Summer BridgeCamp: SZABADICS shows young engineers what the construction industry is really like

What is a typical day like at a large construction company? How much time does a young engineer spend in the office, and how much on site? What technologies do they actually work with? What opportunities for professional development are available, and what sort of team does a new graduate join?

These questions were just as much on the minds of this year’s Summer BridgeCamp participants as the actual implementation itself. The SZABADICS Akadémia summer programme, meanwhile, set out to provide answers to these questions not in a job interview or on a careers website, but in a real working environment.

24 students from four universities have gained a better understanding of the construction industry

Students from the Budapesti Műszaki és Gazdaságtudományi Egyetem, Széchenyi István Egyetem, Pécsi Tudományegyetem and Óbudai Egyetem programmes were eligible to apply for the 2026 programme. The 24 participants were selected by a panel of experts on the basis of their letters of motivation and CVs.

The programme built on the experience gained from last year’s first, pilot-stage Summer BridgeCamp programme. Whilst in 2025 students from two universities were given a three-day intensive introduction to the company’s operations, this year the programme ran for four days from 27 to 30 August.

This wasn’t just an extra day. The organisers deliberately restructured the programme to allow more time for gaining practical experience.

„Our main aim was to ensure that students didn’t just learn about how we operate in theory, but could try out as many tools as possible for themselves and gain first-hand, practical experience of the most important work processes and projects,” Izabella Luca Varga, organiser of SZABADICS Akadémia, told our newspaper .

The university curriculum comes to life here

For the engineering students, one of the greatest experiences must have been the chance to use for themselves a number of technologies that they had previously known mainly in theory.

At the university, for example, ground-penetrating radar, GPS surveying equipment and the BIM system are frequently featured in presentations and teaching examples, whereas with the Summer BridgeCamp, they could not make do with just a projector.

„At university, they mostly see instruments on a screen and learn about them in theory, but here they were able to pick them up, try them out and get a bit grubby” – said Szabadics Roland, the SZABADICS Group chief operating officer.

At the Zalakomár site, the young people were able to work with ground-penetrating radar, pipe cameras, utility locators and GPS rovers. The latter were also used for setting out and surveying. Based on the feedback received, this programme became the second most popular part of the programme after the project visits.

At the BIM workshop , participants were not simply given a presentation; with the help of mentors, they had to complete a series of complex tasks based on a real-world model.

In other words, the emphasis wasn’t on „look at the technology we’re working with”, but on „give it a go and find out what you can do with it”.

Steelwork, formwork and actual building sites

However, the practical experience was not limited to digital technologies. On the first day, the students were introduced to three different construction projects: the Pécsi Tudományegyetem team visited the building construction project in Balatonföldvár, the students from BME and Óbudai Egyetem visited the munitions factory in Várpalota, whilst the Széchenyi István Egyetem team toured the Nívó Award-winning Balatonfüredi Kongresszusi Központ project.

They then met at Szántódrév, where

In a single project, they were able to see the various tasks involved in structural, civil and building construction all at once. What’s more, they were able to try their hand at formwork technology and steelwork themselves.

The second day was also varied, with the Gelse wastewater treatment plant, a production hall and the head office in Nagykanizsa all included in the programme.

The professional programme on the third day was complemented by visits to more informal venues such as Kányaváry Borbirtok and Pálos Malom. In addition, a presentation on sustainability and digitalisation also added variety to the programme. A different perspective from the usual technical topics was provided by Tamás Trunk’s presentation .

Young people are already interested in how they can build a career

As we have learnt, it also became clear from the students’ questions that today’s engineering students are not simply looking for a job. They want to know what lies ahead for them after graduation.

They were interested in the roles they could take on as new entrants to the profession, the balance between time spent in the office and in the field, the mentoring they could receive, and how they could progress professionally within the company.

Modern technologies were also a key topic. As well as the BIM and digitalisation, the students were keen to find out how digital models and state-of-the-art surveying tools create real value in the construction process.

„They also showed a keen interest in the company’s corporate culture, team dynamics, and its stability and logistical capabilities – appreciating the transparent, no-holds-barred answers to all their financial and technical questions”

– emphasised Roland Szabadics.

A rating of 4.92 and a 100 per cent recommendation rate

The concept behind course SZABADICS is based on student feedback. According to all respondents, the project visits and specialist lectures were among the most important elements of their professional development.

The construction of the Gelse wastewater treatment plant and the Szántód ferry terminal attracted the most interest, whilst the testing of modern instruments, machine-controlled trenching, the BIM systems and the presentations on career paths also received outstanding feedback.

The camp received an overall rating of 4.92 out of 5, and 100 per cent of participants would recommend the programme to their fellow students.

They did not attempt to analyse the feedback from a single questionnaire; every evening they discussed the day’s experiences, and on the final day they held a joint feedback session. In addition, participants were able to evaluate the programme using form Mentimeteren, and finally, detailed opinions were collected using form Google.

Young talent and responsibility for the future

At the same time, a longer-term corporate strategy is also emerging behind the programme. A key issue for SZABADICS is the supply of new professionals, as it is becoming increasingly important in the construction industry for companies to engage with the next generation of engineers at an early stage.

„Given our ageing workforce, it is absolutely vital that we promote ourselves amongst young people and remain competitive with much larger companies as an attractive place to work,” said Roland Szabadics.

However, the company does not view students solely as a source of future staff. As a major construction firm, it feels a sense of responsibility for training the engineers of the future, which is why it also attaches great importance to collaboration with universities.

Once you’ve been admitted, you don’t necessarily disappear after the camp

The connection does not end when the camp finishes. A channel of communication was maintained with both last year’s and this year’s participants, initially via email and subsequently via the Messenger group.

The aim, therefore, is not a one-off experience, but to forge professional relationships that may well continue later on in the workplace.

And the next Summer BridgeCamp is definitely in the pipeline.

„Our answer is clear: YES!” – declared Izabella Luca Varga when asked whether the SZABADICS Akadémia summer camp would continue in 2027.

The organisers have already started planning the next camp, which they hope to improve based on this year’s participants’ experiences and feedback. One key area for development next year will be an even less packed schedule and more time for rest.

By the end of the Summer BridgeCamp course, it was not only the students who took home new professional experiences. The SZABADICS team also found confirmation that it is worthwhile investing time and energy in engaging with young engineers. The participants were not content with half-measures; they asked questions, reflected and sought out the best answers.

„We already know that they are the ones on whom we should build the future,” the organisers concluded.