International competition “Young Car Mechanic 2023” took place in Hungary, the previous winner of the final, and, similarly as in the previous years, a representative of this country won the laurels again. While two victories in a competition of such a scale could be considered a coincidence, the third triumph among ten countries makes everybody wonder what is the secret of the vocational education in Hungary that knocks spots off to the remaining European countries?
Results of the international competition this year reminds of a known déjà vu (something previously seen – in French) feeling, because in 2021, when Hungary joined the competition “Young Car Mechanic”, sequence of the top three teams was just like this year – with the triumphant Hungary, followed by Poland and Lithuania. However, while competition for the title of the best car mechanics took place with participants from technical and vocational schools of seven European countries back in 2021, last year - from nine, but this year, following the joining of Greece in the competition, swords were measured among young car mechanics from ten countries.
Armands Umbraško, “Young Car Mechanic 2023” International Final Project Manager and Head of the Marketing Department of “Inter Cars Latvija”, stresses that victory of Hungarians was convincing and stable, although the average level of all the participants of the international competition was very similar.
Fight among the finalists is always very fierce, and this year was not an exception. In the top three, participants taking the second and third position were separated from the leader by mere 11 points (506 and 517). Since the number of points gained by both guys following the winner was equal, the time consumed to fulfil the tasks was decisive. Total time of the representative of Poland in both days of the competition this indicator was 5:57:09, but of the representative of Lithuania – 6:18:10.
Newcomer Greece with a pleasant surprise
This year’s newcomer Greece made a pleasant surprise already during the organisation of their first national final, and also in the international final performance of the representative of Greece was remarkable, and the guy was in a stable position among leaders on the first day. Although he took the fifth position in the overall assessment, there was one criterion by which he was well ahead of all the other competitors. “According to the Regulations and format of the competition, tasks are prepared in English, but part of the text is translated also into the native language of finalists. The Greeks were the sole participants who announced that they did not need a translation. This was a very respectful move towards which the competition should strive for in the future.
Where will the international final take place next year? Intrigue stays around
The winner is known, but there is still one intrigue that has left. Namely, which state will host participants of the international competition next year? According to the Regulations of the competition, it should be Hungary, since the grand final is organised according to the principle of the Eurovision song contest - state of the triumphant hosts the winners of the national competitions. However, it is not ruled out that the Hungarians will refuse to organise the final competition next year again and give a chance to some other country to do it. According to Armands Umbraško, organisation of the international final means both serious responsibility and additional work for the people involved in the organisational works. “Hungarian colleagues say, yes, we have deserved it, and we should organise this event, but shouldn’t the competition be organised elsewhere for the sake of development?”
In case of changes in the selection of the place of the international competition, it will be either an exception from the routine, or the Regulations will be amended for the place of the next year’s final.
However, no matter where the international competition will take place, one thing is for sure – it will be organised! Final of this year’s international competition “Young Car Mechanic 2023” has finished, and preparation for the next national competitions will soon begin.