Magazine: Who is responsible for what?

Our magazine interviewed Zoltán Varga, deputy director of the Dobos C. József Catering Vocational School about the dialogue he had initiated with various trade organisations. One of the most frequently occurring problems is that the knowledge of young professionals is below par. They learn from obsolete books at school, they don’t know the ingredients and technologies, and their attitude to work is questionable. The problems seem to be easy to solve: let’s write new course books, organise further education for teachers and convince the best in the trade to teach! But this isn’t how things work in reality – course books have to meet strict regulations, great masters of the profession aren’t allowed to teach without a degree in teaching and there has to be a budget for using special ingredients and technologies. Roles also have to be clarified to see who is responsible for what. Dual vocal education is about restaurants doing the practical courses and schools teaching theory. A lot depends on where students do their professional practice and it is a shame that many restaurants are not suited for receiving students – but it isn’t schools that make this decision but the Chamber.

We have to clarify what we expect from cooks, confectioners and waiters who have just finished school. We have to teach them not recipes but technologies. It is also important that in the year 2013 young people should be taught using some kind of internet-based knowledge base instead of books. Plus they also have to be taught how and where to learn about new developments and trade matters. The further education of teachers is of major importance. Unfortunately it is very costly too. Luckily there are businesses and professionals who are happy to support vocational schools and the education of teachers. All organisations who were asked to come sent a representative and there may be even more of them at the September meeting. We agreed to compile a list of things that must absolutely be done. MGE informed us that if there were enough applicants it would start a training programme for teachers too. If the various trade organisations and those working in the trade get to now the situation of schools, sooner or later some kind of consensus will be reached.