A sector knowledge center is being built in Szerencs to strengthen confectionery training and innovation

Robot dogs carry the time capsule at the ceremonial laying of the foundation stone of the Szerencs Food Industry Knowledge Center in Szerencs on March 12, 2026. In the background are Zsoltné Rubi, Chancellor of the Szerencsi Vocational Training Center, Mayor Attila Kiss, Zsófia Koncz, State Secretary for Families at the Ministry of Culture and Innovation, the Fidesz MP for the region, Márta Bukta, Director General of the Szerencsi SZC Technical and Service Technical School and Vocational Training School, István Takács, Managing Director of Szerencsi Bonbon Kft. and Balázs Hankó, Minister for Culture and Innovation (left to right). – MTI/János Vajda

At the laying of the foundation stone of the knowledge center, Balázs Hankó emphasized that five sectoral knowledge centers will be established in Hungary, which are based on the cooperation of vocational training, higher education and innovation. The total budget of the program exceeds 21 billion forints.

Szerencs is particularly suitable to be the training and knowledge center of the sector, if only because “szerencsi csoki” is an important part of Hungarian national traditions – Balázs Hankó noted.

He added that the developments are part of the renewed Hungarian are based on vocational training, which is currently the third best in Europe. The renewal of the system was helped by infrastructure development, an increase in teacher salaries, a student scholarship system and the development of digital teaching materials.

At the event, Zsófia Koncz, the State Secretary for Families at the Ministry of Culture and Innovation and the Fidesz MP for the region, called the investment a milestone in the life of Szerencs.

She recalled that in 2008, it was announced almost to the day that the nearly 120-year-old sugar production in the city would cease, which meant a serious loss for the region. She said that the factory’s opening in 1889 brought urbanization to Szerencs. She added that in recent years, however, several developments have taken place, which have brought new life to the area of ​​the former sugar factory.

Zsófia Koncz said regarding the knowledge center currently being built that the Szerencsi will be the only one of the five such institutions in the country in Eastern Hungary. As part of the development, an office building will be renovated, new facilities will be built, and equipment worth one billion forints will be purchased.

She emphasized that, building on the city’s confectionery traditions, the confectionery making training had already started earlier, which was also launched in the form of technical school training from September. All this creates an opportunity for young people to obtain a high school diploma and later even continue their studies in food engineering, she emphasized.

According to Zsófia Koncz, the new knowledge center will contribute to the development of the food industry through the cooperation of vocational training, universities and businesses, and the creation of new jobs can also help as many young families as possible to imagine their future in Szerencs.

At the event, Zsoltné Rubi, Chancellor of the Szerencs Vocational Training Center, said that the goal of the Szerencs Food Industry Knowledge Center is to serve young professionals as a European-level professional, training and innovation center, where bakers, confectioners, confectionery makers and food engineers not only learn, but also create and they think together.