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“We who are older know that it’s always talented young people that write the future of Hungary,” the Prime Minister said.
He recalled that 15 to 20 years ago people thought also in Hungary that the future would be determined more by people with degrees in white-collar jobs.
However, in the past 15 years, we have built a workfare economy, and today everyone knows that without skilled labour and skilled workers there is no future, he stressed, adding that now skilled labour, skilled workers and qualified tradespeople constitute the backbone of the Hungarian economy.
He added that if people with an intellectual background, people in white-collar jobs also do their best, and the realms of the intellect and skilled labour are appropriately connected together, that will result in a successful Hungary.
He took the view that in the present era, it is difficult to foresee the future, and it is increasingly difficult to decide which profession one should opt for. At the beginning of the decade, it was a widespread belief that new technologies would soon replace manual labour, he observed, adding that it has transpired, however, that computers are unable to replace manual labour. At the same time, “office workers, lawyers, draftsmen and computer programmers have every reason to fear for their jobs.”
He also recalled that a decade ago no one thought that a war could break out in our immediate neighbourhood or that the European Union would lose its way and would fall behind the United States and Asia in the great global economic race.
“I’m convinced that those who choose a trade make the right decision. Those who choose one of the professions featured here, one that stands the test of time have nothing to fear from any new technology, from any war, or even from Brussels,” he said.
He pointed out that it was the duty of the Hungarian government to help young Hungarians to stand on their own feet and start an independent adult life. It is difficult to decipher what the future holds, but it is the task of the government to provide future-proof and modern training for everyone, he stated.
Mr Orbán also said they have brought the realm of university and vocational training closer together, and have combined the sophistication of university tuition with practical skills.
He highlighted that the last year spent in vocational training can now be included in university course credits, and those who perform the best are “admitted as a matter of course” to institutions of higher education. He added that they provide cutting-edge equipment and tools for students in order to enable them to acquire the most advanced possible skills and knowledge.
In Mr Orbán’s view, the results of these efforts are now beginning to pay off as Hungary is the 33rd most innovative country among the world’s 200 countries, while in cutting-edge production technologies we are ranked fifth in the world. This is so because Hungarians usually want to work at the highest possible standards, “in Hungary, work is still a matter of honour,” he observed.
“We were taught – and I sincerely hope you, too, have been taught – that if you do something, you do it well, to the highest world standards,” he said, adding that this applies to him as much as to students as well as their teachers and tutors. This work ethic must be handed down to the specialists of the future as well, he laid down.
We are on the right track, vocational training is becoming ever more attractive, the Prime Minister stressed, highlighting that when it comes to choosing a profession, more than one half of young people eventually opt for vocational training institutions. In most institutions, three times as many students seek admission as there are places, but in some cases applications for places are ten-fold.
On behalf of the Hungarian government, Mr Orbán guaranteed four things. First, that in Hungary everyone will have qualifications, and the doors of vocational training institutions are open to everyone. Second, that those who have qualifications will also have jobs. By now, there are more jobs than skilled workers, he pointed out.
The third thing he mentioned was that those who had jobs would also have fair wages. As long as the incumbent government is in power, every Hungarian’s work will be appreciated, he laid down.
“The fourth is that those who, in addition to working, also want to start a family will have homes and will be able to rely on the government’s family support measures. Because we know that those who start a family have a good chance for a happy life,” Mr Orbán said, highlighting that happy families comprise the strong and independent Hungary that we have fought for for centuries.
The Prime Minister wished the participants of the Star of the Profession Festival all the very best with the competition, stressing that today Hungarian vocational training is already at the vanguard of Europe.
