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1. Official guidelines on traineeships and apprenticeships

2. Promoting traineeships and apprenticeships

3. Recognition of learning outcomes

4. Funding

5. Quality assurance

Official guidelines on traineeships and apprenticeships

General information

Internships appear in the system of higher education and vocational education. In higher education (including higher educational, vocational training and dual training) the specific training and outcome requirements define the exact details (including duration and timing), whereas in vocational training the professional and examination requirements define these. The latter are set in decrees of the ministries responsible for the relevant areas. The training and outcome requirements need to be approved by the Educational Authority (Oktatási Hivatal), based on the expertise of the Hungarian Accreditation Committee (Magyar Felsőoktatási Akkreditációs Bizottság).

Traineeship in the system of vocational education

The Government Decree 12/2020. (II. 7.) states that the Council for Innovation in Vocational Training (Szakképzési Innovációs Tanács), in cooperation with the respective sector of the government, creates the professional and examination requirements and the related programme curriculums for vocational trainings. The programme curriculums include the necessary internship information (the number of hours) for each trainings.

The students are employed on the basis of internship agreement which means that the employers have to pay a wage to the student for their work. As of 1 January 2022, the base of the salary changed: before, it was calculated on the basis of the minimum wage, then on a certain cost in the budget of Hungary. This did not mean change in the total salary.

Dual training in the Vocational Training System

In 2020, the system of vocational schools changed by the 1168/2019. (III. 28.) Government Decision. An important provision was the introduction of dual training in vocational schools (duális szakmai oktatás) with the aim to have professional experience in a 'real' work place rather than in a vocational training place. The dual training ensures that the students

• participate in a professional traineeship,
• learn the business culture,
• acquire competitive knowledge and skills.

In addition, students get a salary for this work, with the amount of HUF 100 000 - 170 000 (about EUR 256 - 435). The students are employed with a vocational training employment contract. 

Changes in the dual training

The Act XXXIII of 2023 changed the vocational training regulations at several points, based on the impact assessment of the earlier changes since 2020. The responsible ministry, the Ministry of Culture and Innovation (Kulturális és Innovációs Minisztérium), stated that the aim of the act is to make the dual training more efficient, to broaden the programmes for social inclusion, to make the administration simpler and to provide more professional experience for students before entering the labour  market.

One change was that the short-term vocational training employment contract may be concluded with a student participating in specialized education or with a person participating in the training twice a year for 2-12 weeks each time instead of the previous 4-12 weeks. This change adapts to the shorter, two-week professional internships.

Besides that, juvenile workers (young people under the age of 16) who are taking part in a dual training programme can be employed again for 7 hours per day. Those who are over 18 years old can participate in dual training for 8 hours per day. The duration of the break between work assignments must also be included in the daily working time. 

The amount of leave that must be granted continuously during the summer holidays changes from 15 working days to 20 working days. After the change, the total amount of annual leave no longer depends on age, but on the type of legal relationship.

Internships within higher education

The most relevant official document in the topic regarding internship in higher education trainings is Government Regulation 230/2012 (VIII. 28.). According to the regulation the students are able to be employed on the basis of internship agreement and there are specific rules for this type of internship:

• night work and overtime shall not be required,
• the student's daily working time shall not exceed eight hours, in the case of the application of the working time framework, maximum working time of one week is prescribed,
• a rest period of at least 12 hours shall be ensured every day for the student
• a trial period shall not be required.

The Act CCIV of 2011 on National Higher Education (2011. évi CCIV. törvény a nemzeti felsőoktatásról) states that the student

'shall receive remuneration during the completion of a continuous practice period of at least six weeks and a dual study programme, the amount of which is 65 percent of the mandatory lowest remuneration for work (minimum wage) and, unless otherwise agreed, shall be paid by the workplace.'

Special target groups

Target groups of the student employment contracts are

• students in full time school-based training,
• students in adult education.

Promoting traineeships and apprenticeships

Upon completion of the Youth Guarantee Programme, it is the priority of the Hungarian Government to carry on this Programme. (For more information about the Youth Guarantee Programme, please see sub-chapter 3.2 Administration and governance.)

Traineeship programme – support services

A supplementary programme also assists the successful implementation of the traineeship programme: Traineeship programme – support services. This not only contributes to the wide dissemination and implementation of the traineeship programme through central coordination, but it also covers complex information and professional advisory activities for different target groups (trainees, mentors, economic organisations). The supplementary programme is implemented on the basis of the Vocational Training Centrum under the coordination of the Győr Technical Vocational Training Centre (Győri Szakképzési Centrum) and the implementation deadline was 30 September 2022.

Student jobs are acceptable as higher education traineeships

As of 2016, student jobs are permitted as traineeship. Student manpower associations are allowed to certify the students' traineeships if the company, where the students work, declare that the conditions of the work carried out and the workplace are in line with the requirements regarding the traineeship.

Introduction of student pre-contracts

This new initiative supports the development of relationships between students and companies before the actual start of dual training and could thus offer advantages in the admission process. Signing student pre-contracts is also a tool for well-founded career and profession selection. This makes the future more predictable both for the student and the employer.

Recognition of learning outcomes

In formal education, traineeships are part of vocational education in the framework curriculum, which means that recognition is achieved through the acquisition of the qualification. In higher education, the process is also similar, with different credit values are assigned to different types of traineeships. The recognition of traineeships carried out earlier is also possible.

The  Act CCIV of 2011 on National Higher Education (2011. évi CCIV. törvény a nemzeti felsőoktatásról) states that

'The credit transfer committee may recognise prior non-formal and informal learning, as well as work experiences, furthermore, the knowledge acquired during a vocational training, for the purpose of the fulfilment of academic requirements, as set out in this Act and the applicable government decree.'

Adult Education and Training

In 2023, the Government has adopted the Action Plan effective until 2030 for the 'Vocational Training 4.0' strategy (‘Szakképzés 4.0’ stratégia 2030-ig tartó cselekvési terve). There is an objective in the Action Plan that aims at creating flexible learning paths in adult education and training, and one indicator of it is to reduce the training duration by the recognition of previous learning outcomes or traineeships. (For more information on the Action Plan, see sub-chapter 6.1 and 6.4.)

Funding

Those workplaces who join the dual training programme in vocational education or in higher education or have an internship agreement with the student can apply for a tax allowance for the additional cost of the student's net wage. In the dual training, additional tax allowance can be applied if the student will take a successful professional exam at the end of the training. The base amount of the tax allowance is determined in the budget of Hungary and there is a unique multiplicator for all of the professions and for the grades and this is calculated for each workday.

Quality assurance

Practical trainings based on student contracts

The practical trainings based on student contracts are monitored by the Hungarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Magyar Kereskedelmi és Iparkamara). It controls the conditions that were set at the time of registration of the business organisation. Furthermore, with the involvement of the vocational training school it supervises the business organisation's activities during the training by observing the fulfilment of material and personal conditions, compliance with the vocational training framework curriculum, overseeing maximum group size, etc.