Dual education provides a more valuable degree

Practice-oriented studies has been in the focus at MET (Budapest Metropolitan University) from the very beginning, so Hungary’s largest privately run tertiary institution welcomed the introduction of dual education. As Tibor Tóth, the manager of flagship projects at MET explained, students spend 26 weeks at university and 22 weeks at its corporate partners as interns. „In the course of this really intensive program, students not only learn at the university but they gain invaluable knowledge during their internship”, he also added that this also means that students will have years of work experience by the time they graduate, so it will be significantly easier for them to find a job.

Even before the introduction of dual education, Process Solutions Kft. had provided opportunities for a number of students to participate in its professional internship program. János Babos, the company’s Managing Director pointed out that in the new system they will employ students from the beginning of their studies. This will mean that the company’s training system will have to be adjusted to accommodate students with less experience and to bring them up-to-date more quickly. Tibor Tóth added that since signing the cooperation agreement in spring, MET and Process Solutions have been working together continuously. The university is incorporating the practical, market-oriented feedback it got into its curriculum.

Five dual study programs will be launched this year, both in Hungarian and in English, and the new system will be available in all business programs from 2016, according to plans. The project manager pointed out that the dual programs are flexible and that MET has modified the curriculum as well. “We are progressing one step at a time and we are planning for the long term with our corporate partners”, he also added that the most suitable companies to participate in the program are larger corporations in the business sector. Besides Process Solutions, some other companies they have won for dual programs so far are Deloitte, OTP, Hungexpo and Origo Filmstúdió, just to name the most prominent ones.

Students also earn a salary during their internship. Process Solutions pays the salary required by law during the whole year, so students have an income in the periods they spend at university as well. Anett Mészáros, a freshman at MET’s dual studies program, says she picked the program and Process Solutions because she feels a practice oriented approach is essential.  “Continuous practice and on-the-job experience helps deepen the theoretical knowledge gained at university. In addition, the 3.5-year internship adds value to my degree.” She explained that the first step in the application process was to submit a CV and a motivational letter to the university. Then she participated in a group interview, also at the university, and finally she had a job interview and an aptitude test on logic and mathematics at the company.

Based on the experiences of the last two months, Process Solutions is highly satisfied with students in the dual program. János Babos pointed out that they would like to keep the students and continue to employ them after graduation. “Around 70-80 percent of our interns remain at the company once they have completed their studies.” Regarding future improvements, Tibor Tóth mentioned that, besides the number of students, they would also like to increase the number of companies participating in the program. He added that they are planning to involve foreign students in the program as well.

Source:
OrientPress (OPH), in Hungarian: www.orientpress.hu/151190
(Radio Orient interview, in Hungarian)