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Livable city, innovation, building the future – all these topics were discussed during the programme element of the Career Week of Mechwart András Mechanical and Informatics Technical School of the Debrecen Vocational Training Centre (abbreviated as DSZC in Hungarian) on the 12th of February, 2025.

The theme week at the institution also includes programs outside the school building. This time, the students visited the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Debrecen, where professional lectures helped the DSZC graduates plan their future.

The Debrecen Vocational Training Center launched its Career Week event series in 2023. The essence of this series is to have a week in every school when company visits, interactive programmes, self-development, and professional presentations await students already in vocational training, helping them navigate the labour market.

At the public event of Career Week 2025 on the 12th of February, the Director of the András Mechwart Engineering and Informatics Technical School of DSZC, dr. Lajos Barcsa welcomed the Mechwart student community. He said that the purpose of education at the school is twofold. The primary mission is to teach a marketable profession that provides immediate employment and prepares students for further education. In connection with the latter mission, the students were given information on this day at an external site, the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Debrecen. In cooperation with corporate partners, organisations and higher education institutions, the Career Week introduces young people to further education and career opportunities in their respective fields.

Deputy Mayor Lajos Barcsa came to Career Week for a professional presentation. “You are in a perfect place and at a good time,” he said to the young people, referring to Debrecen as “the other capital.” The deputy mayor presented Debrecen’s urban development strategy to the students of Mechwart. He said that between 2014 and 2020, the focus was on economic development and creating new industrial parks. From 2021 to 2030, urban development took centre stage. “These, in turn, attract, for example, transport and education development, and innovation appears in the Faculty of Engineering and the Debrecen Vocational Training Center institutions, including Mechwart,” he emphasized. He introduced the city’s industrial parks in his presentation, mentioning the companies building, operating, and arriving there. He pointed out that more than 20,000 jobs have been created recently. In addition to traditional industries, the city has also seen the emergence of new, emerging industries such as e-mobility, machinery, and aerospace. It is working to develop the services sector. The city government aims to create a liveable city full of opportunities. 

Dean of the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Debrecen, Prof. Dr. Géza Husi, presented the opportunities for further education to the young people. In his presentation, he helped the students understand what the developments coming to the city mean for them, for professionals studying in the technical field and planning their careers in this sector. He drew attention to the importance of innovation and the fact that in the decades between 2030 and 2060, today’s young people will have to build the future. While the undergraduate programs of the Faculty of Engineering teach known technologies and their operation and maintenance, the master’s programs teach the techniques of building the future. Although no one can be sure what the future will bring, they teach and pass on solutions and methods to overcome the challenges young people face. In addition, doctoral training will also be available, which will ensure the creation of a technical and scientific future. He pointed out that experience-based training and discovery-based education are essential for the faculty, and he also presented the infrastructural and technological opportunities.

The 130 students present at this Mechwart Career Week event also visited the new wing of the Faculty of Technology of the University of Debrecen and its laboratories. The DSZC Career Week programmes will continue in the Debrecen SZC Chemical Engineering Technology and the Debrecen SZC Irinyi János Technical School.

Source and photo credit: debrecen.hu