Local services
A wide variety of training courses, professions, and companies awaited families on Dósa nádor Square. Secondary schools, companies, and firms presented themselves interactively, and more than 50 exhibitors were available to inquire at the stands of more than 50 exhibitors at the fourth Debrecen Trade Festival on Saturday.
“This year’s motto of the Debrecen Trade Festival is “Move, Meet, Build a Career with Us!”. The Debrecen Vocational Training Centre brought the long-awaited summer career orientation program series back to the heart of the city centre for the fourth time. In 2022, the Debrecen Vocational Training Centre (abbreviated as DSZc in Hungarian) launched its major spring event, the Debrecen Trade Festival, with the intention of creating a tradition, with the priority mission of career orientation and career support. Over the years, the programme series has grown into one of the center’s most important strategic events, as it offers primary school students who are about to choose a career an opportunity to meet the city’s educational portfolio, a point of introduction for secondary school students with their future employers and companies, but the event is also a connecting link between students and university faculties. It targets young people, but it also offers opportunities to adults who are eager to change careers and seek new challenges. DSZC’s economic partners, various organisations and administrative units of the city are also present at the all-day event every year. This multi-actor cooperation carries an important message: they all work together to educate Debrecen’s workforce and keep young people in town,” as DSZC summarised in its press release. The event also has a featured partner every year; this year the “Move, Debrecen!” programme is the hallmark of the event, standing alongside the initiative. The partnership is not just nominal; the family day that brings a good atmosphere every year is expanded to a sports and health day this year. The Debrecen Vocational Training Centre joined the “Move, Debrecen!” school programme in 2023 with the aim of promoting sports and encouraging a healthy lifestyle among young people as widely as possible.
“Today, all those companies that can provide job opportunities for young people will be presenting themselves. I wish everyone to look around carefully, find the inspirations that will move their lives forward, and, of course, learn a profession that will not only provide a living but also bring joy to their lives. Debrecen has the opportunity to do this, and one of our most important goals is that those who study in the “cívis” city will stay here later and further strengthen the “cívis” city,” Chairman of the Cultural Committee of the Parliament László Pósán said at the ceremonial opening of the Vocational Festival.
Deputy Mayor Lajos Barcsa put it that this event has three goals: career choice, networking, and emphasising the importance of health. “Debrecen rightfully bears the title of the city of the future, because thanks to the companies operating here, a secure future awaits young people. Our common goal with the organisers of the Tradel Festival is that everyone can find their place in the city, whether it is about studying or looking for a job,” he said.
“When the Debrecen Vocational Training Centre approached us with the request to be our event partner, we did not hesitate for a moment, since the centre also plays a huge role in our school programme,” Deputy Mayor Diána Szélesemphasised. She added, “ We are in a place of cooperation today, since everyone who operates in the city, whether it is an educational institution or a company, works for local children. Today, young people can receive all the information from the teachers and companies present that can completely determine their future.”
Director of the Debrecen Primary Care and Health Development Institute Csaba Papp said that the secret of Debrecen is cooperation, and where the city and schools work together, there is a sure path to the future. “ Here, everyone can get a glimpse into the professions that can be studied in the “cívis” city, but the institutions of the school district and the university are also present, and this collaboration is sure to be an unparalleled opportunity for everyone who imagines their future here,” he highlighted.
“This is a day of encounters, and we are very grateful to the vocational training centre that our institutions can meet at events like this and similar ones. Together with my colleagues, we assure the students that everyone here works for the local students, so I wish everyone interested to find the path that leads to a secure future,” Director of the Debrecen School District Centre László Türk pointed out.
“40 years ago, when I chose the teaching profession, my idea was that schools are not against each other, but for the children: we must ensure that they find their place in both work and private life,” Director General of the Debrecen Vocational Training Centre Sándor Szilágyi explained. “Perhaps I saw the future in advance, because today there is such cooperation between educational institutions and local companies that drives both education and the economy forward. The aim of the Trade Festival is to show our students career opportunities in secondary schools, business partners, and higher education that can secure the future of young people and the city,” the Director General stated.
State Secretary for Higher Education, Vocational and Adult Education, and Youth of the Ministry of Culture and Innovation Veronika Varga-Bajusz joined the afternoon programme of the event and emphasised that something is always happening in Debrecen and that vocational education is developing. “The Trade Festival itself is a very good initiative, as companies, entrepreneurs, and educational institutions show young people and families what opportunities are available in the form of a family day. Today, visitors can try out the innovations and tools that exhibitors are working with, and anyone who feels like pursuing a profession can acquire it in the coming period and build a career and a secure future,” she explained.
The opportunities offered by the city seem attractive to most students, and many of them also imagine their future here in the future. For example, Emma Varga said to the cameras of Debrecen Television that at this event she was able to learn about several professions and thus more easily understand what is needed for life. She said that she could imagine her future here in Debrecen because, in her opinion, “It is a pretty good city; there is a lot to be found in it.” Dóra Letícia Samu made a similar statement, as she said she would like to be an architect and will spend her years of study here, in Debrecen. There was no shortage of programmes promoting sports at the event: there were demonstrations, attendees could get a “taste” of the beneficial effects of Zumba, but they could also try out different sports with the help of the programme coordinators, and a special feature was that visitors to Dósa nádor Square could also take part in health screenings.
Source and photo credit:debrecen.hu
