Lithuania and Scotland: The United Nations

On a blustery Tuesday 23rd August, the Saltire Foundation team met with a United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) delegation from Lithuania to share the experience of running the Saltire Scholarship and Fellowship programmes. The delegation of 7 included the Head of the UNDP in Lithuania, Dr. Lyra Jakuleviciene, UNDP programme staff, university lecturers and representatives from university careers services.

UNDP Lithuania are piloting an international work placement programme for undergraduate students and academic staff. They specifically identified The Saltire Foundation as a role model for what they hoped to achieve hence the visit to Scotland.

The Lithuanian programme is a response to the need for economic growth and a more global perspective among the next generation of leaders in Lithuania. The model adopted in Lithuania centres on developing the potential of university students through international placements and encouraging academic staff to gain practical experience in companies outside Lithuania.

The productive exchange of ideas and experiences challenged both teams to reflect on their programmes in new ways. For the Saltire Foundation, it was fantastic to be able to share experiences and advice with such an enthusiastic team about to embarking on a new venture in Lithuania. The UNDP Lithuania Programme and the Saltire Foundation Scholarship and Fellowship Programmes share the same underlying message, with regard to globalising perspectives and opportunities, raising aspirations and building talent.

Sandy Kennedy, Saltire Foundation CEO said: “It is a an accolade to the vision of the Saltire Foundation Founders and the team’s hard work that a United Nations delegation sought us out to learn from our experiences. In turn, we look forward to learning from their experience in Lithuania and wish them every success.”

The Lithuanian UNDP delegation with the SF team at the Hunter Centre