OREANDA-NEWS. January 24, 2012. AB Lietuvos Elektrine, controlled by AB Lietuvos Energija, and Kaunas University of Technology (KTU) signed the student exchange agreement according to the programme of the International Association for the Exchange of Students for Technical Experience (IAESTE).

This traineeship programme provides KTU students with the opportunities to do traineeship in foreign companies, develop their skills and improve qualifications. Upon coming back to Lithuania, trainees will be able to successfully use their gained experience while working for the country’s energy companies. Students from more than 80 countries of the world (Australia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, China, Denmark, Ecuador, Germany, Ghana, India, Russia, the USA, etc.) who participate in this exchange programme will be accepted by AB Lietuvos Elektrine for 18 months’ training.

According to Prof. Pranas Ziliukas, KTU Vice Rector for Studies, the programme gives the chance for KTU students to do traineeship in major foreign companies and for the students from foreign higher technical schools to be temporarily placed in our country’s companies and share technological knowledge and experience of other countries of the world. Not only Lithuanian, but also worldwide rapid development of modern, more efficient and eco-friendly power generation technologies resulted in the growth of the demand for specialists in specific technology fields. As alternative energy sources using new technologies are being introduced in the power generation sector, a lack of specialists capable of working with state-of-the-art technologies has been observed. In the future, the demand for these specialists will increase even more. Therefore, one of the current concerns is to ensure adequate education for specialists and provide them with the opportunities of training at foreign educational establishments with the aim of employing them in the Lithuanian power sector and making use of their valuable experience gained abroad.

The opportunities provided by the IAESTE traineeship programme have already been used by Lithuanian companies such as UAB Ingman Ledai, UAB Naujasis Nevezis, Kauno Pienas – AB Pieno Zvaigzdes, UAB Kauno Liftai, KTU Ultrasound Research Institute, KTU Faculty of Design and Technologies.

According to Director General of AB Lietuvos Energija Dalius Misiunas, future trainees from foreign higher technical schools will be able to apply their knowledge in practice and provide added value to AB Lietuvos Elektrine by using their full potential during traineeship.

The Head of AB Lietuvos Energija also noted that they had constantly had technical student trainees from Lithuanian higher education institutions: “After graduation bright and initiative students are offered placement in AB Lietuvos Elektrine, Kruonis Pumped Storage Plant and Kaunas Hydroelectric Power Plant. The purpose of student attraction and exchange is to train the change for technical industrial workers, transfer specific work experience and develop new employees.”

In 2010, while developing successful cooperation with the country’s educational institutions training engineering specialists, AB Lietuvos Energija and AB Lietuvos Elektrine have been cooperating with the Department of Electrical Engineering of KTU Faculty of Electrical and Control Engineering and the Department of Thermal and Nuclear Energy of KTU Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Mechatronics. At the end of 2010, UAB Kauno Energetikos Remontas, a subsidiary of AB Lietuvos Energija, and the representatives from KTU Faculty of Electrical and Control Engineering signed a support agreement concerning the transfer of equipment for the Laboratory of High Voltage and Electrical Systems. Joint activities have been also developed with Elektrenai Vocational Training Centre. There have been plans to accept electrical engineering students from Elektrenai Vocational Training Centre as trainees in 2011.