Professionals and in the hotel, catering and tourism industries from around Europe are coming to a conference at GMIT next week aimed at setting up a network of hotel and catering schools.
Twenty-one delegates from schools and hotels in France, Spain, Bulgaria, and Macedonia are joining GMIT for a three day consultation forum in Galway that will kick off the initiative to create a European network of hotel and catering schools.
The team from GMIT is led by Dr Sarah Berthaud, lecturer in French, and her colleagues in the International Hotel School, lecturers Colin Gilligan, Mary Reid, Ulrich Hoeche and Dr Francesco Noci.
The French side is leading the project which is part of the Erasmus REVER project set up with the support of the French embassy in Ireland.
Dr Berthaud said the aim of the project is to create a European network of Hotel and Catering Schools that will have lasting benefits for students and staff.
“The teaching and learning teams of the five partners, including our own Hotel School, will work on developing a hotel and catering ‘European passport’ that explains the modules, training, skills and competencies of graduates of the courses to employers.”
“This will enable graduates to work and train abroad seamlessly as employers will understand in detail what the ‘passport’ means,” she added.
The three day forum will take place at GMIT’s Galway campus from January 29-31, with its output shared at Franco-Irish Forum for Culinary Arts, Hospitality, and Tourism in April.
Diarmuid Ó Conghaile head of the Galway International Hotel School at GMIT said “This project will present wonderful opportunities for our future graduates, and for our academic team involved.
“It gives them an opportunity to share ideas and insights with our European partners in a coordinated way.”
