2024-07-06 11:46:10
From tradition to modernity
Daugai Technology and Business School is located on the quiet peninsula of Lake Didiuli. Students enrolled here can choose from different vocational training programs, such as auto mechanic, accountant, guest service worker, social worker assistant, agricultural production business worker.
For more than a decade, the school has also been running the Individual Care Worker training program, but Alytus County still had a great shortage of workers with an education in the field of social welfare education. While some were wondering how to get them, the Daugai School of Technology and Business took everything into their own hands and started teaching the nursing assistant specialty from the 2020s.
It was not very easy, because it was necessary to create a center for practical training in this field. The representatives of the school understood: it is simply necessary to substantially modernize the educational base. After implementing a project financed by the European Union, the school acquired modern equipment for the implementation of professional training programs in the field of social welfare education. That equipment lit up the eyes of not only the students, but also the surrounding entrepreneurs: now you can find a humanoid robot, a specialized car, a dressing stimulator, an acrylic mirror, a bubble tower, a light table and much more.
The project, financed with the funds of the European Union, was also evaluated by the Ministry of Finance, which awarded the school in the competition “European Sails” last year. The school’s deputy for education, Ona Aleksandravičienė, is still happy about such an assessment.
“We are happy and proud of this assessment, it crowned two years of intensive work. This strengthened us and made it possible for us to be even more self-confident, not to be afraid to achieve our goals and realize them,” O. Aleksandravičienė told the portal lrytas.lt.
Because of the place – both joys and sorrows
People who dream of professional education usually choose schools in big cities – rarely do they think of studying in a small town. And it’s worth thinking about – the Daugai School of Technology and Business, which offers both education and peace, is located by the lake, in one of the most beautiful corners of Dzūkija – the town of Daugai, which has recently become very popular with tourists.
“On campus, everyone gets to know each other better, which fosters a stronger sense of community.” Smaller areas often have less crime and therefore a safer school. It is possible to pay more individual attention to each student”, said O. Aleksandravičienė.
Since the school is located on the lake peninsula, efforts are made to merge with the outdoor environment, to integrate into the landscape.
“The exceptional quality of our school’s environment not only meets human needs, but also surpasses them by its very nature, because studying at a school located on the shore of a lake is a special feeling,” smiled O. Aleksandravičienė.
In addition, the school has 60 hectares of agricultural land, where organic farming is practiced.
“It is very important to educate a conscious, sustainably thinking citizen who cares about nature conservation,” the deputy testified.
However, the interviewee admitted: there is no shortage of challenges. One of them is the decreasing population, and at the same time, the number of students.
Labs with robots and a bubble tower
In the city and district of Alytus, as in the whole of Lithuania, there is another problem – a rapidly aging population. As a result, there is a growing shortage of workers with a social welfare background.
“After all, we all want to create the best possible, comfortable and safe living conditions for our loved ones. However, we do not always have the opportunity to ensure this ourselves, so we often use institutions that provide these services”, said the deputy.
The school itself decided to take the bull by the horns. In 2012, she obtained a license to carry out individual care worker, and in 2020 – Nursing assistant professional training programs. Although the idea is very nice, the educational community soon realized that there was a lack of space where students could improve their practical skills. Therefore, it was necessary to fundamentally modernize the base of practical training. This was implemented during a two-year project from 2019 to 2021.
During this period, the school purchased new and modern equipment and installed as many as four exceptional laboratories. In the language teaching laboratory, software and audio equipment for teaching foreign languages and treating speech disorders await students. In the laboratory of social care and assistance, you can find a specialized car, scooter, wheelchairs, walkers, special bathroom and toilet equipment. The most mind-blowing nursing care lab ever. A humanoid robot-patient stimulator, patient care mannequins, a defibrillator with a mannequin, functional beds with treatment mattresses, a dressing stimulator are located here. The fourth laboratory is a multi-sensory and play room with an acrylic mirror, a bubble tower, a color recognition educational system, a therapy ball, tactile games, a light table.
“In the established laboratories, the students of the modular vocational training programs of Nursing Assistant, Individual Care Worker study, informal education of adults takes place. High school students participate in vocational guidance activities and test modern equipment themselves. Representatives of business and non-governmental organizations also show a great interest in the equipment purchased during the project, send their employees for training, consult on the purchase of such equipment for their institutions”, said O. Aleksandravičienė.
Funded by the European Union
The project was financed by the European Union, the budget was more than 299 thousand. euros.
“This is a very significant investment for the school, as it made it possible to reduce the social and economic development differences between the region and the big cities of Lithuania”, said O. Aleksandravičienė.
The deputy emphasized that the project really succeeded, because the created training base will ensure the provision of high-quality professional training services in the fields of social welfare and health care education.
“We are glad that we were able to accurately and concretely set priorities, target groups, what will be focused on during the project and perfectly respond to the needs of society. We measure the success of the implemented project by evaluating the benefits it creates for people, because the purchased equipment serves training purposes. The project was successful, the benefits far exceeded expectations,” she said.
The Daugai School of Technology and Business plans to continue participating in project activities, and will give priority to the modernization and digitization of the school’s ecological farm equipment.
We invite you to register your project in the European Sail 2024 competition – REGISTRATION.
2024-07-06 11:46:10