In Baranya County, the range of career guidance programs has expanded significantly this school year: the series of vocational skills competitions organized by the schools of the Baranya County Vocational Training Center (PBKIK) offered a tangible, experience-based glimpse into the world of professions for multiple age groups and across various sectors in 2026. The program focused on ensuring that students typically in grades 6–7, who are facing career choices, not only hear about the professions but also experience through hands-on tasks what skills and mindset are required for each field.
This year, the competition series covered seven sectors. The technical fields were represented by mechanical engineering (Gép-ésszel), electronics and electrical engineering (Villany-Ász), vehicle engineering/manufacturing (AutóMánia), and construction (Épít-ésszel); in addition, separate competitions were held for hospitality (Ide-süss!), retail (Blokk & Roll), and tourism (Turizmustra). The themes clearly demonstrate that the organizers kept both classic industrial needs and the growing labor demand in the region’s service sector in mind.
The competition consisted of three rounds spread over several months. In the first round, the teams familiarized themselves with the basic concepts and typical workflows of their respective sectors through online assignments. The second round focused specifically on creative and practical skills: students created projects using materials provided by the Vocational Training Center and following precise technical specifications, including structures such as a solar-powered “bicycle,” a wind-powered hammer mechanism, or even a dump truck. Several locally relevant themes were incorporated into the assignments: the topics included the 500th anniversary of the Battle of Mohács and Vasarely’s visual world, thus incorporating creative design and cultural connections alongside technical thinking.
The finals were not simply “quizzes”: the organizational structure was designed so that, by the end of the process, the children would be able to work together, complete tasks on time, and briefly present their solutions. The focus was thus on competencies that are essential for future work: problem-solving, teamwork, communication, time management, adaptability, and critical thinking.
One of the most important features of the competition series is that it operates with strong business support beyond the school setting. The Centrum and the Chamber involve corporate, professional, and cluster partners in the implementation of the program, which not only raises the standard of the competitions but also directly links career guidance to the actual needs of the local labor market. Among the participating and supporting partners are both local and national entities —including companies in the energy, construction, public service, and manufacturing sectors—which indicates that the dual approach and the practical demonstration of trades in the region are increasingly based on strong, visible collaboration. In the industrial and service sectors of Pécs and Baranya, the appeal of vocational training is a key issue: for manufacturing and technical service investments, the greatest value lies in the availability of a new generation capable of learning, while in the fields of tourism, hospitality, and commerce, a stable labor supply is a fundamental prerequisite for quality services. The core message of the current competition series is that career guidance in Baranya is not a one-off program, but increasingly a system that reaches out to young people early on and uses experiential learning to make it clear “what a profession means” in everyday life—thereby strengthening the county’s ability to replenish its workforce.
