Founded in 1952, the Budapest Centre for

Catering and Human Training – Gundel

Károly Training School is the oldest and

largest hospitality and tourism vocational

training school in Hungary.

Making vocational education more attractive for students

and useful for employers

New friendships are formed the Budapest Centre for Catering and Human Training

Country

Hungary

Project period

2019-2023

Website

www.gundeliskola.hu

Project organisation

Budapest Centre for Catering and Human

Training – Gundel Károly Training School

Funding from THE VELUX FOUNDATIONS

DKK 10,309,946

Contact

Zoltán Kóbor

koborz@gundeliskola.hu

30 31GRANTED PROJECTS FOR CHILDREN & YOUTH IN CENTRAL & EASTERN EUROPE · 2018THE VELUX FOUNDATIONS

The state-run school has a faculty of 100, and its 1,500 students train for jobs such as confectioner, waiter, cook, catering manager, hospitality organiser, hotel receptionist, travel organiser, sales manager and tour guide.

As with elsewhere in Hungary and throughout the EU, interest in vocational schools is on the decline and drop-out rates are on the rise. Part of the reason is outdated programmes and course material, as well as difficulty finding firms willing to accept students for work placement. Paradoxically, many firms say they lack employees with the sorts of qualifications voca-tional schools can provide.

In order to stop this unfortunate trend, the school’s administration undertook a multi-year study to iden-tify ways to modernise its programmes and to improve teachers’ qualifications, all with the purpose of making

At the Vocational Training Centre you can train to be a cook, confectioner, waiter and other professions

students more motivated and improving the learn-ing environment. The results were used to develop a five-year project that has received a grant from THE VELUX FOUNDATIONS.

One of the project’s primary focus areas is teacher training, mainly in areas like experience-centred educational methods, student motivation, positive reinforcement, using technology in education, teacher-student partnership, environmental awareness, effective application of demonstration tools and non-violent communication.

In addition, the project will organize activities aimed at improving student motivation and career orientation. The latter is to be achieved through a comprehensive vocational guidance programme that involves profes-sional partners, and will incorporate visits to restau-rants, hotels, travel agencies and other businesses. The idea is that students should have a first-hand under-

standing of the everyday activities of their profession, and that they are aware of local products, restaurants, hotels and travel opportunities.

Much of this can be accomplished by updating the way courses are taught and shifting the emphasis to compe-tency development, acquiring soft skills and obtain-ing convertible knowledge. This, the school feels, can be improved by adding classes in hotel studies, food preparation, English and German civilization, complex science, foreign languages at a professional level, busi-ness maths, catering and confectionery. Courses will be developed together with external, professional partners.

Ultimately, the project seeks to raise the quality of vocational education and reduce the drop-out rate to below 5%, which the school believes will be a sign that students – and their parents – are satisfied with what they are learning.

right:Teamwork produce good results

top:Students are taught to make the perfect expresso

middle:The teacher makes sure that the students perform correctly

bottom:Setting the table to beautiful perfection

32 33GRANTED PROJECTS FOR CHILDREN & YOUTH IN CENTRAL & EASTERN EUROPE · 2018THE VELUX FOUNDATIONS