In his welcome address delivered at the event held at the Hungexpo Congress and Exhibition Centre, Mr Orbán said three weeks ago the national forces had won the parliamentary elections “with unprecedented support;” with this, electors also said yes to that which the government together with the Hungarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry had achieved in the past 12 years.
He recalled that they had recently extended dual training, had made the available forms of training better-suited to the needs of real life, had established vocational training centres and a scholarship scheme for students attending vocational training, and had taken major steps towards digitisation. At the same time, the government provides free training for the acquisition of the first two vocational qualifications.
Thanks to these measures, today as many as 250,000 students attend vocational training in Hungary, there is increasing demand for skilled workers, and entrepreneurship, too, is becoming ever more popular and ever more lucrative, the Prime Minister said.
He highlighted that this was the eighth time he was able to attend this event, and recalled that he had always encouraged participants to believe that “work and especially skilled work have a future in Hungary”.
Two pieces of good advice sum up why it is worth attending vocational training with a view to acquiring trades: anything that is worth doing is worth doing well, and if you’re good at something, charge for it accordingly, he said. He took the view: life has amply demonstrated that a trade pursued to exacting standards is the most secure source of living, and will become even more so in the future.
He drew attention to the fact that while it may appear unfair that “barely have we recovered” from the coronavirus pandemic “than we already have on our necks” a war right next door to us, instead of “blaming the circumstances” we should fortify ourselves in the belief that “those who have knowledge, those who have a trade, and those who have the courage to use them have nothing to be afraid of even in more difficult times”.
“If we do our jobs well, we could get out of this trouble, too, stronger, and could take one more sizeable step forward, not backward,” he said, encouraging young people about to choose a career for themselves to choose a trade. He stressed that Hungary is a place worth living and working in because our country is one of the best places in Europe.
The Prime Minister sent this message to young people: new factories, new plants, new production centres have grown out of the earth, and “they all hope to rely on your work”. We provide tax benefits for young school-leavers as well as for the businesses “that will employ you,” we support the starting of families, the construction and refurbishment of homes, he listed.
He stated that those who would like to live off work in Hungary today will have jobs, will have homes, and will be able to raise their children in a safe environment in the world’s most beautiful country. “You won’t get a better offer than that from any other country,” he added.
The Prime Minister told teachers that the many spectacular results “could not have been achieved without your hard work”. The domestic and international results of Hungarian skilled workers testify to the excellence of the instructors and teachers that work in the Hungarian vocational training system, he pointed out, adding that they deserve gratitude for their hard work.
The Hungarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry in cooperation with the Hungarian Chamber of Agriculture are holding the 15th Star of the Profession Festival between 25 and 27 April which will serve as a venue of the finals of the Excellent Student of the Profession Competition and the National Professional Studies Competition.