Tiltai

This article presents the aspect of the social work professionalization which responds to the new challenges of a global society that is the refugee migration. The refugee problem in the European Union has recently become one of the important social problems. Due to the political situation in Africa South European countries are already unable to manage the daily flow of refugees. EU Parliament is trying to solve this problem. Lithuania has to be ready to solve this problem as well. The country which receives refugees not only has to have the legal regulation of this process, but also the professionals who could ensure the success of their adaptation. The authors, using different empirical research materials which were conducted in Lithuania in the years 2011–2014, reveal the depth of the needs and the possibilities of the social work services while implementing these needs in the context of social services in Lithuania. This is the presentation of the experience available. This article can help you to assess the situation and the opportunities that are ahead for the Lithuanian society when helping to solve the problem of today’s refugees in the European Union. At the same time this article reveals one more aspect of the identity in the social work profession, revealing the depth of the social worker’s competencies in a changing society and his ability to operate in unspecified situations.

The current tendencies in global society are clear: the internationalisation of studies in HEIs, the expansion of the labour market, foreign employees with a different cultural background in almost all organisations, etc. A successful professional life depends on the readiness of people to be open to global changes and innovation. Intercultural communication may lead to openness and a better preparation for a future career. This form of communication strengthens a positive attitude towards new trends in the labour market, global business, immigrants and foreigners. In addition, intercultural communication can be used to promote the local culture to others, and to become familiar with remote cultures. This article reveals the importance of intercultural communication for careers, and presents students’ perspectives. According to the results of the survey, intercultural communication is beneficial for personal development: it strengthens qualities such as self-esteem and confidence, and can form new abilities such as critical thinking, problem solving and teamwork. This type of communication provides students with more opportunities to study abroad, and ensures a competitive advantage in business. As students noted, intercultural communication should be practised constantly, and its beneficial aspects have a positive impact on the broader world-view, cultural awareness and career prospects.

In this article authors present the development of intercultural competences as a part of study process. Organization of study process in the modern world is not confined within one institution or one country. Possibilities to study in different joint programmes or choose Erasmus courses are open for many students. Not only the language abilities, but also intercultural awareness and competences influence the quality of communication and level of understanding by the representatives of other cultures. Intercultural competences are one of the very important abilities that are also presented as the outcomes of new methods of education that should prepare students to cope with intercultural environment. Study process requires students to obtain various abilities (application of knowledge, research, special, personal, social). All these abilities are particularly important in conducting comparative research and adopting foreign experience. The article emphasizes that intercultural competencies in modern study process can be assessed on two levels: the level of intercultural communication and intercultural level of scientific research.

The importance of constant improvement of teachers and andragogue organiser’s professionalism is revealed, advantages and issues of the link between teachers’ qualification development and andragogue organiser’s activity is highlighted to analyse and justify the andragogue organiser’s role in the sphere of teachers’ qualification development. The first part of the article discusses the conception of teachers’ qualification development based on the aspects of professionalism, reveals diversity of andragogue organiser’s activities and multi-functionality in the sphere of teachers’ qualification development. The second part of the article analyses educational documents that regulate teachers’ development activity and andragogues’ professional activity, reviews the state of teachers’ qualification development, carried out research and recognition of andragogue’s professional activity in Lithuania. Justified conception of teachers’ qualification development, revealed diversity and multi-functionality of andragogue’s activities and proven importance of andragogue organiser’s professionalism to ensure the quality of teachers’ qualification reveals theoretical novelty and significance of this article.

The current tendencies of a global society are obvious: the labour market is expanding, people are travelling for various reasons all over the world, every organisation can have foreign workers with different cultural backgrounds, the internationalisation of studies HEIs is constantly being implemented, etc. Successful and effective daily life depends on the readiness of people of any age to be open to global change and innovation. The intense pace of life requires adaptation to new circumstances and the use of internationally recognised tools to address global challenges. This article reveals the benefits of intercultural communication in a global society. This form of communication influences the quality of modern life, and strengthens positive attitudes towards new trends in the labour market, global business, immigrants and foreigners. In addition, intercultural communication can be used to promote local culture to others, and to become familiar with other cultures. The analysis and survey of various sources provides valuable evidence that intercultural communication is beneficial to the quality of daily and professional life, and creates a competitive advantage for labour market professionals. According to the results of the survey, intercultural communication is useful for strengthening self-esteem and confidence, developing new competencies, studying abroad, and managing careers in business.