Business and University Cooperation: Set to Jointly Train German-Speaking Employees
“Employees who speak German earn at least ten percent more, especially since knowing the language and understanding the culture can facilitate easier integration into the labour market,” says Kristina Kikalienė, the CEO of LITIT, IT company based in Lithuania. In December, UAB LITIT and Vytautas Magnus University (VMU) signed a cooperation agreement committing to strengthen the partnership between higher education and business by providing students of the German Language and Communication programme with competencies in business administration, marketing, and IT, helping them to integrate more easily into the dynamic labour market.
“Our partnership with Vytautas Magnus University (VMU) is a cornerstone of our commitment to innovation and talent development. Having such a visionary and dynamic ally inspires us to push boundaries and create meaningful opportunities for the next generation. Looking forward to starting the first projects with VMU. Additionally, we’re thrilled that the rector and his team took the time to discuss this partnership in person. It really highlights their strong commitment to achieving meaningful results together”, says Kristina Kikalienė.
VMU Rector Juozas Augutis and Kristina Kikalienė, CEO of LITIT
The signing of the agreement was also attended by VMU Vice-Rector for Studies Dr. Simona Pilkienė, VMU Vice-Rector for Communication Assoc. Prof. Vilma Bijeikienė, Dean of the Faculty of Humanities and Head of the German Language and Communication study programme Assoc. Prof. Rūta Eidukevičienė, as well as the Dean of the Faculty of Informatics Prof. Tomas Krilavičius. The agreement was later signed by Andreas Faber, CSO and Member of the Management Board at LITIT.
“Teaming and collaborating with VMU is like unlocking a cheat code for our vision of LITIT. Excellent educated talents from a top university with English and high-demanded German skills. Together, we’re coding a future full of innovation and success! The partnership was only the start, we want to set new standards for international tech excellence”, says Andreas Faber.
This agreement aims to ensure closer cooperation in executing various VMU and LITIT initiatives that promote greater alignment of studies with labour market needs, strengthening the training of highly qualified specialists, and organising student internships and other study-related activities.
LITIT, established by the global leader in information technology, NTT Group, and the global provider of custom software solutions, UAB Reiz Tech, combines German precision, Japanese work ethic, and Lithuanian talent to develop advanced IT solutions. The company focuses on the DACH region (Germany, Austria, and Switzerland) and offers opportunities to work on innovative projects in areas such as the automotive industry, banking, insurance, and manufacturing, from cloud technologies and SAP to artificial intelligence and custom software development.
Working with the German-speaking market, the company recognises the need for German language skills and is not only teaching this language to its current employees but is also prepared to contribute to the training of German-speaking specialists. UAB LITIT plans to provide a targeted scholarship to a VMU student who combines their studies with deepening their knowledge in various fields, particularly IT and German. This scholarship aims to encourage interdisciplinary skills and support students who strive to successfully integrate competencies across different fields.
Rūta Eidukevičienė, Dean of the VMU Faculty of Humanities, is pleased with the cooperation: “From the outset, our German studies have focused on developing competencies in language for specific purposes, professional communication, and intercultural cooperation with German-speaking countries, but at the same time, we strongly encourage our students to choose minor studies, oriented towards strengthening different practical skills, in addition to their philology studies, as this combination offers flexibility and opens up numerous future prospects. Of course, our programme also welcomes students from other study programmes, as knowledge of German can open more doors for them. Cooperation with the business sector is crucial because it allows students not only to learn from practitioners coming to the university but also to gain additional skills by visiting companies.”
VMU Vice-Rector for Communication Vilma Bijeikienė, CEO of LITIT Kristina Kikalienė, VMU Rector Juozas Augutis, Dean of the Faculty of Humanities and Head of the German Language and Communication study programme Rūta Eidukevičienė, LITIT Marketing Specialist Martyna Žulpaitė, Dean of the Faculty of Informatics Tomas Krilavičius, and VMU Vice-Rector for Studies Simona Pilkienė
