly difficult for students not only to find a good job, but also to get quality practice.

This is another challenge that several engineering students successfully avoid. « The IT area, which has reached its peak, is now undergoing a tide, and people oriented to science will still be drifting somewhere. It seems to me that a contemporary graduate turning to road engineering is not only a mature but also a very wise and financial solution. All you have to do is choose where you want to work, which is not a problem either, ”said Road engineer D. Burokas.