Designing career centers in Lithuania : the evaluation of the pilot project of the Career Center “Karjeras” in Alytus

Abstract

Background of the thesis. The career center “Karjeras” is a pilot project, founded in 2019 in Alytus town in Lithuania as a knowledge hub to serve school pupils for their career journey. A case study was conducted in 2020 December to evaluate the services of the newly established organisation and determine if any points of improvement could be made for it to serve as the exemplary center nationally.

Purpose. The objective of this thesis was to collect feedback about the career center’s services from its related stakeholders and the main service recipients. Furthermore, the study aimed to equip the data received in order to provide the interested parties with the practical recommendations for the further development and expansion of career center network.

Methods. This research was carried out as a case study to collect quantitative data in the form of an online survey, using statistical analysis in Excel and qualitative evaluation with the help of semi-structured interviews and content analysis. The data were collected from 80 school pupils and 5 career guidance field representatives during December 2020.

Results. The key finding revieled that the majority of school pupils knew that the “Karjeras” existed in their town, however only 20% of them actually used its services. What is more, the experts were of aligned approach that the career center plays a significant role regionally and nationally for many reasons: education, partnerships, creation of opportunities. This research also uncovered that although the center seemed to be serving its purpose, a clear operating model, broader visibility, and clear structure would be needed.

Conclusions. The results indicate that there exit challenges in the ’’Karjeras’’ and changes have to be made. Furthermore, the recommendations how to address necessary improvements for the center are presented as a practical and easy to apply tool.