The Hungarian roofing profession belongs to the forefront of the world - emphasized László Palkovics, Minister of Innovation and Technology, on Thursday at the event welcoming the contractors of the Hungarian projects awarded at this year's World Championship of the International Roofing Association (IFD), which took first place in its category at the World Championship at Lovarda in Budavári.

In the competition of the International Roofing Association (IFD), which brings together 22 countries and around 15,000 roofing companies, this year three Hungarian projects finished on the podium among 80 entries from 11 countries. In the category of sheet metal coverings, Budavári Lovarda won a gold medal, executed by Horex Kft., second was the renovated roofing of the Károlyi-Csekonics Palace, executed by Pléh-Boy Kft., in the category of sheet metal facade coverings, the "Tőzsdetojás" located on the Kecskemét Campus was awarded second place by Tető Kovács Kft. . in its execution.

László Palkovics pointed out that he has already won the gold medal in Hungarian track work at this world competition several times, but he has not been able to achieve three podium positions at the same time.

In the award-winning works, you can see an example of roofing achievements that simultaneously nurture the nation's past and build the nation's future, and the Ministry of Innovation and Technology (ITM) wants to be a partner in this construction work.

the minister stated.

The minister also spoke about the fact that the Hungarian construction industry is a national strategic sector with about 120,000 enterprises and more than 360,000 employees. In 2017, the Hungarian construction industry was on a growth path, 2019 was the record year, when it accounted for 5.5 percent of the gross domestic product, but the sector has faced many challenges since then, and its production in 2020 was about 9 percent below the previous level due to the epidemic from a high annual base.

The government prioritizes the stability and development of the construction industry, as a result of joint efforts, the volume of the construction industry in June of this year - based on raw data - exceeded the previous year by about 28 percent, he added.

László Palkovics also touched on the importance of a skilled workforce, he said that he would like Hungarian vocational training to be a world champion, and for this purpose, the vocational training 4.0 development strategy was announced. In the new system, the second year of vocational training started this year, and many measures to improve competitiveness were introduced.

As an example, he mentioned that an average of 30 percent higher salary was provided for the 32 professionals participating in the training, and a stipend of HUF 55,000-60,000 per month was made available in the basic education of the sector, and those participating in the dual training can earn a significant amount of money in addition to their studies, and opened a wider path to from vocational training to higher education.

At the ceremony, Minister László Palkovics and Csaba Gyutai, the government commissioner responsible for the coordination of measures in the construction industry, CEO of ÉMI Nonprofit Kft., handed over a commemorative plaque to Horex Kft., Pléh-Boy Kft., and Tető Kovács Kft. for the result achieved in the competition.

MTI

Featured image: MTI/Noémi Bruzák