Applicants of the Government-initiated Diploma Rescue Programme can register themselves as of this this week at the official website of OFA (National Employment Public Nonprofit Ltd), and English, German and French language courses are scheduled to be launched as early as the end of April, Minister of State for Employment Sándor Czomba said at a press conference jointly organized by the Ministry for National Economy and OFA.
The Minister of State said that the number of available languages was increased and thus, in addition to English and German, French language courses will also be organized. The length of these courses will vary; one can opt for a 120-, 180- or 240-lesson block. The maximum amount of subsidy will be HUF 300 thousand per person.
OFA CEO Szabolcs Pákozdi, the programme’s project manager, stated that until the deadline of 10 March OFA received bids from some 160 educational institutions and the assessment of these will begin already this week. Aspiring course participants have until 4 April to get registered, but registration alone will not qualify as a tender bid. Tender requirements are expected to be published in mid-March and the tender is open also for those without a former registration.
Szabolcs Pákozdi stressed that those are eligible programme applicants who have already successfully passed their state exams in the Hungarian higher education system and they only require a foreign language competence certificate to receive their diploma. According to other eligibility requirements, applicants can no longer be students in the legal sense of the word, they undertake to pass a state-accredited language exam and they already have elementary foreign language skills.
He also added that registration and application must both be completed through the internet. Instead of 15 August, the programme’s closing date for passing exams is prolonged until 31 December 2015 2015.
Sándor Czomba pointed out that at higher education institutions several tens of thousands of diplomas are awaiting students who only need to obtain a foreign language competence certificate in order to receive these. The Diploma Rescue Programme, with funding of HUF 3bn, is expected to assist some 10 thousand young people, he emphasised.
The Minister of State called attention to the fact that more than 6000 such jobseekers are registered who only require a foreign language competency certificate to obtain their diplomas. The employment rate of people with higher education attainment is close to the EU average, which implies that the Hungarian labour market does reward knowledge and those with a higher education degree have better chances of finding a job.
The courses are aimed primarily at those who already have an elementary knowledge of the language; however, no certificate of proof is required: teachers will decide whether the applicant has a sufficient level of competence, Sándor Czomba said.
The Minister of State added that more than one favoured language can be indicated at the registration, as the system also aims to survey other language competences and in case more resources will be available in the future these languages will also be integrated into the programme.
Szabolcs Pákozdi stressed that language courses are planned to be launched in every county, at altogether 73 locations. The length and intensity of these courses will be flexible, and applicants can choose the one they prefer most. Registered jobseekers and residents from regions with above-average unemployment rates will be given priority at the selection process.
(Ministry for National Economy)
