Accompanied by a four-head delegation, Ambassador Peter Burkhard travelled on October 30th to the city of Kecskemét in order to visit two companies and to discuss with local representatives from politics and business the Hungarian implementation of vocational training mechanisms as well as the challenges in the labour market.
The visit began with a visit of the Swiss technology company Phoenix Mecano, which with over 1’000 workers belongs to the largest employers in Kecskemét. In his presentation, managing director Dr. Zoltán Nagy underlined the importance of education of young professionals and gave an overview over the dynamic expansion of the firm’s premises during the last years. The company takes part in a pilot project launched with the aim of establishing dual vocational training mechanisms in Hungary.
In the afternoon, the delegation’s programme was proceeded by a visit to the Hungarian branch of the corporate group Schaffner EMV, whose operation focuses on the production of EMC filters. Managing director Dr. Gábor Papp highlighted among others the strategic advantages of the site in Kecskemét, but also mentioned the increasing challenges in the labour market.
The shortage of skilled professionals was also a recurring topic at the business lunch held together with 12 representatives of Swiss companies, educational institutions and local politics. Beyond that, the participants discussed the outlook for the expansion of dual vocational training in Hungary.
