This report is part of a series of country projects within the OECD programme of work on “Building Effective National Skills Strategies”.
The OECD team wishes to thank the Lithuanian Steering Group for this project for its strategic oversight. As of October 2020 the Steering Group was chaired by Lukas Savickas, First Deputy Chancellor, Office of the Government of the Republic of Lithuania (LRV). The Steering Group included: Eglė Radišauskienė, Vice-minister, Ministry of Social Security and Labour (SADM); Arūnas Plikšnys, Vice-minister, Ministry of Education, Science and Sport (SMSM); Marius Skuodis, Vice-minister, Ministry of Economy and Innovation (EIM); Loreta Maskoliovienė, Vice-minister, Ministry of Finance (FINMIN); Giedrius Viliūnas, Managing Director, Government Strategic Analysis Center (STRATA); Jovita Pretzsch, Representative of Trade Unions, Tripartite Council; Janina Matuizienė, Representative of Trade Unions, Tripartite Council; Gintautas Kvietkauskas, Representative of Employers, Tripartite Council; Birutė Miškinienė, Representative of Employers, Vilnius Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Crafts; and Agnė Kavaliauskienė, Advisor to the Group of Strategic Competences (LRV).
The OECD is grateful to the Lithuania National Project Team for its invaluable guidance and input throughout the project, and for convening participants and moderating discussions during virtual consultations. We are particularly grateful to the National Project Manager, Danguolė Kiznienė, STRATA, for her ongoing assistance and co-ordination. The National Project Team included, in alphabetical order: Agnė Kavaliauskienė, Advisor to the Group of Strategic Competences, LRV; Birutė Miškinienė, Representative of Employers, Vilnius Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Crafts; Eglė Došienė, Senior Advisor to the Youth Department, SADM; Emilis Ruželė, Representative of Employers, Tripartite Council; Gintautas Jakštas, Head of Higher Education Policy and Career Analysis Division (as of October 2020); Giedre Beleckienė, Policy Analyst, STRATA; Indrė Raubė, Advisor of the Division of Labour Market, SADM; Inga Liubertė, Advisor of the Division of Labour Market, SADM; Inga Veževičienė, Senior Officer of the Investment into the Growth of Economy Division, FINMIN; Janina Matuizienė, Representative of Trade Unions, Tripartite Council; Jovita Pretzsch, Representative of Trade Unions, Tripartite Council; Julius Jakučinskas, Director for Life Long Learning Department, SMSM; Jurga Šimkutė, Advisor of the Division of the Development of Human Resources, EIM; Linas Kadys, Head of the Development of Human Resources at the Department of Economic Development, EIM; Osvaldas Šmitas, Director for the Department of Economic Development, EIM; and Tomas Pūtys, Head of the Division of Non‑formal Education, SMSM.
Our warm thanks go to the many government and non‑government representatives who generously shared their insights during the virtual workshops, expert meetings, regional meetings and bilateral meetings, and via written input. Special thanks go to the experts who provided feedback on draft sections of the report, namely: Arminas Varanauskas, Executive Director at Knowledge Economy Forum; Aurelija Valeikienė, Deputy Director, Centre for Quality Assessment in Higher Education; Rimantas Dumčius and Mantas Pupinis, experts from PPMI Group - Public Policy and Management Institute; Agnė Perednė, Vydūnas Trapinskas and Birutė Noreikaitė, experts from Invest Lithuania; Daina Kleponė, Managing Director of Enterprise Lithuania; Professor Dr. Margarita Teresevičienė, Vytautas Magnus University; Dr. Laima Galkutė, Researcher at the Education Institute of Vytautas Magnus University, and Member of the Lithuanian National Commission of UNESCO; Professor Dr. Saulė Mačiukaitė-Žvinienė, President of the National Council of Education; Nora Skaburskienė, Director of the Higher Education Department of Vilnius Gediminas Technical University; Linas Leonas, Chairman of the Higher Education Assessment Committee, Centre for Quality Assessment and Higher Education; and Agnė Kudarauskienė, education expert representing the Lithuanian Confederation of Industrialists.
Over 150 stakeholders participated in the various meetings that took place during the OECD’s virtual consultations. These stakeholders represented ministries, government agencies, subnational authorities, education and training institutions, businesses and business associations, unions and community associations, academia, civil society and other organisations (see Annex A for a full list of participating organisations). The OECD would also like to thank the staff of STRATA for their active outreach and communication with stakeholders, and for other support during the project.
The OECD team is grateful to the Directorate‑General for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion and the Directorate‑General for Education and Culture of the European Commission for contributing both financial support and expertise throughout the project. We are especially grateful to Alison Crabb, Michael Horgan and Carlo Scatoli, as well as Arnoldas Pranckevičius.
While the report draws upon data and analysis from the OECD, Lithuanian authorities and other published sources, any errors or misinterpretations remain the responsibility of the OECD team. The opinions expressed and arguments employed herein do not necessarily reflect the official views of the OECD member countries nor the European Union.
Ben Game (OECD Centre for Skills) was the OECD project leader responsible for co‑ordinating the National Skills Strategy project in Lithuania. The authors of this report from the National Skills Strategy team of the OECD Centre for Skills were: Chapter 1. Key insights and recommendations (Ben Game, Bart Staats, Sam Thomas and Daniel Unterweger); Chapter 2. Equipping young people with skills for work and life (Ben Game); Chapter 3. Raising adults’ and enterprises’ participation in learning (Sam Thomas and Stefano Piano); Chapter 4. Strengthening the use of skills in Lithuanian workplaces (Bart Staats); and Chapter 5. Strengthening the governance of skills systems (Daniel Unterweger). Visionary Analytics (external consultants) provided research assistance, feedback and consultation assistance throughout the project. Marieke Vandeweyer (VET team, OECD Centre for Skills) and Romane Viennet (OECD Directorate for Education and Skills) provided feedback on draft sections of the report.
As Head of the OECD National Skills Strategy team, Andrew Bell provided oversight, analytical guidance, comments on chapters and supervision. Stefano Scarpetta, Director of the OECD Directorate for Employment, Labour and Social Affairs, and Mark Pearson, Deputy Director of the OECD Directorate for Employment, Labour and Social Affairs, both provided strategic oversight for the project, as well as comments.
Rasa Silyte‑Niavas, Véronique Quénehen and Jennifer Cannon (OECD Centre for Skills) provided invaluable support for consultation, organisation, report layout and design, and publication planning. This report was copy-edited by Elizabeth Zachary (external editor).