From the Algarve to the world, the three Hotel and Tourism Schools in the region continue to invest in the training of «excellence» professionals. For this next school year, there is still vacancies unfilled in several courses, being Applications are open until Thursday, September 16, to all students who want to become a professional in these sectors.
With the «largest training offer in terms of professional courses among the three institutions», the Algarve Hotel and Tourism School (EHT Algarve), in Faro, claims to be «the place where people employed in hotels, restaurants or tourism can improve their qualification levels», begins by saying Paula Vicente, director of this educational establishment, in an interview with Sul Informação.
After the first round of applications has "gone well", despite the numbers being "more or less pleasant" due to the Covid-19 pandemic, there is still hope of filling the available vacancies because, "in the second phase, we usually succeed still attract many students».
EHT Algarve, installed in the former Convento de São Francisco, in Faro, has “four dual certification courses, in which it is necessary to have the 9th grade to attend, and five technological specialization courses, with access with the 12th grade of schooling, with vacancies still to be filled”.
«At this school, we have all the conditions to have a more varied training offer, which has been very stable over the last few years», explains Paula Vicente.
From the training offer of the Hotel and Tourism School of Faro, The Cooking/Pastry, Restaurant/Bar and Hotel Accommodation courses are part of the three-year courses, including curricular internships. In the end, students get their school certification and access to the profession of their choice. To be able to apply, it is necessary to have completed the 9th year of schooling.
As for technological specialization courses, to which access is only allowed for people with the 12th year, ETH Algarve offers courses in Pastry Management and Production, Hotel Management and Accommodation, Restaurants and Drinks, Kitchen Production and of Tourism.
These courses, in recent years, «have always been in constant demand, which allows us, year after year, to continue to open them».
Celebrating 55 years of existence, the Algarve Hotel and Tourism School was the first of three institutions to emerge in the region. Created in 1967, its mission is «to train human resources in the tourism sector, not only for the Algarve, but also for the country and the world», explains the director.
In addition to this establishment, there are also, in the region, the Hotel and Tourism Schools of Portimão and Vila Real de Santo António, which gives «very important geographic coverage», and «the training offer of the three educational institutions complements if'.
Located in Pedra Mourinha, the Portimão School of Hospitality and Tourism (EHT) has established itself as «the reference in the formation of the tourism sector in the Barlavento Algarvio», refers Pedro Moreira, director of the institution, also in statements to Sul Informação.
Although, in recent years, «there has been a slightly lower demand» for courses from this institution, applications «are in line with past academic years», with EHT Portimão managing to «open all the courses we had planned».
The director hopes that "the next school year will be as normal as possible", with most classes being held in person, "although it is necessary to comply with the norms of the General Directorate of Health."
“The people we train, both at EHT Portimão and at other institutions, will certainly add value to the companies they integrate, within the logic of what the new tourism is all about. Not forgetting the strong technical component, we want students to have, through these courses, also learning in the areas of citizenship, entrepreneurship, innovation and sustainability», emphasizes Pedro Moreira.
In the Eastern Algarve, the Vila Real de Santo António Hotel and Tourism School (EHT), inaugurated at the end of 2006, is «with good prospects of being able to open the courses we proposed, despite things not being easy», stresses Manuel Serra, director of this educational establishment. But there are still places available.
With 85 students and the expectation of reaching 100 students this school year, Manuel Serra explains to Sul Informação that, «in these days, it is still important to break the stigma that professional courses are an escape for students who do not want to follow the so-called “normal” teaching. None of that. These courses are for those people who want to train in these areas, with a more practical component throughout their training».
Although there is a wide range of courses at the Algarve Hotel and Tourism School, director Paula Vicente says that «the target audiences turn out to be very different», leading educational establishments to «carefully adapt to training offer to these audiences'.
«It is interesting to realize that, even within the region, there may be mobility for students who graduate from schools in Portimão or Vila Real de Santo António and then continue their studies here at the Algarve Hotel and Tourism School».
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During the two confinements to which the country was subjected, due to the pandemic, the work done by the Hotel and Tourism Schools «became even more difficult», but, at the same time, «more urgent, as we were the solution for many people who they looked for the opportunity to graduate, in order to have better opportunities in the market when the country came to a halt”, stresses Paula Vicente.
The schools “had the ability to organize themselves, almost overnight, and start operating, a few days later, in courses because we didn't want to stop our work with young people, nor leave them in stand by. We managed to transfer all our courses to a digital format, which led us not only to grab our students, but also to reach audiences that we would not otherwise have».
Even so, the Algarve Hotel and Tourism School «continues to be ambitious and want to create training actions for companies and professionals in the sector», says the director.
"The region can count, on our part, with total availability to continue to contribute to the better training of people and companies, as well as to project our tourism to a higher level, because we always think that it has to be of excellence" .
About to finish the second phase of applications for the courses, it is expected that the school year will be off to a good start.
“We hope to have a more dynamic school year than last year, when we did a lot of activities and virtual sessions. We are already longing to have here again in-person moments that will remain in our memory, as these are the ones that, a day later, we will remember».
For this, the Algarve Hotel and Tourism School has «already in place a plan of activities» and hopes that students «come full of energy to learn, work, but also to be able to enjoy them», concludes Paula Vicente.
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