Through the Erasmus+ project, students studying hospitality tourism, their teachers, and the II. Ferenc Rákóczi Technical School of the Budapest Business Training Centre itself took wings. Students have gained new perspectives in a multicultural environment, while tourism education has been expanded with an innovative curriculum.
40 best tourism practices in 4 countries
We talked to Éva Galgóczy, coordinator of the award-winning Innovation and Mobility for Modern Tourism Training project.
What was the aim of the project?
We started the project with the aim of strengthening our competitiveness, increasing our involvement in internationalization, and developing a curriculum in tourism education. Our application and its successful completion are milestones in the life of both the institution and the students.
What motivated the implementers during the project?
The main motivation was that our students participating in the trainings of the tourism professional group should acquire competitive theoretical and practical knowledge, thus be successful on the labour market. Our teachers should receive up-to-date, broader knowledge in the field of dual vocational training and museum tourism.
What activities were implemented during the project?
During their internships, our students gained insight into the working and behavioural culture of Greek, Polish and German hotels. Working in an international, multicultural environment helped them to become more accepting and understanding of people, wherever they come from. A common feature of the training sites in Greece was the experience of local hospitality, gastronomy, and working culture. In Germany, students enjoyed working in housekeeping, F&B service, event management and back office. In Poland, we placed two students on ErasmusPro mobility, who also had the opportunity to gain more experience about food hygiene and waste management, which they admit made them more environmentally aware. Our staff visited Osterode and Florence, where they were able to gain insight into Italy's vocational training system and, compared to the conditions in Hungary, they could learn and pass on good practices. They learned about how professional training works at theoretical and practical level, and about the opportunities for further training available to colleagues abroad. They became more motivated to improve their professional knowledge and language skills.
What were the main benefits of the project for the participants?
The project contributed greatly to the development of the students' foreign language communication skills. They also made significant progress in the areas of transversal competences, problem solving and conflict management. The students also had the opportunity to participate in staff work meetings, where they could learn about the requirements that a 4–5-star hotel expects from its staff. In addition, the hotel involved the Hungarian students in the organization of its events: they could follow the organization of large-scale conferences and participate in some of the tasks.
What is the biggest change within the institution that the project brought about?
Thanks to teacher mobility, our colleagues learned a lot of good practices, which helped us to improve our professional teaching materials and our methodology.
The mindset of the students participating in the project has also changed thanks to the Erasmus+ programme. They became much more open to gaining experience abroad and preparing for the labour market. They were confronted with the questions: how they react in situations outside their comfort zone, how to be effective in unfamiliar work and life situations. All this had a profound impact on their confidence and attachment to their profession and will certainly have a positive effect in the future in terms of helping them to overcome the difficulties of job search and the early career period.
How has the knowledge gained during the project integrated into the daily life of the institution?
A segment of the labour market has opened for students where they were not competitive enough until now due to a lack of knowledge. Our school was able to launch a new module, Museum Tourism, which can be integrated into the curricula of the Tourism Organizer and Tour Guide vocational trainings.
The up-to-date information content of the module is a good complement to the knowledge of tourism trends. It covers both the classical museum tasks and the modern twenty-first century possibilities. It touches on the subject of tourism product development, links in a complex way with the curriculum, and introduces a new professional direction, the relationship between museums and tourism. Another priority area that has also been incorporated is the demonstration of good practices in Italian rural tourism. Through this, the school drew students' attention to the potential of rural tourism in Hungary.
What was the most memorable moment of the project?
We had a lovely student who was afraid to apply to the programme because she did not speak a foreign language well enough and had never been abroad before. I taught her German and accompanied him to Berlin for a six-week internship, where she took his tasks very seriously and tried to integrate into the working environment as much as possible. After returning home, she successfully applied to a university in Salzburg where she was accepted thanks to the Erasmus+ programme.
What are you most proud of about the project?
The main objective of the project was to increase the competitiveness of students in the labour market, and we feel that this has been fully achieved: several of our students managed to find a job in their profession. One student who had been on a long mobility at Art'otel Berlin and his employer was so satisfied with his work that he received an offer from the Art'otel in Budapest, part of the Berlin hotel chain, where he has been working as a receptionist ever since.
What does winning the Excellence Award mean to you?
Budapest Business SZ:C II. Ferenc Rákóczi Technical School participated in the Erasmus+ mobility programm3 for the second time in 2019.
Winning the Award of Excellence is an immense pleasure and honour: it confirms that the institution is on the right track in the field of tourism vocational training.
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Institution: Budapest Business Training Centre, II. Ferenc Rákóczi Technical School Project title: Innovation and Mobility for Modern Tourism Training: 4 countries - 40 best practices Measure: Mobility of learners and staff (KA1 VET) Coordinator: Éva Galgóczy Project website: rakoczif.hu/erasmus-mobilitas/erasmus-2019-2021 |
Korim Brigitta
Tempus Public Foundation,
Directorate of Communication
Last modified: 19-12-2023
