On 15-16 May 2018, Cedefop’s (European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training) ReferNet network, as well as its Hungarian partner, the National Office of Vocational Education and Training and Adult Learning (NOVETAL) organised ReferNet’s Regional Meeting for the first time in Budapest.
ReferNet is a structured and decentralised European network for the collection, analysis and dissemination of information related to vocational education and training. Its aim is to collect and to provide information by comparing the VET systems of EU Member States, the developments taking place in the Member States and the applied policies. As a background institution of the European Union, Cedefop, assisted by the ReferNet network, reports to the European Commission about the situation of vocational education and training in Hungary.
At this professional meeting, ReferNet’s National Representative, Gáborné Pölöskei, Deputy State Secretary for Vocational Education and Training and Adult Training of the Ministry for National Economy welcomed the participants from 18 countries. In her opening presentation, she drew attention to the challenges posed by today’s rapidly changing labour market in the field of VET and adult training. She explained that in our digitalising and automatising world the priority given to human resources was of particular importance in designing the Hungarian government’s strategy. Qualified workforce is essential for economic development, therefore the government places strong emphasis on the close cooperation with the business actors for designing the appropriate strategies.
The main planning framework is provided by the Industry 4.0 strategy, together with the legislative package adopted in December 2017, which, besides other measures, helps the reflection of business needs in education, as well as the strengthening of practical education in VET and adult training by the establishment of Sectoral Skills Councils. The Deputy State Secretary highlighted the importance of cooperation between the educational and economic actors for the extension of dual training, as well as the importance of providing modern and usable knowledge for young VET graduates. Besides this, it is essential to enhance the flexibility of adult training, to assess and to validate existing skills, so as to provide more efficient and more targeted training programmes. Beyond the exchange of experience, the ReferNet network helps the promotion of VET both in Hungary and in Europe, by sharing the good experience of each Member State.
Sylvie Bousquet, representing Cedefop, acting as ReferNet’s executive coordinator, welcomed the organisation of the meeting in Budapest, as the event was hosted in Hungary for the first time in 14 years of cooperation. She welcomed the new coordinators of the Member States of the network, and set as the main goal of the meeting the necessity of formulating ideas and suggestions for the efficient planning of the next four-year cycle of operation (2020-2024). To this end, beyond the plenary lectures, the majority of the programme was constituted by professional work discussions between the partners.
In the afternoon, Judit Gömöriné Olasz, ReferNet’s project coordinator in Hungary (NOVETAL) presented the Hungarian VET and adult training systems to the participants. The diverse technical content included Robin Gyarmati’s (NOVETAL) presentation on carrier guidance, as well as a presentation on robotics by Bálint Béda, a pupil of the Mechatronical Vocational Grammar School of the Budapest Mechanical Engineering VET Centre, as well as a demonstration of the functioning of a robot programmed by him. Bálint Béda was the 2017 winner of the Vocational Training Award announced by the German-Hungarian Chamber of Industry and Commerce, in the category of cooperation. Furthermore, the participants could have an insight into the training programmes offered by the Nádudvar Folk Art Crafts Secondary Vocational School and Boarding School of the Berettyóújfalu VET Centre, presented by the school’s pupils on the ground.
On the closing day of the event, Sylvie Bousquet, executive coordinator of the ReferNet network, thanked for the efficient work done both by the organisers and the participants, and for having the opportunity to get an insight into vocational education and training in Hungary, as well as into the world of Hungarian culture. Judit Gömöriné Olasz highlighted the teamwork established for organisational development topics, since this enabled the partner countries to familiarise with each other’s institutions, challenges and common problems which could be addressed jointly in the future.
