One of the main priorities of the Program of Socio-Economic Development of the Republic of Belarus for 2021-2025 is improving the quality of education in the vocational education system aimed at introducing new educational standards and updating specialist training programs.

It is impossible to create a modern educational environment without updating the material and technical base of secondary specialized and vocational education institutions.

The Gomel oblast is the second largest in the country with more than 2,000 public catering organizations and the only leading educational institution in the region that trains specialists in “Public Nutrition” profile is the Gomel State College of Culinary Arts.

It is worth mentioning that the domestic education system quickly responds to socio-economic changes in the country. Today in Gomel, in a solemn ceremony, the opening of a competence center took place on the basis of the State College of Culinary Arts.

The opening ceremony was attended by Chairman of the Gomel Regional Executive Committee Ivan Krupko, Assistant to the President - Inspector for the Gomel Oblast Yuri Gorlov, Minister of Education Andrey Ivanets, as well as heads of enterprises and institutions of the oblast.

Speaking at the ceremony, the Minister of Education emphasized on the following: “It is very symbolic that we are starting the Year of Quality in the education system with the inauguration of a competence center. Such centers on the basis of our colleges are primarily designed to improve the quality of training of those specialists whom we graduate today. At the level of the Ministry of Education, a new program for the development of competency centers has been adopted, which provides for 100% coverage of all college students who must undergo appropriate training on the basis of the existing 52 competency centers. We are fully within our reach to achieve this ambitious goal.”

According to Andrei Ivanets, the development of such centers should be non-stop and progressive. The Ministry of Education will continue to promote the development of the material and technical base of competency centers in order to tell the customers that they are training the specialists of tomorrow.

“Every graduate, every specialist for the country is important to us,” the head of the department emphasized.

Among the main tasks of the newly opened competence center is the implementation of the program for the socio-economic development of the Gomel region for the period until 2025; implementation of investment projects; mastering new equipment and technologies.

The Ministry of Education and the regional leadership express their conviction that the development of a competence center in the specialties “Manufacture of products and organization of public catering (production activities)”, “Public catering”, “Baking production technology” will allow for the consolidation, integration and concentration of educational resources for the preparation of modern and qualified specialist for public catering establishments both in the city of Gomel and the Gomel oblast as well as for the whole country.

The presence of modern technological equipment will provide an opportunity to update educational programs and improve the quality of education in the “Culinary Arts” and “Bread Baking” specialties. Students will gain not only knowledge, but also the required work skills.