Guidance-related amendments

The VET Act LXXX of 2019 established a new agency under the responsibility of the Ministry of Innovation and Technology: the IKK Innovative Training Support Centre Plc. (IKK Plc.). Since January 2020, IKK has been coordinating the work of careers counselling and guidance experts and is in charge of the development and running of a careers counselling and guidance system, in conformity with EU directives.

A booklet with all the necessary information on the new types of qualifications (occupations and sectors concerned), as well as the VET institutions, types and duration of programmes that deliver these qualifications, was prepared and released in 2020. Its aim is to facilitate career choice and familiarise both learners and their families with the new VET offer.

In 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, careers guidance was implemented largely online. Within the framework of the Improving the quality and content of 21st century vocational training and adult education project (GINOP - 6.2.4-VEKOP - 16-2017 - 00001), a Facebook group (Pályaori Klub - careers guidance club) was created to promote online communication in careers guidance.

The Hungarian Chamber for Commerce and Industry, on its online platform dedicated to careers guidance, created an application (Szakmavilág app) in 2020. The app targets mainly lower secondary education learners to explore areas of interest (completing and saving online questionnaires, keeping records of their practical training experiences) and to learn more about available VET programmes, qualifications and sectors in demand in the national economy.

Digital content was uploaded in 2020 onto the careers guidance online platform operated by the National Office for Vocational Education and Training and Adult Learning (NOVETAL) to compensate for the negative impacts of the coronavirus pandemic.

In the school year 2020/21, 18 VET centres started an orientation year programme, available to learners having finished lower secondary education and uncertain about the education pathway to follow.

Starting from the 2020/21 school year, every student in the final grade of lower secondary studies is required to complete a career guidance questionnaire accessible on the Education Authority's website. This national survey consists of 86 questions specifically designed for 14-year-olds, taking into account their age-related characteristics. The questionnaire assesses the students' personal competences (such as responsibility and self-awareness), skills, interests, and practical knowledge. The purpose of this assessment is to assist students in choosing an upper secondary educational pathway, as mandated by the national public education Act, which came into effect in 2020.

In 2021, IKK, the VET state administration body responsible for career guidance in VET institutions surveyed the career orientation activities of each career guidance and counselling organisation. Based on this, their tasks/activities were streamlined.

Beside this, IKK also significantly supported the career guidance of lower secondary students in 2021 through the IKK website on career choice; this made it possible to find all important information related to Hungarian VET. The following information can be found:

1. separate leaflets and cards presenting each basic vocational occupation;
2. a table of correspondence between the vocational qualifications included in the former national qualification Register (OKJ) and the new Register of basic vocational qualifications (Szakmajegyzék);
3. an interactive map featuring countrywide locations of VET institutions and the vocational occupations and qualifications offered by them.

The website had, up to September 2021, 2 million users and 1 million page visits.

Beside this, the IKK Plc runs a unique and innovative social media platform named SkillsCom which is the place for networking in VET. In August 2021 the platform had a total of 203 users.

The facebook group Pályaori Klub (Career guidance club) continued its activity during 2021: online career guidance events (webinars) took place frequently, introductions of vocational institutions were offered in parental meetings, and individual and group counselling were organised to help young people in their career choice. Large volumes of digital content are uploaded onto the career guidance online platform, operated by the National Office for VET and Adult Learning (NSZFH). It contains fact sheets of vocational occupations, and vocational schools, career guidance related advices for students and parents and support for them, advices for students with disadvantaged backgrounds and learning disabilities, activities organised by different stakeholders involved in career guidance.

The county/capital pedagogical counselling services, the Hungarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Hungarian Chamber for Agriculture also implemented career guidance activities in 2021 despite the negative impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In the school year 2021/22, 25 vocational institutions maintained by the State and 2 vocational institutions maintained by ecclesiastical stakeholders provided a career orientation development year programme.

The Educational Authority (Oktatási Hivatal) created a Career Guidance Measurement and Support Tool (Pályaorientációs Méro és Támogatóeszköz, abbreviated POM), which provides a complex online application to help primary and secondary school students in their career choices from June 2021. Its aim is to increase students' self-awareness and to introduce them to occupations. The tool assesses the interests and skills of students in grades 7-8 and 10-12 through a series of questions and tasks to recommend careers and activities that best match their needs.

The Capital Pedagogical Counselling Service (Fovárosi Pedagógiai Szakszolgálat) has published a guide to help students in grade 8 of primary school in their further education decision, entitled 'Further Education Guide 2022/23' (Továbbtanulási kisokos 2022/23), which is available both in hard copy publication and online. The booklet provides comprehensive information about the options for education after primary school for pupils and their parents to help them make an informed decision. Their activities are mainly focused on the career orientation of students with social-economical disadvantages and learning disabilities.

In 2022, the National Chamber of Agriculture organised career guidance programme weeks called 'Trade Taster' (Szakmakóstoló Hét), where primary school students were introduced to a specific agricultural vocational occupation for a week during the summer holiday and the Autumn Career Guidance Open Day (Oszi pályaorientációs napok) where students who are about to choose a career were introduced to agricultural VET institutions. The events organised in the framework of these two programmes were registered as part of the European Skills Week. In addition, in 2022, the chamber took IVET students to agricultural fairs and exhibitions: 'Stars of Trades' festival (Szakma Sztár fesztivál), Ploughland Days (Szántóföldi Napok), Agricultural Exhibiton and Picnic Pápa (Pápai Expó és Agrárpiknik) and produced career guidance leaflets, publications (Compass of Agricultural Vocational Occupations) and short films on agricultural occupations, which were promoted at various career guidance events.

In 2022, the Vocational Occupations Booklet was also updated, and the opinion of the SSCs was incorporated. The 'Information booklet on the basic vocational qualifications - recommended by the Sector Skills Councils, 2022/23' provides comprehensive information on the basic vocational qualifications listed in the Register of Vocational Qualifications (Szakmajegyzék) to be introduced in the VET system for young people about to choose a career, for career changers, for educational institutions and for teachers and trainers working in VET. It was published on the basis of the recommendation from the SSCs. 100 000 copies were produced, and its primary target group is primary school students in the 8th grade in the public education system. It has also been distributed to primary schools, regional chambers, ministries and the Innovative Training Support Centre (IKK).

In 2023, the career guidance events, such as the 'Trade Taster' weeks, the Autumn Career Guidance Open Day, and participation in agricultural fairs and exhibitions, continued. Career guidance platforms, including SkillsCom, the Pályaori Facebook group, and the online platform operated by NSZFH, also remained active.

Government Decree No 12/2020 (II. 7.) on the implementation of the VET Act, as amended by Government Decree No 292/2023, states that the professional programme of VET institutions must include a description of the available career guidance services.

VET centres and their schools are required to include a customer service (Infopoint) as a mandatory element of their quality management system. Some VET centres (Debrecen, Gyor, Karcag, Miskolc, Nyíregyháza, Székesfehérvár, Szolnok, and Vác) have already established Info Points, offering personalised advice to adults on training courses aligned with their career objectives, personal circumstances, and validated prior knowledge and skills. Adults can also access information about adult VET opportunities, including eligibility for free training and options to shorten training durations. Additionally, young people preparing to choose a career, along with their parents, can receive tailored advice to enhance self-awareness, expand career knowledge, and make realistic career decisions through individual or group counselling sessions. Info Points are expected to be established in all VET Centres by 2030, with the aim of integrating skills forecasting information into counselling services by that time.

In 2023, the first intensive communication campaign for VET was launched, promoting VET through short films, billboards, and social media platforms. The campaign was coordinated with the support of IKK Plc. and aimed to enhance the attractiveness of VET, help primary school students make career choices, and encourage adult upskilling, in line with the VET 4.0 strategy.

The public space campaign included billboards promoting IVET and CVET in 125 locations across Budapest and other regions, placed in key urban areas and along busy motorways. The online campaign featured video content targeted at young people on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube, while static ads appeared on origo.hu. Influencers and contributors also promoted VET on their social media channels. The campaign achieved millions of views, with TikTok generating the highest impressions and YouTube ads receiving the most clicks. The total number of views of influencer videos alone approached one million.

In 2024, the career guidance events, such as the 'Trade Taster' weeks, the Autumn Career Guidance Open Day, and participation in agricultural fairs and exhibitions, continued. Career guidance platforms, including SkillsCom, the Pályaori Facebook group, and the online platform operated by NSZFH, also remained active.