Research reveal that around 80% of graduates applying for job after studies lack soft skills: written and verbal communication skills, team working abilities and even punctuality. This conclusion was made after data analysis of more than 40 thousand employers all over the world. Also, according to researchers, more than 90% of employers think that the greatest challenge of today’s job market is the lack of soft, not technical skills.
“There is a difference between education and acquiring information”, says Pranas Smaizys, Head of Human Resources at one of the largest dairy production companies in Lithuania Pieno Zvaigzdes. According to him, it is master’s studies, focusing more on soft skills and personality forming, that can be considered as providing education needed for today’s job market. Especially for those, seeking to be employed in managing positions, emphasizes Smaizys.
According to the research made by Korn-Ferry agency, five talents that successful candidates for any job should possess are: (1) intellectual curiosity; (2) 360-dimensional thinking, which means ability to step over the boundaries of one discipline; (3) cultural competence, i.e. ability to think outside the limitations of one’s position, organization, culture; (4) empathy and (5) flexibility.
Global tendencies are evident in Lithuania, too.
“An employee, who possesses not only knowledge and skills from his or her field – marketing, finances, human resources management – but also can freely converse in several languages, is fluent both in verbal and written communication is a dream of every employer”, says Marius Horbačauskas, General Manager of Volfas Engelman.
Kaunas University of Technology (KTU) new, unique in Lithuania master’s studies model MA+ is directly answering the market needs. The focus of MA+ is broader studies, which help building competitive competences creating added value in the global job market.
MA+ master’s studies model allows the students to design their studies themselves by choosing additional competencies’ packages next to their major studies. At the moment, the most popular among students are leadership, project management and languages competence packages. However, the students also tend to choose data analysis, control technologies and other fundamental sciences’ packages. All the 22 competence packages offered by KTU are being developed in collaboration with business companies.
“MA+ offered by KTU is what market needs at the moment, desperately. Most of us are working in a very complex, dynamic and uncertain conditions. The expectations from management to the employees have changed dramatically in recent years: together with more freedom, more responsibilities are being assigned. The tasks are usually unspecified, and the decisions are often up to the employees themselves”, Agnė Klasaviciene, Head of Strategic HR Initiatives at international digital marketing company Adform.
KTU offers 24 Master’s and 18 PhD programmes in English in a variety of fields.
The admission for international students is open until Sunday 20 August (this deadline applies to the students from the EU, Turkey and Commonwealth of Independent States). The offers are being issued in 48 hours.
So far, 201 students from 50 countries have received the offers to study at KTU.
