The impact of post-2010 reforms on the role, spatial structure, and economic relations of vocational education and training in the Hungarian school system

Abstract

After the 2010 parliamentary elections, significant changes began in the Hungarian education system, replacing the decentralized (locally organized) public education model that had been established after the 1990 regime change—and which had retained its original character despite continuous modifications—with a centralized state education system that encompassed financing, management, and supervision, radically limiting the decision-making powers of institutions. financing, management, and supervision, and radically reduced the decision-making powers of institutions. The central government, which assumed full responsibility for the operation of the education system, emphasized strengthening alignment with economic needs as the most important priority when formulating the vision for school-based vocational training in 2011. It sought to achieve this by strengthening practical training organized with the involvement of economic actors, developing professional competencies, and restricting secondary school training that also leads to a high school diploma through administrative measures. The new 2015 state program, "Vocational Training in the Service of the Economy," resulted in organizational and management changes as a continuation of the previous period, but continued to focus on directly serving economic needs and increasing the attractiveness of vocational training. The new concept launched at the start of the next government cycle already signals noticeable changes in some areas. The program continues to refer to employer expectations and macroeconomic and labor market changes, but the conclusions drawn from these now include the need to strengthen the knowledge-based society, the importance of the competencies required for higher value-added jobs, and the development of a training system that meets regionally diverse economic needs. My study seeks to answer the question of what has been achieved in terms of these ideas over the past decade and a half, which has been marked by reorganization, as evidenced by the data.