New graduates have to meet several expectations on the labour market. Besides their professional knowledge, important skills include good communication, problem-solving, creativity, independence, organisation, leadership, decisive action, dynamism, stress tolerance, analysis, precision, openness, flexibility, co-operation, motivation, digital competence, etc. How can higher education prepare young people for the expectations of the labour market? How can students’ social competences and communication skills be improved? Our paper provides methodological recommendations on improving engineering students’ communication skills, based on an empirical study.

In today’s higher education, the development of competencies based on the needs of the labour market, the role of practical training and the application of student-centred teaching methods are becoming more and more important. A particularly important question in engineering education is which abilities and skills are important for an engineer in a rapidly changing, information-based society. Therefore, in addition to hard skills, the development of soft skills also plays an important role. Our research was aimed at mapping the competencies of engineering informatics students and determining development opportunities. The Hungarian version of the Big Five Questionnaire (BFQ) was used to examine the students’ personalities. The results of the research showed that the students’ soft skills must be developed – especially in the areas of openness, communication and cooperation. Students’ personality development can be facilitated by courses that focus on self-knowledge and self-esteem, as well as opportunities for cooperation, adaptation, building trust, empathy, and helpfulness. Cooperative methods, collaborative learning, the project method and problem-based learning can also play an important role in higher education.

In education, learning and teaching supported by information and communication technology tools are increasingly coming to the fore. In order to implement digital education, it is essential to develop teachers' digital skills, especially in terms of tool use and content development. During the period of school closures during the pandemic and the transition to online education, the digital preparedness of education participants became increasingly emphasized. Online education has created many difficulties for teachers, students and parents. After overcoming the initial technical problems, the methodological renewal of education became a key issue. Our research examined online education during the COVID-19 period, its positives, negatives, methodological aspects, and the impact of online education on classroom education. The research results can be used, among other things, in teacher training and further teacher training, as they draw attention to the specifics of digital/online education, as well as the necessity and possibilities of developing digital skills.

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Ez a tanulmány az ókorba kalauzolja el az olvasót; a szakképzés kezdeteit a 8–10 ezer évvel ezelőtti tárgyi emlékek alapján tárgyaljuk. Betekintünk az ókori kultúrák szakemberképzésének sajátosságaiba és a korabeli gyakorlatba. Az antik nevelés sumer, akkád, egyiptomi és zsidó vonásait vizsgáljuk, majd áttérünk a hellén és római kultúra szakemberképzésre gyakorolt hatásaira. Elemezzük és értelmezzük a kisiparosok jogállását, a mesterségek kialakulásának körülményeit és feltételeit.