Lithuanian employers say college graduates lack skills to apply knowledge

Employers say they have noticed that graduates of vocational schools, colleges and universities lack the ability to put their knowledge and skills into practice.

“What we miss most is the ability to apply knowledge. Our education system, particularly in schools, features scholastic history – knowing the dates, formulas and events is viewed as making people ready for life. As a matter of fact, it seems that we should change the understanding that the ability to apply knowledge is what is most important in today’s world,” Robertas Dargis, the president of the Lithuanian Industrialists Confederation, said at a news conference on Wednesday.

In his words, the modern world is characterised by massive flows of information. Young people must be taught how to use that information.

According to the survey presented at the international conference at the Lithuanian parliament, only 27 percent of employers said higher schools properly prepared professionals for the labour market, while the percentage among young people was 58. Only a fourth of employers say a university degree guarantees higher income. The opinion is prevalent among 41 percent of graduates, 60 percent of undergraduate students and 64 percent of school students.

Asked about the importance of graduation grades at the time of employment, 22 percent of employers and 74 percent of school students said they were important.