The joint efforts of the economy and science can make a significant contribution to a country’s success – this is clearly shown by the example of Austria, which Hungary aims to emulate, Hungarian Minister for Human Resources Zoltán Balog said on Thursday in Vienna after a meeting with Austrian Federal Minister for Economy, Family and Youth Reinhold Mitterlehner.
Mr. Balog said science, research and innovation should all serve the economy. Austria has recognised this, and has accordingly established a dual education system in which theoretical and practical training go hand in hand. He said that the two countries will set up a student exchange programme through the Budapest-based Andrássy Gyula German Speaking University.
Minister Balog also praised Austrian achievements within the fields of inclusion and equal opportunities, pointing out that socially disadvantaged people are given preferential access to vocational training. As a result, in Austria under ten percent of students end their vocational studies without receiving a diploma, whereas in Hungary this ratio is 30 percent overall and 50 percent among the socially disadvantaged. Scholarship programmes have a significant role to play in the inclusion of the disadvantaged, Minister Balog said.