In spite of the tertiary institutions' continuous efforts to upgrade their programmes in the area of hospitality and tourism, their relationship with the industry needs to be systematized, modernized and reinforced, considering the specific needs of the industry and its high potential for growth and employment of qualified professionals.This project aims to facilitate a functional relationship satisfying the needs of all parties concerned (ie educational institutions, hospitality and tourism enterprises, students of higher education) through the development of an Employer Programme specifically designed for hospitality and tourism. Therefore, the objectives of the project are:1. Design a systematic methodology for the development, installation and monitoring of a successful employer programme. 2. Design and Develop an electronic platform as a tool to facilitate the above mentioned methodology3. Develop a best practices guide with best practices identified in Europe and the rest of the world as well as best practices developed through the current project. Project participants include educational institutions in the field of hospitality and tourism in the consortium (together with their students and faculties) and representatives of the hospitality and tourism industry (employers). The project will target not only educational institutions and employers in the consortium but also in Europe and internationally through several multiplier events an other dissemination activities.The project will be initiated by research on the needs of all stakeholders (through focus groups, interviews and questionnaires) which will result in a needs analysis report. Additionally, a research on existing practices in Europe and internationally (both from the sector as well as from other sectors where practices can be transferred) will be undertaken through (desktop research and interviews). Taking into consideration the results of the needs analysis as well as the existing practices a recommendations report will be composed. Based on this recommendations report an operational manual will be composed. This operational manual will be developed which will describe the system which will link the employers with the academia within the hospitality and tourism sector. This operational manual will describe the system description (ie the organisation and structure to be set up in order to manage this system, the way different stakeholders will participate in the system etc). Additionally a list of possible activities will be presented (eg surveys for the improvement of the quality of different curricula and materials, engagement and collaboration for the successful execution of internships etc)One very important intellectual output of this project is the platform Xenios Zeus. The platform is in fact the tool that will facilitate the implementation of the methodology developed under intellectual output 4. It is the place where higher education institutions, students , teachers and employers come together to implement a methodology that will link the education provided to the employers market and thus improve the quality of education and its responsiveness to the needs of the labour market. Benefits that can be derived from this project will include the upgrading of educational institutions’ programmes resulting in highly employable students/graduates; the ability for enterprises to recruit the best possible candidates for full time and part time employment needs and to apply academic knowledge and innovation to their everyday practice; students/graduates will enhance their knowledge and skills whilst building on their professional network and employability. The joint programme includes 7 organizations, from 5 European countries: Higher Hotel Institute of Cyprus; Technical Educational Institute of Crete; Tampere University of Applied Sciences (Finland); M.M.C. Management Center Limited(Cyprus); Cyprus Hotel Association (Cyprus) , Confederation Espanola De Hoteles Yalojamientes Turisticos (Spain) and GRUPPO 4 SRL (Italy).
Context/background of the project: Based on practical, empirical and theoretical knowledge of relationships between higher educational institutions (HEIs) and the hospitality and tourism industry (H&T industry), all indications underpinned an imminent need for an up-to-date, modern, effective and efficient system of strategic partnership and systematic cooperation. This partnership should produce highly employable graduates armed with the relevant knowledge, skills and competencies needed by the vibrant and people-oriented H&T industry. Literature cited and experiences underlined that gaps existed in cooperation between HEIs and the H&T industry. Piecemeal, haphazard cooperation was promoted, traditionally focusing in industrial placements. It was crucial to investigate modern needs and ways of cooperation and benefit from best practices in employer engagement and partnership, in order for all parties to benefit in various ways. Objectives: The EPHT programme aimed to deliver the following: Undertake research of stakeholder needs on a national and European level in order to unveil the needs and develop specifications for the development of the system. Undertake research on available best practices in Europe and internationally in order to utilise them in the design of the employer programme. Design a systematic methodology for the development, installation and monitoring of a successful employer programme. This methodology is presented in this operational manual and is pilot tested within the framework of the project. Design and develop an electronic platform as a tool to facilitate the above-mentioned methodology. Develop a best practices guide presenting best practices identified in Europe and the rest of the world as well as the best practices developed through the project. Number and profile of participating organisations: The joint programme included 7 organisations, from 5 European countries 1.Higher Hotel Institute Cyprus: With a history dating back to 1965, the Higher Hotel Institute, Cyprus (HHIC) is a public institute of tertiary education traditionally supplying the hospitality and tourism industry with qualified and specialised personnel. 2.Technological Educational Institution of Crete (Greece): TEI Crete is a Public Educational Institution. It is part of the Hellenic Tertiary Education since 1983 and one of the 40 Higher Education establishments as of 2011. 3.Tampere University of Applied Sciences (Finland): Tampere University of Applied Sciences (TAMK) offers Bachelor and Master level studies for 10 000 students in six fields of study. TAMK is an internationally oriented multidisciplinary higher education institution and is one of the largest universities of applied sciences in Finland. 4.GRUPPO4 (Italy): Gruppo 4 was founded in 1997 with the aim of offering companies high profile IT services. A point of strength is that since its very beginning it has been bringing together various professionals with a solid knowledge in advanced specialised sectors. 5.Cyprus Hotel Association (Cyprus): The Cyprus Hotel Association is the Hoteliers National Trade Union. The history of its foundation goes back to the beginning of the 1930s. Today the vast majority of all hotel establishments and other licensed tourist accommodation units comprise its members. 6.M.M.C. Management Center Limited Cyprus: It was founded in 2002 and provides training courses for Adult Learning and for VET. 7.DOCUMENTA (Spain: is a non-profit organisation working in the field of “applied social research”, whose main aim is the introduction of a model of sustainable local development. Description of undertaken main activities: Intellectual Output - IO IO1: Needs Analysis conducted by all the HEIs of the consortium. Their combined input constituted the European Needs Analysis. T IO2: Best Practices Guide accumulated different best practices available in Europe and internationally (Part A) as well as best practices resulting from the project (Part B). IO3: Recommendations Report compiled from IO1 and IO2 (A) in order to lead to the composition of the Operational Manual IO4: Operational Manual explained how the system would work in practice IO5: Online Platform was created to facilitate the project Dissemination Quality Assurance Results and impact attained: Has shed light on the needs and challenges to be addressed Profiting from best practices Systemic, holistic, innovative approach to collaboration and partnership in H&T Motivating stakeholder involvement in common educational/research activities Platform development with educational focus Better communication, understanding and trust cultivated Longer-term benefits: Creating a new culture of strategic partnership in H&T Effective educational programmes and research applied High quality graduates employed, youth unemployment reduced Resolving industry problems through high level research Boosting European and world economies through high quality tourism