Generation Z, who have grown up in the digital world, find it harder to tolerate workplace constraints, and many companies struggle to find and retain talented young colleagues. The largest company in the domestic chemical industry Therefore, his company, BorsodChem, took a big step: it introduced benefits and developed career paths specifically based on the needs of young people, and also launched a training program for the supply of professionals.
The Hungarian chemical industry is traditionally a strong pillar of the domestic economy, directly employing 100,000 people across the country. Moreover, the chemical and plastics industries are priority sectors of Hungary's competitiveness strategy for the period 2024-2030, so they have a major role to play in putting us at the forefront of technology-driven European industry and in making our country a regional leader in the field of research, development and innovation. However, the sector is not necessarily the first choice when looking at the career aspirations of today's young people. The largest domestic chemical company, BorsodChem, which also plays a decisive role in European plastics production, has therefore developed a complete training and benefits program tailored to the needs of young people.
"In terms of attractiveness, the chemical industry cannot compete with popular sectors such as telecommunications or IT. However, we have a huge advantage over these areas: while the future is difficult to predict and uncertain in most sectors, the chemical industry thinks long-term, so we can provide a stable job and a well-planned career path for the young people who apply to us. They see exactly what kind of job they can get after how much time, work experience and professional development. And predictability is also an important value for today's young people" – said Béla Varga, BorsodChem's PR manager.
Benefit system adapted to the young generation
The company offers its employees an outstanding fringe benefits package, which includes – among other things – free healthcare services, a cafeteria, an annual bonus of one and a half months of basic salary, a performance bonus, a pension fund contribution, and family-friendly benefits. In addition, it has also introduced elements specifically for young people, such as a non-refundable career start-up grant and an interest-free home purchase loan. Moreover, most of the company's young professionals have the opportunity to travel to China to visit the parent company Wanhua's sites, allowing them to gain an even broader view of the international technologies available in the chemical industry.
Could chemical engineering be a shortage profession?
However, an important question is whether there are talented and agile young people who will further develop the innovative technologies of the domestic chemical industry. The company is therefore actively involved in the training of chemical industry professionals: it played a key role in the establishment of the chemical engineering major in Debrecen, the chemical engineering training in Miskolc and the outsourced correspondence chemical engineering training in Kazincbarcika, it also operates as a dual training center, and it also encourages the development of young talents with a scholarship system and a program for career starters.
In addition, the company has also become involved in primary and secondary chemistry and science education: through its own education center, it organizes chemistry clubs for primary school children, organizes a chemistry faculty in the local high school, organizes competitions and provides study scholarships, and the development center in Gödöllő also regularly opens its doors to children.
"The chemical industry practically means lifelong learning and development. Moreover, it is not an exclusively white-collar job, but the majority of engineers also work in the field, actively participating in technological processes. However, once you get a taste of this world, it captivates you." – Béla Varga summarized the main characteristics of the profession.
