- 2019Approved/Agreed
- 2020Implementation
- 2021Implementation
- 2022Implementation
- 2023Implementation
- 2024Implementation
Background
Before the introduction of the 2019 Act on VET, lots of learners left vocational grammar schools with only a secondary school leaving exam and without a vocational qualification. Additionally, the permeability between vocational grammar schools and vocational secondary schools was low, and the rate of students leaving school without a qualification was around 12%. VET also faced low prestige within the national context.
Objectives
Raising the attractiveness, flexibility and permeability of upper secondary VET programmes; developing trilateral cooperation amongst IVET schools, higher education and companies involved in dual VET; creating upper secondary VET institutions that can be entrance pathways to higher education; creating VET programmes for vulnerable students to reduce the rate of those leaving school without a qualification; strengthening career guidance; cooperation with higher education, which enjoys a high reputation within the national context.
Description
Hungary from the school year 2020/21 introduced the following IVET programmes, and changed the name (types) of the existing IVET institutions as follows:
Five-year technological programmes (Technicums)
The previous vocational grammar school (szakgimnázium) programmes have been renamed Technicums (Technikum) and will provide five years of combined general education and VET with the possibility of a preparatory foreign language year. At the end of the programme, learners acquire the secondary school leaving certificate (HuQF/EQF level 4) and a technician diploma (HuQF/EQF level 5). Programme curricula (Programtantervek, PTT) are defined in line with IVET programme and outcome requirements (képzési és kimeneti követelmények, KKK) defined by the ministry responsible for IVET for each qualification listed in the register of vocational occupations (szakmajegyzék). The programme curricula shall be considered as a recommendation for schools, except for the total sum of teaching hours. (Each VET institution has to work out a local vocational programme, and in the case of dual training, a practical training programme too (the latter in cooperation with the enterprises participating in dual training).
The first two years (grades 9 and 10) cover general subjects (the same as in upper secondary general education) and the common content of the VET occupation affiliated to the same economic sector. They are followed by a sectoral basic...
Hungary from the school year 2020/21 introduced the following IVET programmes, and changed the name (types) of the existing IVET institutions as follows:
Five-year technological programmes (Technicums)
The previous vocational grammar school (szakgimnázium) programmes have been renamed Technicums (Technikum) and will provide five years of combined general education and VET with the possibility of a preparatory foreign language year. At the end of the programme, learners acquire the secondary school leaving certificate (HuQF/EQF level 4) and a technician diploma (HuQF/EQF level 5). Programme curricula (Programtantervek, PTT) are defined in line with IVET programme and outcome requirements (képzési és kimeneti követelmények, KKK) defined by the ministry responsible for IVET for each qualification listed in the register of vocational occupations (szakmajegyzék). The programme curricula shall be considered as a recommendation for schools, except for the total sum of teaching hours. (Each VET institution has to work out a local vocational programme, and in the case of dual training, a practical training programme too (the latter in cooperation with the enterprises participating in dual training).
The first two years (grades 9 and 10) cover general subjects (the same as in upper secondary general education) and the common content of the VET occupation affiliated to the same economic sector. They are followed by a sectoral basic exam which enables learners to continue specialised vocational studies (grades 11 to 13) or, in certain sectors, if they decide to leave the Technicum programme, to get a job, which has been established in the IVET programme and outcome requirements (KKK, képzési és kimeneti követelmények) for a given occupation. Graduates from upper secondary general education (grammar schools) may take part in a two-year technician programme (without general subjects) to acquire the technician diploma.
The law enables technikums to create a so-called certified technician programme, jointly elaborated by Technicums and higher education institutions through a cooperation agreement. The aim is to create a direct path to HE VET studies by making the HE admission process easier for graduates of the certified technician qualification, and by harmonising the dual training arrangements in place in Technicums and higher education institutions. Graduates with a certified technician qualification receive 30 credits that they can use in their higher education studies if they choose the same sectoral specialisation in the given higher education institution. One of the first pilots took place at the Boronkay György Technicum School (Boronkay György Muszaki Technikum és Gimnázium), which is affiliated to the VET Centre in Vác, has been set up to test the harmonisation of programme curricula of the electrotechnical technical training programme with the respective HE programme.
Three-year vocational schools (szakképzo iskola)
Secondary vocational schools (szakközépiskola) have been renamed vocational schools (szakképzo iskola), combining general and vocational education. In the first year (grade 9), learners follow general education subjects, and within the framework of initial sectoral education, the common content of the VET occupation affiliated to the same economic sector. After one year, sectoral foundation learners will take a basic sectoral exam, which enables them to continue their specialised vocational studies over the next two years (grades 10 and 11) or even in a technikum, and acquire a vocational qualification. Graduates can enter the labour market or choose to obtain a secondary school leaving certificate in a Technicum, through a two-year, part-time (evening or distance) learning programme.
Special vocational schools (szakiskola)
Programmes are based on special framework curricula; special vocational schools are subject to the Act on National Public Education. They offer two or four-year skills, or practical skills, development programmes to SEN learners to acquire an IVET qualification listed in the register of vocational occupations and/or a (partial) vocational qualification from those based on adult training programme requirements.
Skills development and orientation programmes
The previous Bridging programmes are replaced as from 2020/21 by new types of skills development and orientation programmes for the below target groups:
- a basic competence development programme, the Springboard School Class (Dobbantó), targeting young people over 16 (without an upper age limit) , who have already dropped out of education and training or are about to leave the system, to stay in education and training. The programmes are offered in three-year vocational schools, enabling them to find the best way to return to the school system and to move on towards a successful career;
- a catch-up programme delivered in school workshops (muhelyiskola) introduced from the academic year 2020/21 in VET schools and special vocational schools. The minimum duration for acquiring a partial qualification is six months, with a maximum duration of 24 months, and can cross over academic years. There are no general subjects, and learners are supported by a teacher (mentor) throughout the programme. It is aimed at young people who did not finish basic education and have completed the Springboard programme in a three-year vocational school or finished basic education and are over 16. The programme prepares disadvantaged learners for obtaining a partial qualification, which has to be organised in practical workshop settings (in groups of five learners) or work simulation laboratories in school settings; or at enterprises;
- an optional orientation year is available in three-year vocational schools for those young people who are uncertain in their career choice or who finished their primary school with a lack of competences. The aim is not to repeat the primary school curriculum, but based on an assessment of their competences as a learner, deepen their self-knowledge and provide them with career orientation and guidance. In this programme learners foster basic competences to enter a VET programme and obtain a first IVET qualification.
The ministry responsible for IVET is responsible for the management of the register of VET occupations, with other ministries being responsible for qualifications in their sectors
Artistic, pedagogical and public cultivation vocational programmes remain under the old training system and structure (vocational grammar schools), as they are subject to the Act on National Public Education but they deliver a VET occupation, regulated by the VET Act LXXX of 2019. Equally, artistic school teachers are subject to the Act on National Public Education.
The IVET programmes introduced in the 2020/21 school year are reviewed regularly based on the feed-back of the Sector Skills Councils, who are in permanent contact with labour-market stakeholders. Thus, the Programme and Outcome Requirements (KKKs) of the vocational occupations listed in the Register of Vocational Occupations are regularly updated in accordance with labour market needs. Sector Skills Councils also make a yearly monitoring report on the practical operation of the Hungarian IVET system.
The VET Act LXXX of 2019, coming into force on 1 January 2020, transformed the training structure, the content and the names (types) of the upper secondary VET institutions and programmes as from the 2020/21 academic year.
The new VET institution types and programmes were phased in during the 2020/21 academic year. A new certified technician programme has been prepared to be introduced from the 2021/22 school year.
The phasing out of the old VET system and phasing in of the new one was still in progress. The new VET system was well accepted.
The new certified technician programme was introduced in Technicums. The local programme is prepared jointly by a Technicum secondary school and a higher education institution based on a cooperation agreement and is delivered in the last three years (specialised vocational subjects) of the five-year Technicum programme to those learners who have successfully completed the first two-year cycle and passed the basic sectoral exam. Holders of the certified technician qualification may have their learning recognised when enrolling in higher education (in the given higher education institution, thus getting 30 credits considered as fulfilled, or even shortening the duration of the HE programme. Learners following the specialisation years of the Technicum programme in the framework of dual training (with a vocational employment contract with a company) may continue their practical training with the same company when following up vocational studies in a higher education institution.
In the school year 2021/22, in 27 Technicums affiliated to 16 VET centres and cooperating with 13 universities in 10 economic sectors (especially in the fields of engineering, information and technology and economics), 917 enroled students have chosen this type of programme.
A new sector has been emerging in 2020, the creative sector, in the framework of which skills and knowledge applicable to the creative industries can be acquired through vocational education, in Technicums and vocational schools. In the previous years, young people with creative, artistic skills were able to choose only the artistic vocational grammar school. In 2021, the professions have been categorised into sub-sectors. Creative Technicums give students the possibility to develop their talent, acquiring vocational occupations in creative industry and visual technique, of the arts and sound technologies respectively. The graphic designer occupation is a good example, which can be chosen as an art in the vocational grammar school, while the industrial graphic designer occupation can be learned in a creative Technicum. There are 14 vocational occupations in the creative sector. Five vocational occupations can be acquired in the framework of a 3-year vocational school programme (practice-oriented VET programme), 9 vocational occupations within the framework of Technicums.
In 2022, a new sector (Education) and a related vocational occupation of education specialist assistant were created. The occupation is offered by the Pedagogical Technicum, a five year technician programme. The related KKK (Programme and Outcome Requirements), PTT (Programme Curricula) and a training programme have been developed in cooperation with three universities, with a high number of practical hours to allow prospective students gaining practical experience with children of different ages and from different types of institutions.
In the school year 2022/23, the certified technician programme was expanded: it is organised in 42 Technicums affiliated to 23 VET centres and cooperating with 17 universities in 13 economic sectors.
The map-based national VET institution search system, originally established for the 2019/20 school year, was further expanded in 2023 with two new functions:
a. Search option for VET institutions offering programmes for SEN learners: the search application now includes specific information on the types of disabilities accommodated by each institution. In addition to searching by sector, vocational qualification, and VET institution, users can now find information on:
i. which vocational programmes are adapted for enrolment by students with specific disabilities;
ii. which VET institutions are equipped to support students with specific disabilities.
b. Information on VET for Adults: In 2023, the VET institution search system was expanded to include vocational adult training programmes, based on programme requirements (PKs), alongside the qualifications for the school based VET system. This enhancement was made possible through a direct link between the institution finder and the Unified Digital Information System (EDIR), which provides data on adult training programmes. EDIR hosts the websites of VET Centres and institutions, ensuring a high-quality, user-friendly, and standardised online platform. Users can now search for vocational adult qualifications by county, city, training field, specialisation, or qualification.
The expansion of the comprehensive national VET institution search system, initiated in 2023, was completed for the 2024/25 school year. The system is available on the IKK Training Support Centre website (https://ikk.hu/terkep).
Although micro-credentials have not yet been introduced in VET programmes, they have been defined in legislation. The 2024 amendments to the VET Act define micro-credentials 'as publicly available certificates documenting the learning outcomes achieved in a VET subject. These outcomes are independently assessed by a VET institution, but not representing a full qualification or educational attainment'.
The popularity of certified technician training continues to grow. In the 2024/25 school year:
- 139 IVET institutions launched 297 certified technician training courses across 20 sectors;
- 28 higher education institutions partnered in the training of certified technicians.
Bodies responsible
- Ministry of Culture and Innovation
Target groups
Learners
- Learners in upper secondary, including apprentices
Thematic categories
Governance of VET and lifelong learning
This thematic category looks at existing legal frameworks providing for strategic, operational – including quality assurance – and financing arrangements for VET and lifelong learning (LLL). It examines how VET and LLL-related policies are placed in broad national socioeconomic contexts and coordinate with other strategies and policies, such as economic, social and employment, growth and innovation, recovery and resilience.
This thematic category covers partnerships and collaboration networks of VET stakeholders – especially the social partners – to shape and implement VET in a country, including looking at how their roles and responsibilities for VET at national, regional and local levels are shared and distributed, ensuring an appropriate degree of autonomy for VET providers to adapt their offer.
The thematic category also includes efforts to create national, regional and sectoral skills intelligence systems (skills anticipation and graduate tracking) and using skills intelligence for making decisions about VET and LLL on quality, inclusiveness and flexibility.
This thematic sub-category refers both to formal mechanisms of stakeholder engagement in VET governance and to informal cooperation among stakeholders, which motivate shared responsibility for quality VET. Formal engagement is usually based on legally established institutional procedures that clearly define the role and responsibilities for relevant stakeholders in designing, implementing and improving VET. It also refers to establishing and increasing the degree of autonomy of VET providers for agile and flexible VET provision.
In terms of informal cooperation, the sub-category covers targeted actions by different stakeholders to promote or implement VET. This cooperation often leads to creating sustainable partnerships and making commitments for targeted actions, in line with the national context and regulation, e.g. national alliances for apprenticeships, pacts for youth or partnerships between schools and employers. It can also include initiatives and projects run by the social partners or sectoral organisations or networks of voluntary experts and executives, retired or on sabbatical, to support their peers in the fields of VET and apprenticeships, as part of the EAfA.
Modernising VET offer and delivery
This thematic category looks at what and how individuals learn, how learning content and learning outcomes in initial and continuing VET are defined, adapted and updated. First and foremost, it examines how VET standards, curricula, programmes and training courses are updated and modernised or new ones created. Updated and renewed VET content ensures that learners acquire a balanced mix of competences that address modern demands, and are more closely aligned with the realities of the labour market, including key competences, digital competences and skills for green transition and sustainability, both sector-specific and across sectors. Using learning outcomes as a basis is important to facilitate this modernisation, including modularisation of VET programmes. Updating and developing teaching and learning materials to support the above is also part of the category.
The thematic category continues to focus on strengthening high-quality and inclusive apprenticeships and work-based learning in real-life work environments and in line with the European framework for quality and effective apprenticeships. It looks at expanding apprenticeship to continuing vocational training and at developing VET programmes at EQF levels 5-8 for better permeability and lifelong learning and to support the need for higher vocational skills.
This thematic category also focuses on VET delivery through a mix of open, digital and participative learning environments, including workplaces conducive to learning, which are flexible, more adaptable to the ways individuals learn, and provide more access and outreach to various groups of learners, diversifying modes of learning and exploiting the potential of digital learning solutions and blended learning to complement face-to-face learning.
Centres of vocational excellence that connect VET to innovation and skill ecosystems and facilitate stronger cooperation with business and research also fall into this category.
VET standards and curricula define the content and outcomes of learning, most often at national or sectoral levels. VET programmes are based on standards and curricula and refer to specific vocations/occupations. They all need to be regularly reviewed, updated and aligned with the needs of the labour market and society. They need to include a balanced mix of vocational and technical skills corresponding to economic cycles, evolving jobs and working methods, and key competences, providing for resilience, lifelong learning, employability, social inclusion, active citizenship, sustainable awareness and personal development (Council of the European Union, 2020). The thematic sub-category also refers to establishing new VET programmes, reducing their number or discontinuing some. It also includes design of CVET programmes and training courses to adapt to labour market, sectoral or individual up- and re-skilling needs.
Transparency and portability of VET skills and qualifications
European principles and tools, such as EQF, ESCO, ECTS, Europass and ECVET, provide a strong basis for transparency and portability of national and sectoral qualifications across Europe, including the issuing of digital diplomas and certificates.
This thematic category looks at how individuals are supported in transferring, accumulating, and validating skills and competences acquired in formal, non-formal and informal settings – including learning on the job – and in having their learning recognised towards a qualification at any point of their lives. This is only possible if qualifications are transparent and comparable and are part of comprehensive national qualifications frameworks. Availability of qualifications smaller than full and acquirable in shorter periods of time is necessary; some countries have recently worked on developing partial qualifications, microcredentials, etc.
This thematic sub-category refers to the development and implementation of qualifications that are smaller than full qualifications (alternative credentials) or are acquired in a shorter learning experience. It includes microcredentials, partial qualifications, units of learning outcomes (ECVET principle), digital badges, etc. These are owned by learners and can be combined or not to get a full qualification.
Supporting lifelong learning culture and increasing participation
Lifelong learning refers to all learning (formal, non-formal or informal) taking place at all stages in life and resulting in an improvement or update in knowledge, skills, competences and attitudes or in participation in society from a personal, civic, cultural, social or employment-related perspective (Erasmus+, Glossary of terms, https://erasmus-plus.ec.europa.eu/programme-guide/part-d/glossary-common-terms). A systemic approach to CVET is crucial to ensure adaptability to evolving demands.
This broad thematic category looks at ways of creating opportunities and ensuring access to re-skilling and upskilling pathways, allowing individuals to progress smoothly in their learning throughout their lives with better permeability between general and vocational education and training, and better integration and compatibility between initial and continuing VET and with higher education. Individuals should be supported in acquiring and updating their skills and competences and navigating easily through education and training systems. Strategies and campaigns that promote VET and LLL as an attractive and high-quality pathway, providing quality lifelong guidance and tailored support to design learning and career paths, and various incentives (financial and non-financial) to attract and support participation in VET and LLL fall into this thematic category as well.
This thematic category also includes many initiatives on making VET inclusive and ensuring equal education and training opportunities for various groups of learners, regardless of their personal and economic background and place of residence – especially those at risk of disadvantage or exclusion, such as persons with disabilities, the low-skilled and low-qualified, minorities, migrants, refugees and others.
This thematic sub-category refers to ensuring smooth transitions (permeability) of learners within the entire education and training system, horizontally and vertically. It includes measures and policies allowing learners easily or by meeting certain conditions to move from general education programmes to VET and vice versa; to increase qualification levels in their vocation through the possibility of attending vocational programmes at higher levels, including professional degrees in higher education. It also covers opening up learning progression by introducing flexible pathways that are based on the validation and recognition of the outcomes of non-formal and informal learning.
This thematic sub-category refers to providing the possibility for individuals who are already in the labour market/in employment to reskill and/or acquire higher levels of skills, and to ensuring targeted information resources on the benefits of CVET and lifelong learning. It also covers the availability of CVET programmes adaptable to labour market, sectoral or individual up- and reskilling needs. The sub-category includes working with respective stakeholders to develop digital learning solutions supporting access to CVET opportunities and awarding CVET credentials and certificates.
This thematic sub-category refers to providing high-quality lifelong learning and career guidance services, including making full use of Europass and other digital services and resources.
This thematic sub-category refers to making VET pathways and programmes inclusive and accessible for all. It concerns measures and targeted actions to increase access and participation in VET and lifelong learning for learners from all vulnerable groups, and to support their school/training-to-work transitions. It includes measures to prevent early leaving from education and training. The thematic sub-category covers measures promoting gender balance in traditionally ‘male’ and ‘female’ professions and addressing gender-related and other stereotypes. The vulnerable groups are, but not limited to: persons with disabilities; the low-qualified/-skilled; minorities; persons of migrant background, including refugees; people with fewer opportunities due to their geographical location and/or their socioeconomically disadvantaged circumstances.
European priorities in VET
VET Recommendation
- VET agile in adapting to labour market challenges
- Flexibility and progression opportunities at the core of VET
- VET as a driver for innovation and growth preparing for digital and green transitions and occupations in high demand
- VET as an attractive choice based on modern and digitalised provision of training and skills
- VET promoting equality of opportunities
Osnabrück Declaration
- Resilience and excellence through quality, inclusive and flexible VET
- Establishing a new lifelong learning culture - relevance of continuing VET and digitalisation
Subsystem
Further reading
Country
Type of development
Cedefop, & ReferNet. (2025). IVET programmes and institution types implemented according to the Act LXXX of 2019 on VET: Hungary. In Cedefop, & ReferNet. (2025). Timeline of VET policies in Europe (2024 update) [Online tool].
https://www.cedefop.europa.eu/en/tools/timeline-vet-policies-europe/search/36546