The fifth and last meeting of the European Programme entitled "Employer Programme for Hospitaltiy and Tourism" was successfully organised at the Higher Hotel Institute Cyprus (HHIC) between 9th and 10th July 2018. It included presentations and workshops aiming at evaluating the progress of the project achieved thus far, and defining the the next steps that will be taken to ensure the completion of the project.
The aim of the project is to develop and systematise cooperation between hospitality and tourism enterprises, higher education institutions offering programmes in hospitality and tourism and their students, through a modern and efficient Employer Programme, specially designed for the needs of the aforementioned industry. The programme itself will be supported through an online platform already designed specifically for this purpose. Numerous benefits will be derived for all involved, namely hospitality and tourism businesses, higher education institutions and students engaged in this field.
The project, fully funded by the European Union, will be completed this October. Seven partners from five different countries participate in it, with the HHIC acting as coordinator. The HHIC, the Technological Educational Institute (TEI) of Crete (Greece) and the Technology University of Tampere (Finland) comprise the tertiary education institutions of the consortium. The remaining partners are the Mediterranean Management Centre (MMC) from Cyprus, DOCUMENTA from Spain, GRUPPO4 from Italy and the Cyprus Hotel Association (CHA).
The first day of the meeting began with the coordinator’s presentation featuring the management and progress of the project, followed by a discussion on the next steps and obligations. Other presentations covered communication of the project deliverables to higher education institutions, academics and hospitality and tourism professionals; progress in quality assurance; the online platform and the results of its pilot testing evaluation. The meeting was concluded with a workshop aiming at facilitating the timely completion of the online platform.
The first item of the agenda on the following day was a workshop focusing on the composition of the 2nd part of the Best Practice Guide. Next came a discussion on the upcoming multiplier events (three workshops and two conferences) aimed at disseminating the project’s deliverables to stakeholders. For this purpose, the HHIC will organise a two-day workshop for higher education institutions from both Cyprus and abroad, and the Cyprus Hotel Association will coordinate a one-day conference for professionals of the hospitality and tourism industry. Towards that end, two more one-day workshops will be held for higher education institutions, one in Crete and the other one in Finland. Additionally, a one-day conference will be held in Spain for professionals in the hospitality and tourist industry.