The Faculty of Business of Kauno kolegija Higher Education Institution (HEI) is one of the largest business and management training centres, uniting around 120 lecturers and 1 200 students. About 500 specialists who are ready for the labour market complete their studies every year.

Students who have chosen to study at the Faculty of Business, apply the acquired theoretical knowledge during practical classes, and do internships in Lithuanian and foreign companies and organisations, laying a solid foundation for their further career. The high quality of studies is also shown by the data of the 2023 magazine “Reitingai”: out of 11 study programmes implemented at the Faculty of Business, 10 were evaluated, which ranked 1st or 2nd in the ranking of study areas.

The relevance of studies is ensured by a strong network of partners

The faculty community actively develops social partnerships with companies: their representatives are invited to give lectures, and jointly create and evaluate study programmes and students’ thesis. The faculty has created a favourable environment for studies, the auditoriums are equipped with modern equipment and technologies, and the latest literature in Lithuanian and foreign languages.

The aim is for the faculty to become an intellectual space where mutual respect between students and lecturers prevails, an academic relationship based on professionalism and openness, which develops community spirit, a socially responsible person and a specialist.

‘Business representatives participate in the study process from the first to the last step. The first step is the development of a study programme, in which we involve the social partners, asking them what kind of employees they need; the last step is participating at the students’ thesis defence, where the main assessment is written by business representatives. There are significantly fewer representatives of the faculty compared to representatives from business,’ shares Dalia Ilevičienė, Dean of the Faculty of Business.

She points out that every year the committees, which also include social partners, follow tendencies and when changes are needed, business representatives cooperate with the faculty, initiating changes in existing study programmes or proposing new ones.

‘Those who graduate from Kauno kolegija HEI receive a professional bachelor’s degree. This means that graduates are ready to start working right away,’ says the Dean of the Faculty of Business.

The demand for business data analysts is skyrocketing

There is no doubt that due to the ever-increasing amount and importance of data, the need for professionals capable of turning massive streams of information into clear, actionable insights will only grow. In response to these market changes, the Business Data Analytics study programme was launched at the Faculty of Business. The organisers of the programme draw attention to the fact that business data analytics cannot be equated with mathematics.

‘The need for a Business Data Analytics study programme was very clearly identified, first of all, by business representatives. It is also calculated that the amount of data doubles every two years, but the number of specialists who could manage this data does not really double every year or two,’ says Dr Raminta Andrėja Ligeikienė, Head of the Department of Business.

She reveals that according to research by IBM, the United States is losing $3.1 billion annually to unused data: ‘I think these facts help to understand the need for business data analysts.’

Business data analytics is an exceptionally important area that helps companies better understand their operations and market dynamics. The shortage and need for these specialists in the labour market is particularly high. After successfully completing their studies, graduates will be ready to work as business analysts, market and marketing analysts, procurement analysts, production analysts, and business consultants in Lithuanian and international companies, they will have the skills to engage in individual consulting activities and establish and develop a personal business.

‘The Business Data Analytics study programme is not mathematics, but a business study field. This means that students will delve more deeply into business and its problems during their studies. Of course, they will get to know the basics of programming and learn to work with the tools needed for data analysis, but the most important thing is the graduates’ ability to see problems and offer business solutions to those problems,’ says Dr R. A. Ligeikienė.

She also points out that the study programme was initiated by social partners, who are already waiting for the first Business Data Analytics graduates. Meanwhile, to encourage students to choose this study programme and achieve good results, incentive scholarships are established.

‘We already have one of the scholarships – it’s a 1,000 Euro scholarship established by Festo, for a motivated student of the Business Data Analytics study programme,’ says the Head of the Department of Business.

Exceptional educational system

D. Ilevičienė, Dean of the Faculty of Business, notes that the faculty provides opportunities for students to acquire more knowledge than is provided for in the study plan – from training aimed at developing competencies when working with the MS Excel programme, to the opportunity to deepen knowledge of the English language.

‘I also want to mention that the students of the Faculty of Business do not study in the same way as is usual in many other higher education institutions. Here studies are conducted on a modular basis. This means that students study in cycles, do not face the fear of the study session, and do not have to take 7 exams in January. They do all this gradually, every 8 weeks. At the end of the cycle, students are usually required to present a project, which often integrates specific business tasks. This is how students get to know the business world better,’ shares the Dean of the faculty.

The advantages of this educational system are seen by the students themselves. Benas Podeckis, a student in the International Business study programme, says that this system helps me memorise information better and learn more productively. Rokas Stankevičius, a student of the same study programme, agrees with him, admitting that at first studies, conducted on a modular basis, caused him doubts.

‘Until I started studying, I didn’t know about such a system. At first, I looked at it sceptically, but over time I began to notice more and more advantages: this system allows me to absorb information faster, and save time, which is really important for me as a working student,’ the student shares his impressions.

Today, entrepreneurship and creativity competencies are needed by almost every field specialist, therefore, adopting the experience of international partners, it is planned to update the major part of the study programme package by integrating the basics of entrepreneurship into various study programmes in the next year.

‘At the faculty, we are quite actively developing the strengthening of entrepreneurship and creativity competencies, and we do this by attracting not only students of the Faculty of Business but also involving both international partners and students from other study programmes,’ shares D. Ilevičienė.

She also notes that faculty students have the opportunity and are encouraged to participate in various hackathons, projects or other activities that allow them to gain more knowledge.

‘We create opportunities for them to participate in various projects not only in Lithuania but also abroad. I can confidently say that the faculty finances every initiative of students or lecturers,’ says D. Ilevičienė.

She adds that after graduating from Kauno kolegija HEI, graduates can continue their studies in Lithuanian and foreign higher education institutions and pursue a master’s degree.