Vocational School Students Gained Insight Into Creative Industry Opportunities at a Roadshow

The Hungarian Fashion & Design Agency, Startup Campus, and the Budapest Complex Vocational Training Centre have joined forces again to promote creative industry professions under the Vocational Training Development Support Program. Vocational students got to know the opportunities in the creative industry in a national roadshow, and they also gained information about the Get in the Picture – New Talent of the Year tender to be held once again this year. At the first two stops of the national roadshow, in Budapest and Tatabánya, interactive games and creative workshops awaited pupils in addition to the presentations.

The first stop of the Vocational Training Development Support Program was the Creative Secondary Technical School in Budapest, where Bence Csalár, the ambassador of the program, presented the Get In The Picture – New Talent Of The Year, and a member of our Agency spoke about the opportunities in the Hungarian creative industry. Following the exciting presentations, Borbála Ferencz, a fashion and jewellery designer, held a professional workshop for students interested in value-added recycling. In addition to the students of the Creative Technical School, students from other schools joined the program; thus, over 50 fashion and design students were present. They asked many questions about higher education and career paths, which underlined the importance of the program. Due to the interactive nature of the program, students had the chance to inquire about the topics most interesting to them, both during the large lecture and the smaller workshop.

The second stop of the roadshow was Tatabánya, with the participation of nearly 20 fashion dressmaker students of the TSZC Fellner Jakab Technical and Vocational School. Again, the students heard a short, interactive speech about the tender and the opportunities in the creative industry. One of our colleagues presented the Agency’s programs to the participants, demonstrating the diversity in the industry. The roadshow concluded with a program concentrating on manual skills and creativity, in which students could peek into the world of embroidery in the sewing workshop of the school, led by Fanni Szaszák, the creator of Fankapanka. The creative workshop in a small circle provided an opportunity to get to know each other better, and the students could inquire about professional possibilities and experiences freely. These events are of particular importance, as young people preparing for careers in the creative industry can gain first-hand information from trustworthy, renowned experts on topics important to them.

The 2024 Get in the Picture – New Talent of the Year's theme is “Heritage Reloaded: Design for Tomorrow”. The students get a free hand in implementation with the help of some keywords such as preserving value, value transfer, rethinking, form, function and decoration. A professional jury will select the 3-3 best teams in fashion and design from the applications, which are now closed. In the following period, six experts from different areas of the industry will assist in realising the ideas as mentors. The participants will receive mentoring in delivering fashion projects from Bori Györök, fashion and jewellery designer; Anna Keszeg, culture researcher and associate professor; and Adél Kovács, trend researcher, design consultant, and university lecturer; while on the design side, Dávid Pap, founder and leader of FabLab Budapest, open innovation workshop; Sára Kele, designer and founder of sarakele studio; and Balázs Édes, manager of LumoConcept will assist the students.

The roadshow is planned to continue in the second half of the year to support the creative young generation; the Vocational Training Development Support Program will bring experts to more schools to present the possibilities in the creative industry with interactive presentations and professional workshops.