Austria
TUI Care Foundation is supporting the German-Hellenic Chamber of Industry and Commerce’s DUAL Hellastourism training programme, which combines academic and vocational training.Thanks to the TUI Care Foundation’s support 20 young people between the ages of 18 and 24 will have the opportunity to complete a vocational training programme in tourism or food service based on the German dual model.
Young people are selected to participate in the training programme according to social criteria such as family income or equality of opportunity in socially disadvantaged communities.The objective of the initiative is to promote equal rights of access to the labour market and gender equality.At least 50 percent of participants will be young women.
“Tourism makes a key contribution to the economies and labour markets of many countries around the world.The TUI Care Foundation believes that education and training are the foundations of sustainable development in holiday destinations,” commented Thomas Ellerbeck, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the TUI Care Foundation.“The dual training programme for young people makes it easier for them to find jobs and careers in tourism, one of the fastest-growing and diverse industries in the world.The skills they learn during the programmes aren’t just relevant for the hotel and tourism sectors, but also for other service industries or jobs involving direct contact with customers.It’s a win-win situation for the trainees and the countries where they live, because new jobs are being created in areas with high levels of youth unemployment.”
It’s ancient culture, beautiful scenery and traditional hospitality make Greece one of the most popular tourism destinations in Europe. Around one million Greek citizens are employed in the tourism industry, which plays an important role in promoting economic growth and employment.
“The DUAL HELLAS Training Centre has been run by the German-Hellenic Chamber of Industry and Commerce since 2018. Promoting German-standard vocational training in Greece, it forges stronger links between vocational training and the labour market and supports the economy by reducing youth unemployment.
“We are very honoured to have the TUI Care Foundation supporting our project. It offers young Greek men and women the chance to take part in a high-quality vocational training programme and ensures their future employability in Greece,” said Dr Athanasios Kelemis, Board Chairman at the German-Hellenic Chamber of Industry and Commerce.
The DUAL Hellas programme provides vocational training in the following occupations:hotel management assistant, restaurant management assistant and chef.All the training programmes are structured in the same way as their German counterparts and take three years to complete.The winter semester (November to March) involves theoretical and practical training at a special training centre.This is followed by six months of on-the-job training in the summer semester (April - October), where the participants work on a full-time basis at hotels and receive a full salary plus insurance and employee rights.As a result, the trainees gain vital work experience from their very first year of training onwards.
The on the -job training takes place at 4 and 5 star hotels, including Atlantica Hotels & Resorts, a longstanding joint venture of TUI and the TUI hotel brand Robinson Club, which has two hotels in Greece on Kos and Kyllini, and a new hotel being built on Crete.As the number of jobs in these hotels increases, they have access to a pool of well-trained work experience students and employees. At the end of the three-year vocational programme the trainees take oral, written and practical examinations to obtain a dual vocational training certificate that is recognised by the German Chamber of Industry and Commerce (DIHK).
