Vilnius city municipalities the council decided to implement the transformation of sports schools and sports centers in the capital. Vilnius city sports center, Vilnius schoolchildren's health center, Vilnius basketball school and sports school "Tauras" will change its legal status in the near future - it will become a public institution from a budgetary institution, but it will continue to maintain the functions and areas of activity performed until now.
"The form of the institution cannot be an obstacle to its progress, but so far we have observed exactly this phenomenon. Due to legal vicissitudes, budgetary institutions are less flexible both in terms of attracting investments and motivating employees, and they also use outdated, unilateral management practices. Our goal is to create conditions for those institutions to develop, grow and successfully train a new generation of athletes. And the structural transformation is the first and probably the most important step to turn these goals into reality", says the Vice Mayor of the city of Vilnius Valdas Benkunskas.
Until now, issues related to the management of sports centers were decided unilaterally by the managers of the institutions. After the transformation, they will establish subsidiary management bodies such as an independent board. Such a change will not only ensure additional competencies in the decision-making process, but will also bring more transparency and clarity to the institution's activities.
After reorganizing the institutions, they also provide for changing the employee motivation system, paying more attention to the qualifications and competences of employees. It is expected that the city-owned sports centers will be able to compete equally for employees in the market after the transformation and ensure high quality of services and properly motivate the trainers working here.
Sports centers will also have more flexibility in the areas of property and investment management. As public institutions, they will be able to engage in commercial activities, more freely dispose and reinvest the income received from commercial activities.
"It will be a comprehensively motivating activity model - more opportunities and more responsibilities within the institution, more quality and convenience for those who will continue or start a sports career or physical activity classes," says V. Benkunskas.
Newly established public institutions will take over previously owned assets, and employees will be offered extended working relationships with sports schools.
