Mechanical Engineering, Information Systems and Software Systems were the three Kaunas University of Technology (KTU) study programmes awarded the special Investor’s Spotlight quality label this year. The Label indicates that these programmes are matching the expectations of business and that their graduates are most in-demand in the job market.
The Investor’s Spotlight initiative was started last year by direct foreign investment agency Invest Lithuania together with Investors’ Forum in order to contribute to solving the shortage of skilled professionals in the market.
“By awarding Investor’s Spotlight quality label we want to encourage the University’s management and the leaders of study programmes to develop further and to train more and more highly qualified engineers and programmers. In other words, this award just signifies what the investors are usually saying to us, namely: we chose Kaunas for our business expansion as KTU supplies regional talent pool with high quality graduates”, says Mantas Katinas, General Manager of Invest Lithuania.
According to Ramūnas Kubiliūnas, Head of the Software Systems study programme, the Investor’s Spotlight quality label is an indication that the study programme and its graduates are responding to the needs of the market and business.
“The award is important as the programmes, which are cost-effective and are responding to market demands will survive the higher education reform”, says Kubiliūnas.
According to Tomas Skersys, Head of Information Systems study programme, the award has also symbolic meaning: “This award is a real success story of collaboration between universities and business in organising education”.
Kęstutis Pilkauskas, Head of Mechanical Engineering study programme is of similar opinion: he believes that the main asset of the programme is the possibility for students to start collaboration with business and industry organisations in their early study years.
According to Kubiliūnas, 90% of software systems graduates are already employed upon graduation. This is achieved by providing the students with adequate competences, matching the current market trends.
“Representatives of various companies are participating in our study process, thus our curriculum has all the up-to-date information on contemporary programming languages and technological means, we provide hands-on skills on how to create real products in a job environment, on how all the processes work in real life”, says Kubiliūnas.
Last year the Investor’s Spotlight quality label was awarded to other three KTU’s study programmes: Accounting, Economics and Production Engineering.
