Greece Prepares Groundwork for First Tourism Academy
The Greek Tourism Ministry announced that it was moving ahead with the creation of the country’s first tourism academy as part of plans to upgrade education and training in the field.
The academy, to operate under ministry supervision, will offer contemporary tourism education, monitor the needs of the tourism market, and improve employment opportunities in the sector.
The goal, the ministry said, is for the academy to pave the way for a single, unified educational body under the ministry which will monitor and adapt to international trends and meet the emerging needs of the tourism market utilizing best educational practices and covering gaps identified.
The ministry is also aiming to incorporate all of the country’s currently operating tourism educational and training institutions into the proposed body, including ASTE and tour guide schools, as well as IEK vocational training institutes and to modernize the framework of operation.
In this direction, a ministry working group convened earlier this month to cooperate with the DG Reform committee which will provide technical support and know-how so that Greece can design and carry out structural reforms for the “Reform Tourism Education in Greece” project through to 2023.
Commenting on the project, Deputy Tourism Minister Sofia Zacharaki said reforming and upgrading the national tourism model was a strategic priority which should start from tourism education.
“We are moving forward with the radical reform of our national policy for tourism education at all levels and the creation of a new source of competitive tourism education and research,” she said.
“Our vision is for this body to function as a multiplier of the quality of the Greek tourism product but also of employment opportunities for the people in the tourism sector by providing innovative and specialized educational programs and highlighting new career prospects,” said Zacharaki.
I am a secondary school teacher by profession with domestic & food science as subjects, a registered tourist guide, travelled thw world and owned self-catering accommodation & guest house. We have business connections in Greece whereby we can contribute our digital company plus above skills. We do not want to immigrate since we have a good property portfolio in south africa yet it is almost impossible for south africans to execute our rights as world citizens to just expand business & above expertize to greece. Unless free trade and travel is restored, the world will remain fragmented and paralyzed.