The role of subnational governments in adult skills systems: Lithuania

This country note provides an overview of the governance of the adult skills system in Lithuania. It is part of an extensive review of all 38 OECD countries. The main findings across all countries are summarised in the OECD policy paper The Role of Subnational Governments in Adult Skills Systems. Representatives from the Lithuanian government reviewed the country note in March 2025 and it was published in June 2025.

Table 1. Overall governance and expenditure structure

Governance structure	Levels of governance	% of general government expenditure at the sub-national level
Unitary	National: State (Valstybė) Local: Municipalities (savivaldbyés)	22.7%
How is the adult skills system governed?
Centralised	Combined system ✓	Decentralised

Note : For more information on the definitions of the governance models, please see (OECD, 2025[1]).

Source: (OECD/UCLG, 2022[2])

How is the adult skills system governed?

The adult skills system in Lithuania is characterised by a centralised structure. The national government is responsible for the strategic planning, intelligence, and funding across all skills policies. It shares the responsibility of funding and implementation with the local level (60 municipalities). National agencies and other stakeholders play a key role in providing intelligence and advice to the national government.

• The Ministry of Education, Science and Sport (Švietimo, mokslo ir sporto ministerija) is responsible for setting the legislative framework and designing national strategies and policies for Vocational Education and Training (VET) and Higher Education (HE)1 while responsibilities for funding and implementation is shared between the Ministry and the municipalities.

• Continuing Education and Training (CET) and Adult Education (AE) is planned and funded at the national level primarily by the Ministry of Education, Science and Sport while the municipalities are responsible for implementation. Local providers include adult education centres (suaugusiųjų bendrojo ugdymo mokyklos), which are managed by the municipalities.

• The responsibility for the funding, design, organisation, co-ordination, control of the implementation and evaluation of Active Labour Market Policies (ALMP) lies with Ministry of Social Security and Labour (Lietuvos Respublikos socialinės apsaugos ir darbo ministerija). ALMPs are delivered through a structure of deconcentrated offices overseen by the national PES (Užimtumo tarnyba).

• The Ministry of the Economy and Innovation (Ekonomikos ir inovacijų ministerija) is responsible for human resources development policy making, as well as organizes, coordinates and controls its implementation. Ministry also implements human resources policy measures and participates in the formation of vocational training policy.

Table 2. Allocation of responsibilities across policy areas and levels of government

		Strategy	Intelligence	Implementation	Funding	Delivery
Policy area	National level
	VET, HE	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓
	CET	✓	✓	-	✓	-
	AE	✓	✓	-	✓	-
	ALMP	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓
	Local level
	VET, HE	-	-	✓	✓	✓
	CET	-	-	✓	✓	✓
	AE	-	-	✓	✓	✓
	ALMP	-	-	-	-	-

Legend: ✓ = Yes; - = No

Note: For more information on exact definitions of policy areas and responsibilities, please see (OECD, 2025[1]).

Infographic 1. Overview of the adult skills system

Note: Colour code: Dark blue → government/national/subnational agencies, Green → social partners, Lighter blue → private actors and education providers, Yellow → Expert councils/foundations/associations/research institutions. For more information, see (OECD, 2025[1]).

Source: OECD compilation based on available information.

Stakeholders and responsibilities at the national level

Several actors are involved in the development of adult skills policies at the national level:

• The Ministry of Education, Science and Sport (Švietimo, mokslo ir sporto ministerija) designs and allocates funding to VET, HE, CET, and AE policies. The Ministry of Social Security and Labour funds, designs, organizes, coordinates, and controls the implementation and evaluation of ALMPs and manages the PES. The Ministry of the Economy and Innovation is responsible for HRD policy making, as well as organises, coordinates and controls its implementation, also for development and implementation of re- and upskilling initiatives for employees.

• A range of national agencies support the work of the government. The Lithuanian Public Employment Service is responsible for the implementation and delivery of ALMPs; the Centre for Quality Assessment in Higher Education (Studijų kokybės vertinimo centras) is responsible for examining the quality of education of HE; the National Education Agency (Nacionalinė švietimo agentūra) monitors the implementation of VET; the Qualifications and Vocational and Education Training Development Centre (Kvalifikacijų ir profesinio mokymo plėtros centras) develops qualification standards; and the Government Strategic Analysis Centre (Vyriausybės strateginės analizės centras STRATA) prepares the annual Human Capital Status Report and long-term labour supply and demand forecasts.

• The investment promotion agency Invest Lithuania (Investuok Lietuvoje) is a one-stop shop that informs, connects and supports foreign companies. Focusing on the needs of international businesses, the agency implements human resources policy measures designed to attract top talent to Lithuania. The Innovation Agency (Inovacijų agentūra) is responsible for the Lithuanian innovation ecosystem and the promotion of innovation. As the administering authority, the agency manages initiatives to enhance SME skills in line with Smart Specialization priorities.

• Expert councils in the field of adult skills include the Employment Council (Užimtumo taryba), the sectoral professional committees (Sektoriniai profesiniai komitetai; the Tripartite Council (trišalė taryba) and Lithuanian Council of Non-Formal Adult Education (Lietuvos neformaliojo suaugusiųjų švietimo taryba).

• VET institutions (profesinio mokymo įstaigos) and Higher Education Institutions (aukštojo mokslo institucijose) operate at the national level.

Table 2. Stakeholders and responsibilities at the national level

Name of institution	Responsibilities					Organisation type	Areas	Description
	Strategy	Intelligence	Implementation	Funding	Delivery
The Ministry of Education, Science and Sport (Švietimo, mokslo ir sporto ministerija)	✓	✓	-	✓		Ministry	VET HE CET AE	The Ministry develops the legislative framework and monitors the quality of national education policies, including VET, HE, CET, and AE. It shares funding responsibilities for schools and educational institutions with the municipalities. The Ministry develops content and standards for formal and non-formal education and training, sets the general curricula for VET schools, and supervises VET and HE schools.
Ministry of Social Security and Labour (Lietuvos Respublikos socialinės apsaugos ir darbo ministerija)	✓	✓	-	✓		Ministry	ALMP	The Ministry is responsible for funding, designing, organising, coordinating, and controlling the implementation and evaluation of ALMPs. It sets the legislative framework for ALMPs for unemployed and employed workers looking to re- and upskill. It manages and funds the PES and monitors the regional and national labour market situation.
Ministry of the Economy and Innovation (Ekonomikos ir inovacijų ministerija)	✓	✓	-	✓		Ministry	VET CET AE	Ministry is responsible for human resources development (HRD) policy making and organises, coordinates and controls its implementation. Human resources mean the entire workforce, knowledge, skills and competencies. Ministry implements human resources policy measures and participates in development of vocational training policy; organises the dissemination of the results of the demand for human resources in the labor market; identifies priority economic sectors from the perspective of human resource development and organises CET, qualification improvement, competency development, and mastery qualifications enhancement for individuals employed in these sectors; develops, organises, and implements measures aimed at attracting human resources to priority economic sectors and encouraging individuals employed in these sectors to participate in apprenticeship and workplace-based training programs; participates in the activities of sectoral professional committees; manages the Lithuanian Classification of Occupations. The Ministry is responsible for business support measures and finances the company upskilling and reskilling in the Smart Specialisation areas: ICT, health technologies and biotechnology, new production processes, materials and technologies. The Ministry also designs, organises and implements measures to solve skills shortages and labour market gaps. The Ministry shares the responsibility for the Lithuanian qualifications system and the organisation of the assessment of competencies with the Ministry of Education, Science and Sport
Lithuanian Public Employment Service (Užimtumo tarnyba)	-	✓	✓	✓	✓	National Agency	ALMP	The PES, operating under the Ministry of Social Security and Labour, is responsible for implementation of employment support policy – provision of labour market services and implementation of ALMP’ . It is also in charge of assessing the effectiveness and monitoring of the impact of ALMPs. The PES operates through a structure of five customer service departments that oversee 70 local divisions.
Centre for Quality Assessment in Higher Education (Studijų kokybės vertinimo centras)	-	✓	-	-		National agency	HE	It is under the Ministry of Education, Science, and Sport and evaluates the quality of higher education, evaluates higher education qualifications, and provides information on higher education systems and qualification recognition.
National Education Agency (Nacionalinė švietimo agentūra)	-	✓	✓	-		National agency	VET	It is in charge of monitoring the implementation of education policies, including VET, and of organising the examination and external evaluation of school performances. The agency is regulated by the Ministry of Education, Science, and Sport. It monitors education providers and provides recommendations to the Ministry of Education, Sport, and Science to shape education policy.
The Qualifications and Vocational and Education Training Development Centre (Kvalifikacijų ir profesinio mokymo plėtros centras)	-	-	✓	-		National agency	VET AE	The centre is part of the Ministry of Education, Science, and Sport. It develops qualification standards, assesses VET programs, organises qualification improvement courses for VET and AE teachers, and implements VET policies. The centre also implements AE qualification development initiatives and manages the Lithuanian Qualifications Framework (Lietuvos kvalifikacijų sandarac).
Agency “Invest Lithuania” (Investuok Lietuvoje)	-	✓	✓	-	-	National agency	CET AE	Agency under the Ministry of the Economy and Innovation enables international companies to reduce the risk, time, and costs of launching their operations in Lithuania. “Invest Lithuania” helps international companies to grow their business. It gives them the knowledge and insights needed to take full advantage of Lithuania’s highly qualified talent pool and favourable business environment. The agency indicates the needs of foreign investors (companies) and implements human resources policy measures related to talent attraction to Lithuania.
Innovation Agency (Inovacijų agentūra)	-	✓	✓	-	-	National agency	CET AE	The Agency under the Ministry of the Economy and Innovation is responsible for the Lithuanian innovation ecosystem and promoting innovation at all stages of business development. It is also the administering authority for the ERDF measure, which is designed to develop the necessary skills for SMEs in line with the Smart Specialization priorities identified during the entrepreneurial development process (EDP).
Public institution “Mokausi Lietuvoje”	-	-	✓	-	-	National Agency	VET AE CET	Carry out enrolment procedures. Developing the ILA Information System.
European Social Fund Agency (Europos socialinio fondo agentūra)	-	-	✓	✓	✓	National Agency	AE CET ALMP	The project administrator is responsible for implementing, funding, and administrating a single national digital portal (www.kursuok.lt) for non-formal adult education and career guidance services. The digital portal has been functioning since January 2024.
Government Strategic Analysis Centre (Vyriausybės strateginės analizės centras - STRATA)	-	✓	-	-		Expert Council	VET HE AE	The Centre is an expert institution that provides independent, research-based information to the government and ministries, including labour supply and demand forecasts. Human resource forecasts help anticipate potential imbalances in the number of workers (surplus or shortage) and expected skill mismatch challenges about job requirements (overqualification or underqualification). The state budget fully funds STRATA.
Employment Council (Užimtumo taryba)	-	✓	-	-		Expert Council	ALMP	The Employment Council is composed of representatives of state institutions and employers. It shall consider the issues of the organisation of the Employment Service's activities, its accountability to society, and the increase in employment and shall submit conclusions and proposals on these issues to the Employment Service and the Ministry of Social Security and Labour.
Sectoral professional committees (Sektoriniai profesiniai komitetai)	-	✓	✓	-		Expert Council	VET AE	18 committees draft, update and approve vocational standards, assess VET programmes and submit proposals to the Ministry of Education and Science regarding the National Qualifications Framework. They also submit proposals to the Ministry of Education and Science, the Ministry of Economy, and the Ministry of Social Security and Labour on VET and AE programmes. The committees include representatives of the relevant ministries, social partners, and representatives of VET institutions.
Lithuanian Council of Non-Formal Adult Education (Lietuvos neformaliojo suaugusiųjų švietimo taryba)	-	✓	-	-		Expert council	CET AE	The council provides advice on the strategic developments of AE and CET. It comprises representatives of state and municipal institutions representing employers, employees, and other CET and AE institutions. It is under the Ministry of Education, Science, and Sport, which consults the council on the action plan for implementing the Nonformal Adult Education and Continuing Education Development Program.
VET institutions (profesinio mokymo įstaigos)	-	-	✓	-	✓	Education provider	VET	VET institutions are managed by the Ministry of Education, Science and Sport. They offer secondary and post-secondary non-tertiary education and are the main providers of VET. The vast majority of VET schools are public.
Higher education institutions (aukštojo mokslo institucijose)	-	-	✓	-	✓	Education provider	HE	Higher Education Institutions can be divided into universities and colleges. In collaboration with VET schools and the Ministry of Education, Science and Sport, they can offer short-cycle studies corresponding to professional standards.
Tripartite Council (trišalė taryba)	-	✓	-	-		Social partners	ALMP	The council provides strategic advice to the Ministry of Social Security and Labour on labour market policies, including the design of ALMPs. It is made up (in equal numbers) of central trade unions, employers' organisations, and government representatives.
National Human Resources Monitoring Commission (Nacionalinė žmogiškųjų išteklių stebėsenos komisija)	✓	✓	-	-	-	Expert council	VET HE AE ALMP CET	Address issues related to the totality and evolution of human capital in the country, with a particular focus on human resources in the labour market, such as: the needs of the national economy in terms of the skills, qualifications and competences of workers; the matching of the qualifications and skills of the workforce with the needs of the labour market; and the implementation of the education system (both formal and non-formal) and of study policies, taking into account and responding to the needs of the national economy;
Private adult education providers (Privataus sektoriaus suaugusiųjų švietimo teikėjai)	-	-	-	-	✓	Education provider	ALMP VET AE CET	Participating and providing non-formal adult education programs via national digital
NGOs (Nevyriausybinės organizacijos)	-	-	-		✓	Education provider / Social partners	AE CET	Access to state funding, autonomously deliver adult education initiatives.

Legend: ✓ = Yes; - = No

Source: OECD compilation based on (the Government of Lithuania, 2016[3]) (Cedefop, 2019[4]) (OECD, 2021[5]) (OECD, 2021[6]) (Cedefop, 2022[7]) (OECD, 2022[8]) (OECD, 2023[9]) (Cedefop, 2024[10]) (Eurydice, European Commission, 2024[11]) (Ministry of Social Security and Labour, 2024[12]) (Qualifications and Vocational Education and Training Development Centre, 2024[13]) (The European Association for Quality Assurance in Higher Education, 2024[14])

Stakeholders and responsibilities at the local level

The local level (60 municipalities) plays an important role in the implementation of VET, CET and AE and a complementary role in the implementation of ALMPs. In addition to the municipalities, other actors at the local level include the regional development councils (Regionų plėtros tarybos), which supports the implementation of VET, adult education centres (Suaugusiųjų bendrojo ugdymo mokyklos) and Universities of Third Age (Trečiojo amžiaus universitetai), which offer CET/AE to senior citizens.

Table 4. Stakeholders and responsibilities at the local level

Name of institution	Responsibilities					Organisation type	Areas	Description
	Strategy	Intelligence	Implementation	Funding	Delivery
Municipality (savivaldybė)	-	✓	✓	✓	✓	Subnational government	VET CET AE	The municipalities implement national education policies, including VET and AE policies. The municipal council (savivaldybės taryba) supervises the implementation of AE policies, sets long-term objectives of AE development and develops a network of schools offering AE. Municipalities appoint adult learning co-ordinators who manage local initiatives, design action plans, and allocate budgets for adult learning initiatives and programmes. They fund training centres and non-formal education. Municipalities also organise VET guidance services. They can also create a network of VET providers and establish VET schools, although the majority are state-run.
Regional development councils (Regionų plėtros tarybos)	-	✓	✓	-	-	Expert council	VET ALMP	These are legal entities established by the municipalities to drive regional and local development policies. They approve regional development plans and decide on the number of state-funded VET places in each local area. The councils also assist the PES in the design of programmes for implementing ALMPs. They consist of mayors, delegated municipal council members, and socio-economic partners.
Adult education centres (Suaugusiųjų bendrojo ugdymo mokyklos)	-	-	-	-	✓	Education provider	CET AE	Adult education is primarily provided by adult education centres, which offer adult primary, lower, and upper secondary curricula. Municipalities establish these centres and receive funding from the national government.
Universities of the Third Age (Trečiojo amžiaus universitetai)	-	-	-	-	✓	Education provider	AE CET	These universities provide non-formal education to senior citizens. They can take the form of a programme implemented by a municipality or a higher education Institution, but they can also act as a legal entity.
Private adult education providers (Privataus sektoriaus suaugusiųjų švietimo teikėjai)	-	-	-	-	✓	Education provider	ALMP VET AE CET	Participating and providing non-formal adult education programs via national digital
NGOs (Nevyriausybinės organizacijos)	-	✓	-		✓	Education provider / Social partners	AE CET	Access to state funding, autonomously deliver adult education initiatives.

Legend: ✓ = Yes; - = No

Source: OECD compilation based on (OECD, 2021[6]; OECD, 2022[8]),

References

[10] Cedefop (2024), Vocational education and training policy briefs 2023 – Lithuania. Cedefop monitoring and analysis of vocational education and training policies., https://data.europa.eu/doi/10.2801/567540.

[7] Cedefop (2022), Vocational education and training in Europe - Lithuania: system description, https://www.cedefop.europa.eu/en/tools/vet-in-europe/systems/lithuania-u2.

[4] Cedefop (2019), Lithuania: sectoral professional committees - strong voices in the Lithuanian qualifications system, https://eurydice.eacea.ec.europa.eu/national-education-systems/https://www.cedefop.europa.eu/en/news/lithuania-sectoral-professional-committees-strong-voices-lithuanian-qualifications-system/adult-education-and-training.

[11] Eurydice, European Commission (2024), National Education Systems, https://eurydice.eacea.ec.europa.eu/national-education-systems.

[12] Ministry of Social Security and Labour (2024), Webpage, https://socmin.lrv.lt/en/.

[1] OECD (2025), “From national to local: Exploring the role of subnational governments in adult skills systems across OECD countries”, OECD Local Economic and Employment Development (LEED) Papers, No. 2025/XX, OECD Publishing, Paris.

[15] OECD (2023), ““Who does what” for active labour market policies: A zoom on the role of subnational governments”, OECD Local Economic and Employment Development (LEED) Papers, No. 2023/09, OECD Publishing, Paris, https://doi.org/10.1787/d8d6868d-en.

[9] OECD (2023), Strengthening Upper Secondary Education in Lithuania, OECD Publishing, Paris, https://doi.org/10.1787/a69409d7-en.

[8] OECD (2022), Impact Evaluation of Vocational Training and Employment Subsidies for the Unemployed in Lithuania, Connecting People with Jobs, OECD Publishing, Paris, https://doi.org/10.1787/c22d68b3-en.

[6] OECD (2021), “Strengthening the governance of skills policies in Lithuania”, in OECD Skills Strategy Lithuania: Assessment and Recommendations, OECD Publishing, Paris, https://doi.org/10.1787/1f88dc47-en.

[5] OECD (2021), “The role of STRATA in the evidence-informed decision-making system”, in Mobilising Evidence at the Centre of Government in Lithuania: Strengthening Decision Making and Policy Evaluation for Long-term Development, OECD Publishing, Paris, https://doi.org/10.1787/77389fbc-en.

[2] OECD/UCLG (2022), 2022 Country Profiles of the World Observatory on Subnational Government Finance and Investment., https://www.sng-wofi.org/country-profiles/lithuania.html.

[13] Qualifications and Vocational Education and Training Development Centre (2024), Webpage, https://www.kpmpc.lt/kpmpc/en/.

[14] The European Association for Quality Assurance in Higher Education (2024), Webpage, https://www.enqa.eu/.

[3] the Government of Lithuania (2016), Law on Employment, https://www.e-tar.lt/portal/lt/legalAct/422c8b5042b811e6a8ae9e1795984391/asr.

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Note

← 1.  Lithuania distinguishes between VET and HE tracks and does not use the HVET terminology. Closest to HVET is a professional bachelor’s degree (level 6) that can be acquired through college studies.