The number of road, street, and bridge construction and reconstruction projects is rapidly increasing in Lithuania, which is driving a growing demand for qualified specialists. Yet, one of today’s most promising professions—road engineering—remains unfairly overshadowed by other STEM fields. To draw high school graduates’ attention to road engineering studies, the transport infrastructure group Fegda Group, in collaboration with Vilnius Tech University and the Lithuanian College of Engineering, has launched an initiative titled “Have You Found Your Path Yet?”

You can watch the inspirational video promoting the “Have You Found Your Path Yet?” initiative, which invites young people to discover the promising field of road engineering, here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zGAOywu63q0

Currently, two higher education institutions in Lithuania train road engineers: the Lithuanian College of Engineering and Vilnius Tech (Vilnius Gediminas Technical University). Both institutions are ready to admit twice as many students as currently enroll in state-funded positions.

For example, last year only 23 students chose to study for a Bachelor’s degree in Road, Railway, and Urban Engineering at Vilnius Tech, including three students who scored the highest national exam marks. Meanwhile, around 30 first-year students started road engineering studies at the Lithuanian College of Engineering. This means that half of the available spots for training these much-needed specialists remained unfilled.

No Diploma Yet, But Already Choosing Where to Work

The small number of students and graduates is directly contributing to a shortage of qualified professionals, a gap especially felt in the transport infrastructure and construction sectors.

Dr. Vilma Jasiūnienė, head of the Department of Roads at Vilnius Tech, notes that the demand for road engineers in the labor market is extremely high. According to her, in recent years it’s enough for employers to merely sense that a student is job-hunting—employers start calling them with offers. Senior road engineering students receive such inquiries at least once a week.

“A fourth-year student once told me: ‘I don’t even have my bachelor’s degree yet, but I can already choose which company I want to work for.’ I think that clearly illustrates how strong the demand for road engineers is in Lithuania,” says Dr. Jasiūnienė.

Nevertheless, neither the demand for specialists, nor free state-funded education, scholarships, or the promise of a solid career seem to significantly encourage more high school graduates to consider road engineering studies.

According to Gediminas Gribulis, head of Fegda Group, students choosing their future profession often lack a clear understanding of what road engineers actually do. Public perceptions are often shaped by outdated stereotypes that don’t reflect reality.

To help shift this mindset and encourage high school students to explore the abundant opportunities in road engineering, Fegda Group initiated the creation of the inspirational video “Have You Found Your Path Yet?” The initiative is supported by both Vilnius Tech and the Lithuanian College of Engineering. It is hoped the video will help young people see the everyday work of road engineers in a new light.

“Our group designs, builds, and reconstructs roads, bridges, overpasses, and other structures—including major strategic transport infrastructure projects. With around 1,300 employees, we are also one of the largest employers in the sector. We see up close just how important the profession of road engineering is.

Road engineers don’t just design and build the roads and bridges used by thousands daily—they are visionaries helping shape the future of Lithuania. Their work contributes to the country’s development and improves the quality of life for everyone,” notes G. Gribulis.

Nerijus Varnas, head of administration at the Lithuanian College of Engineering, agrees that while road engineering is a critically important profession, it is still underappreciated by prospective students.

“Road engineers address two major issues facing Lithuanian society. First, they ensure public comfort and the ability to travel from point A to point B. Second, given our geopolitical situation, the need for fast, safe, and convenient travel must be resolved as soon as possible—something only road engineers can deliver,” says N. Varnas.

The “Man with a Shovel” Stereotype Still Scares People Away

Domantas Burokas, who graduated from Vilnius Tech in Road, Railway, and Urban Engineering four years ago, adds that many young people mistakenly associate road engineering with hard physical labor rather than with a university-level discipline requiring engineering thinking, physics and math foundations, and creative problem-solving skills.

“When young people think about road construction, they often wrongly imagine someone in a neon vest waving a shovel—rather than a professional sitting at a computer and designing solutions to improve Lithuania’s infrastructure,” says D. Burokas, project section leader at the design firm SRP Projektas.

Domantas points out that few people know road engineers not only design roads and streets, but also coordinate all engineering networks related to infrastructure. This coordination is vital for developing a cohesive infrastructure system in Lithuania.

Rusnė Aldakauskaitė, project coordinator at Tilsta, a company that builds bridges and overpasses, also highlights the stereotypical view of the profession. She believes young people are misled due to a lack of understanding of road and bridge engineering studies.

“I’d like to debunk the myth that road and bridge engineers wave shovels. Once I started working, I was amazed by how many intelligent, experienced professionals I was surrounded by. I really admire my colleagues who design impressive structures like overpasses, roads, bridges, and tunnels. They carefully calculate everything to ensure the public can travel safely to their destinations,” says Rusnė.

D. Burokas also observes that for a long time, IT studies dominated student preferences. As a result, there is now an oversupply of IT specialists. Students are finding it harder not only to land well-paid jobs, but even to secure quality internships.

This is a challenge that road engineering students don’t face. “IT peaked and is now in decline. But people drawn to STEM fields will still find a place to apply their skills. I think choosing road engineering would be a mature, wise, and financially rewarding decision for today’s graduates. We don’t even think about unpaid internships—no one here works ‘for free.’ The only question is where you want to work—and even that’s not a problem,” says D. Burokas with a smile.