Developing human resources in the Central Danube Priority Area through language training

Abstract

The Central Danube Priority Area (CDPA), comprising 99 municipalities, was established in 2020 to provide an organised framework for the opportunities and chal lenges arising from the expansion of the Paks Nuclear Power Plant. A spatial develop ment concept and a strategic programme for the Priority Area has been developed, including a human development priority and specific measures. Although the concept does not formally include the English and Russian language training programme of the University of Pécs, which was organised for adults living in the settlements of the CDPA, Bonyhád and Dombóvár, there are many links to the human development concept, since the primary aim of the university programme was to prepare people living or working in the region for the Paks II. The main objective of the programme was to prepare people to establish effective contacts with foreign workers and their families who will be coming to Paks II to help them cooperate. Language teachers provided by the University's Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences and the Faculty of Cultural Sciences, Education and Regional Development were involved in the delivery of the training. The study will present the vision of the Central Danube Priority Area, the human resource endowments of the region, the related human development measures and the main steps of the organisational process of the language programme, with a special focus on the challenges and achievements of the online implementation.