The young ACME generation: this summer – to work with parents!

Summer has come and many schoolchildren have started to consider how to use their holiday in a useful and interesting way. They have an array of possibilities: from countryside breaks and study at language schools to seasonal work and the possibility of earning their own money. Each experience is different and valuable in its own way. This year, ACME group companies have decided to facilitate the employment of their workers’ children. 

“This is a social initiative; we are not seeking a material advantage,” says Rasa Buožienė, head of Human Resources at the ACME group companies. “The project came up because we felt a growing need among our employees’ children to try to earn their own money. Teenagers face difficulties finding an official job with full social security, and a first job is a daunting challenge. Thus, the possibility to go to work with mum and dad is more psychologically reassuring.”

From 21 July, 10 youths aged between 14 and 18 who are children of employees at group companies have been brought on board for two weeks. One of the initiative’s main objectives is to give these children the opportunity to gain a new experience, socialise and earn their own money. Over 10 working days, these schoolchildren will be employed for 4 hours per day and will earn LTL 500 each before tax. The children who joined our team help us with simple ancillary work, such as packing and counting goods, beautifying the yard and attaching stickers and labels.

“This is a really useful experience,” says Dainius Jaudegis, head of products at the company ACC Distribution. “The most important thing is that my son learns how money is earned and that we need to work a lot to buy a new computer or telephone. Moreover, he feels proud that his first employee is one of the strongest companies in Lithuania. In the future, this will certainly provide an advantage in finding a job.”

Paulius Paršeliūnas, sales director at ACME Europe, adds: “We consider these two weeks of work as a fun experience. We get up together, prepare for work and have lunch. In this way, during the summer we spend a little more time together. It’s nice that my son has an opportunity to learn that it is not easy to earn money. It partly works as a motivational tool, helping towards effective learning and seeking goals and knowledge, giving the opportunity in future to choose the career of your dreams.”

Summer jobs for teenagers provide the possibility of earning money, observing the working environment and facilitating the development of youths’ personalities and their sense of responsibility. However, trends in the labour market with respect to schoolchildren show that employers are rather reluctant to employ minors.

Recent data from the Lithuanian Labour Exchange show that the number of registered schoolchildren who are willing to work exceeds the number of job offers from employers: in the first half of the year, 914 minors applied for a job, but only 241 of them were employed during this period (26.4% of those who registered).