Hungary. Night of Professions – vocational orientation from a new perspective

Project owner: Mr Dávid Rozványi, National Office of Vocational Education and Training and Adult Learning

The programme “Night of Professions” is the biggest career guidance event organised in Hungary to boost the popularity of vocational education and training.

The idea of the event came from an 8-year old boy, who, after participating in a Researchers’ Night, concluded that a similar programme should be organised to get familiar with different professions.

The original aim of the “Night of Professions” was to organise an open school night for vocational schools and training institutions in Szeged, Csongrád county, and offer the visitors first-hand experience about the different kinds of professions and training offers. So many institutions wanted to join the programme that finally the organisers decided to make the “Night of Professions” a national event instead of a local one.

In 2016, 341 participating vocational institutions in 121 towns and all 44 Centres of Vocational Training in the country remained open after dark and offered various interactive programmes to promote vocational education and training. Altogether 43 572 visitors and 8096 teachers participated, and even 8 vocational schools joined the initiative from across the Hungarian border. In 2017 the number of visitors grew to 46,5 thousand and also more institutions participated: 423 institutions in 151 tows. This year not only state schools, but also foundation run schools, enterprises and cross-border vocational schools joined from Ukraine, Serbia, Romania and Slovakia.

More information: szakmakejszakaja.hu, www.facebook.com/szakmakejszakaja