“Today Every Workplace Is Different in the Same Way”

The DBSC Roundtable is organising two accredited teacher training programs this year. The aim of the initiative is to provide secondary school teachers with up-to-date knowledge of the business services sector, which they can use to effectively help students in their future career orientation. During the spring course of the series, Ákos Lőrincz represented United Call Centers and was interviewed about his experiences and observations.

Could you summarize the program for us in a few sentences?

The BSC Roundtable’s teacher training program is now in its third year, the events always have a good atmosphere and we regularly receive exciting and interesting professional questions. Participants gain very useful and valuable knowledge, as they get the opportunity to see the sector through our eyes. They will gain insights into business processes that are not necessarily accessible to the so-called outside observer. It's important that as many people as possible know what those who work in this field do, what we do on a day-to-day basis, and how to be successful in the business services sector so that an educator can help their students to understand what direction they should take in their further education and later on in their career development.

The DBSC Roundtable – which already has 10 member companies this year - is playing an important role in bringing more information to the public about this dynamic industry, which has been around for decades. How do you see people's knowledge changing in this area?

Education and awareness-raising is typically an area where the fruits are slow to come in, but where positive changes are becoming more and more visible. Through our courses, at the University of Debrecen, we come into contact with 5-600 people a year, and this number is growing. We are now seeing a turnaround, as more and more students are contacting us to find out about opportunities and positions in this sector, or teachers who are looking for summer internships for their students, or who need more information about our courses. Slowly but surely, we are making progress, the number of people interested is growing and our courses are proving to be very popular.

Why is it good for a teacher to take part in a training course like this?

Apart from the fact that they are obliged to complete an accredited training course, more and more people are becoming interested in the sector. Teachers also want to give students a credible idea of where they should orient themselves. And our lectures provide knowledge that is linked to general competencies that can be used not only in the business services sector. In today's world, every workplace is different in the same way - communication and soft skills, market and technological knowledge are needed everywhere, even in an international context. And while it may not be obvious at first sight, there are many parallels between education and business.

Can you tell us an example?

For example, measuring customer satisfaction is a fundamental part of the corporate world. When you talk about something like that, it's worth approaching it by putting it in an educational context. Who can be a customer from this perspective? The parent who „commissions” education for their child or, say, the student who is using it? These examples are primarily thought-provoking, but we are constantly looking for points of convergence along which we can start thought processes that can make everyone more effective and better prepared in their own field. The basic laws operate independently of the environment, so the processes of the business world can be an excellent allegory for education because the two environments are not so far apart.

What courses does the DBSC Round Table currently offer?

We recently finished the current season of our French and German business courses, which were very popular this year. We have accredited teacher training twice a year, in the spring and in the autumn. This series is specifically for secondary school teachers. Instruction takes place in small groups of 8-14 participants in a three-day workshop. In the summer we meet students regularly at festivals, events, and career fairs, and from September we go back to the classroom for our regular autumn lectures in English, Dutch, and Hungarian.

For more information visit Debrecen BSC Roundtable’s website and Facebook!