The seventeenth Professional Star Festival started with six students from Miskolc

With the Szakma Sztár Festival announced at the ceremonial opening, the organizers’ goal has not changed this year either, they want to raise the promotion of vocational training and career choice to an even higher level. Furthermore, they want to support young people who are about to choose a career, to boldly choose the increasingly popular vocational training, which once again has prestige in society. April 24-26. The series of events taking place in Budapest, at the Hungexpo Budapest Convention and Exhibition Center, is also the last stop and final of an exciting series of competitions, as well as an interactive exhibition with the introduction of various professions.

In his speech opening the festival Viktor Orban The Prime Minister said that anyone who chooses a profession today is doing well, because the established work-based economy provides professionals with a secure future and a stable existence. Companies offer more jobs than the number of professionals currently available. He pointed out that not long ago it was predicted that development and artificial intelligence would take away people’s jobs. It has now become clear that the ones who should be afraid of this are the clerks, lawyers, drafters and those doing intellectual work, but not the skilled workers. It became clear that computers cannot replace manual work. That’s why those who choose vocational training make a good choice, he told the young people.

The prime minister recalled: 15-20 years ago, even in Hungary, it was thought that the future would be determined by people with a degree and intellectual occupations. But today everyone knows that there is no future without skilled work and skilled workers. Today, the backbone of the Hungarian economy is skilled work, skilled workers, and skilled craftsmen. Not contrasting intellectual and physical work, he emphasized that if people of the spirit also get the most out of themselves and the world of the spirit and professional work are well connected, Hungary will be successful.

He believed that in today’s age it is difficult to foresee the future, it is increasingly difficult to decide which profession one should vote for. At the beginning of the decade, there was news that new technologies would soon replace manual work – he noted, adding, however, that it turned out that computers cannot replace manual work, “but clerks, lawyers, drafters and programmers can tremble”. .

In the opening speech of the seventeenth Szakma Sztár Festival, he promised on behalf of the government: everyone in Hungary will have a profession, a job, a decent salary, a home and can count on family support. “Talented young people always write the future of Hungary. I am convinced that whoever chooses a profession will do so well. Whoever chooses one of the professions shown here that will stand the test of time, no new technology, no war, not even Brussels can withstand him.” – he emphasized.

At the end of his speech, the Prime Minister guaranteed four things. First of all, everyone in Hungary will have a profession and the gates of technical schools and vocational training schools are open to everyone. Despite the fact that the demand is already high, the over-subscription to these institutions is three times higher on average, but there are also training places where it is up to ten times higher, so they are doing everything to expand the capacities in addition to popularizing vocational training.

Secondly, whoever has a profession will also have a job. They have now achieved that there are more jobs than skilled workers – he pointed out.

Thirdly, he mentioned that those who work will also have a fair salary. As long as the current government leads the country, the work of every Hungarian will be appreciated – he noted.
The fourth is that those who take up a family in addition to their profession will have a home and can count on family support from the government. “Because we know that those who start a family have a good chance of a happy life,” said Viktor Orbán. The Prime Minister emphasized that Hungarian vocational training is already at the forefront of Europe.

László Parragh, the president of the Hungarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MKIK), as the main organizer of the festival, said that since 2010, Hungary has created one of the best vocational training systems in Europe, with a high level of corporate participation and constantly updated knowledge. According to him, the effectiveness of Hungarian vocational training is confirmed by the results of international competitions. In the European competition of the professions last year, the Hungarian team reached 2nd place behind Switzerland, ahead of Austria, he added.

In order to achieve further results, he urged the further development of dual training places, the inclusion of global challenges and results, artificial intelligence, sustainability, and the green transition in the curriculum. He pointed out that 75 professions are represented at this year’s Vocational Star Festival, almost 9,000 students participated in the preliminary selection, and 200 made it to the finals.

MKIK organized the Professional Star Festival for the third time in cooperation with the National Chamber of Agricultural Economy (NAK). President of NAK, Balázs Győrffy at the opening, he emphasized that the choice of profession is the right path for the students, and the result achieved in the competition can convince them that their efforts were meaningful. The choice of profession offers the opportunity to stand out, and the young person who chooses this path can build their future purposefully – Balázs Győrffy pointed out.

The head of NAK is confident that the competition will contribute to the popularity of the 21 agricultural professions presented at the event. Agricultural vocational training has been increasingly popular for years, and the number of students in its institutions has increased by 10 percent since 2021. In Budapest to an even greater extent, the capital is therefore “not lost” at all – assessed the president. He expressed his conviction that the future belongs to dual training places in agricultural vocational training as well, and the appreciation of agricultural careers will ensure the supply needed for the generational change in agriculture.

Accompanying the Miskolc team representing our county Tamás Bihall, the president of the Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén County Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BOKIK), highlighted that they are very proud of the young people who made it to the finals of the national professional competition and represent our county. He pointed out that the original purpose of the Szakma Sztár Festival was to popularize the professions and vocational training. In seventeen years, this event has grown into a huge event, becoming a celebration of vocational training. It is a particular pleasure that the Prime Minister also apparently considers it important, since for years now he regularly undertakes to open the festival, in the presence of many members of the government.

“When we started seventeen years ago, we wanted to strengthen young people’s desire to choose a profession. That wasn’t really okay at the time. We thought that with such a national competition and festival, we could draw their attention to the importance of vocational training, its results, and increase the prestige of the profession,” explained the president of BOKIK.

“Back then, everything was about the diploma, the general feeling was that you could only succeed with a diploma. I think that this perception has changed today. Because a good skilled worker, a good industrialist can have at least as secure existence and respect as graduates,” he reminded. Emphasizing that the two should never be contrasted.

The turning point came in the 2010s, when agreements were reached with the government that strengthened this, for example, dual training became common, which connected businesses with training places, from vocational training to universities. This is a big step because you can learn the theory of a profession at school, but you can only learn the practical skills in the world of work. “There is no theoretical twist,” he asserted. According to him, this competition proves that children with excellent skills and serious professional knowledge reached the finals. The president of BOKIK hopes that the six young people representing our county will manage to show the best of their skills and finish somewhere near the podium places on Friday.

He couldn’t miss the opening of the festival Pál Veres Neither did the mayor of Miskolc, who considered it very important for him to come, since, as he said, Miskolc and the county have proven many times that they train excellent professionals. “Our vocational training schools provide skilled workers and specialists for the economy at an ever higher level and with ever better equipment. I am proud that young people from Miskolc made it to the final this year as well, they are here at the festival. I wish them and their training teachers a successful competition,” said Pál Veres.

Csilla Kenéz teacher, instructor of Szemere Bertalan Technikum, Vocational School and College of Miskolc SZC competing in the hairdressing section Greta Gyurkó their trainer said, they had to pass the theoretical competition in the first round, when they found out that they had passed, they started the practical work, essentially they trained every day, from morning to night. The finals are already on Saturday and Sunday. We learned from him that they practiced on both living people and doll heads. Hair was cut, highlighted, buns were made, and different women’s and men’s hairstyles were created. According to the teacher, nowadays there is no uniform “trendy” hairstyle fashion, people ask for many kinds, she says that what looks good is always good.

While we were talking with the trainer, Gréta was already in the competition, she was just showing a man’s haircut, using the melissa technique, which was followed by a haircut done on a doll’s head. On Thursday, he testifies to his skills in female hair sculpting. Csilla Kenéz clarified “The dot for I, always the bun”.

Mrs Erika Róbert Debrődi practical teacher, came from SZC Berzeviczy Gergely Technikum in Miskolc Gergely Gudasz merchant and web store technician with apprentice. They have been preparing for this competition since September with Gergelly, who is taking part in a two-year training course with them. They were mainly made with calculation tasks, marketing, product placement and other exercises. He performed very well in the previous rounds, reaching the finals as third place. They expect a good result now too. They have won several first places in previous years.

Béla Mandzák catering technology instructor, who came to the festival from SZC Berzeviczy Gergely Technikum in Miskolc László Somos with a catering organization student, he emphasized that they reached this point after serious preparation, he is very confident that his protégé will be on the podium. “I would say a magic word for this: dual training. László’s workplace is Vígadó, it was made there as well as in Berzeviczy. We practiced everything from computer technology to cooking to serving. The caterer is very versatile, serving, preparing cocktails and food, and making coffee. This is a serious competition, but I think László is well prepared,” informed the instructor.

So the Professional Star Festival has started, with six competitors from Miskolc, for whom you can be excited and cheer for until Friday, when it will be revealed who and how well he was able to show what he can do in this noble competition.

In the finals, our county is represented by six competitors in five professions, they are as follows:

Gergely Gudasz, trader and web store technician. Miskolc SZC Gergely Berzeviczy Technical University.
László Somos, catering manager. Miskolc SZC Gergely Berzeviczy Technical University.
Oliver Mátyás Tóth, railway traffic service provider. Miskolci SZC Gábor Baross Business and Transport Technical College.
Balázs Kádár, technical computer scientist. Miskolc SZC Kálmán Kálmán Informaticai Technikum.
Réka Juhász, hairdresser. Miskolci SZC Szemere Bertalan Technical College, Vocational School and College.
Greta Gyurkó, hairdresser. Miskolci SZC Szemere Bertalan Technical College, Vocational School and College.