1. Role of Marijampolė‘s Third
Age University (TAU) in
promoting longer working
lives
Lina Vosyliūtė
31 of March, 2015, Paris
© Visionary Analytics, 2015

2. Demographic trends in Lithuania
Lithuania is the one of the fastest ageing and shrinking country in the EU:
• Life expectancy increased, but Lithuanian males live shortest in the EU
• Negative natural growth: birth rates remain lower than death rates
• Negative net migration: Emigration rates , especially among young
people, are high and immigration – very low
62%
57%
52% 52%
56%
62% 62% 63%
38%
43%
48% 48%
44%
38% 38% 37%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
0
500,000
1,000,000
1,500,000
2,000,000
2,500,000
3,000,000
3,500,000
2013 2020 2030 2040 2050 2060 2070 2080
Demographic change scenario in Lithuania 2013 - 2080
Total population Population below 49 years old (percent)
Population above 50 years old (percent) Old age dependency ratio*
*Old age dependency - population 65 and over to population 15 to 64 years.

3. Why Third Age University (TAU)?
TAU has an important role to address skills development of older workers:
• TAU is becoming increasingly popular activity among senior persons
• TAU has a know-how to educate older generation
• TAU promotes metacompetence - learning to learn
Case study – Marijampolė‘s TAU:
– Second largest Third Age University
– Situated in the periphery of Lithuania
– Experienced exponential growth since its establishment in 2005
– Target groups: persons above 50 and persons with disabilities without age census
137
255
482
687 711 731 798 844 783 746
0
200
400
600
800
1000
Numberofstudents
Academic year
The number of Marijampolė's TAU students 2005 - 2015

4. What are the objectives and
activities of Marijampolė‘s TAU?
Educational
•Public
lectures
•Seminars
•Conferences
•Study visits
•Workshops
•Other non-
formal
education
activities
Social
inclusion
•Involvement
persons with
disabilities,
older
persons in
poverty,
within TAU
activities
Cultural
•Celebrations
of national
feasts
•Participation
within
cultural
events
• Excursions
to foreign
and
Lithuanian
cities
Psycho/social
•Providing
space and
time for
socialising
•Social events
•Cooperation
with
members of
other
organizations

5. Effects of TAU activities on prolongation of
working lives (1)
Direct effect:
• ICT classes/workshops once per week
• Foreign languages (English, German,
French) – once per week, 40 academic
hours per year, 5 levels available
• Arts & Handcrafts workshops – once per
month and organising participation in
various markets, where handcrafts are
sold
Indirect effect:
• Healthy Lifestyle lectures in cooperation
with Public Health Office in Marijampolė
• Practical Physical Activity and
Physiotherapy workshops with trainers
• Psychology lectures followed by
practical excercises

6. Effects of TAU activities on prolongation of working
lives (2) – selected cases of TAU students
Ms Albina (69 years old) - German
language skills leading to pro-
longed employment
• She has learnt pshysiotherapy,
physical activity, psychology, spiritual
advancement and basic German
language skills in TAU
• Ms Albina has pro-longed her working
life up until the age of 65, as she went
to Germany to work as a personal
care worker for elders
Ms Lidija (72 years old) – handcrafts
leading to entrepreneurship and
exchange of knowledge among
generations
• She has learnt painting silk, felting wool,
making decoupage, modelling clay, etc.
• Ms Lidija sold some of her items at the
markets during city festivals
• Now she teaches the younger ones how
make handcrafts – she hold workshops at
Marijampolė‘s Women’s Center and Child
Day-Care Center

7. Challenges and Recommendations
Challenges Recommendations
Strategic: The promotion of labour
market skills are not perceived as direct
objectives of TAU rather than a positive
side-effect
Marijampolė‘s TAU has to understand its
role in promoting the longer working
lives
Financial: dependency either on project
grants or on the good-will of
deans/lecturers, private companies
The State policies need to acknowledge
the contribution of TAU and to finance its
activities that contribute to the Active
Ageing Strategy
Physical capacity: High-number of
students attending TAU
Some of TAU activities could be
organised on-line
Psychological barriers: The mind-set of
the TAU students about the
entrepreneural activities
TAU should promote and enable ‘silver
entrepreneurship’ by providing means to
sell handcrafts made by seniors

8. Thank you!
© Visionary Analytics, 2015
Lina Vosyliūtė
lina.vosyliūtė@visionary.lt
Tel. +370 5 273 01 01
Mob. +370 671 01230