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BILT Learning Labs are an opportunity for TVET stakeholders to explore specific Innovation and Learning Practices from Africa, Asia-Pacific, and Europe.
This hybrid Learning Lab will take place on 24 April 2024 from 9:00 – 11:15 CEST (14:00 – 16:15 ICT) and will focus on the inclusive TVET programmes of Cometa, Italy and KOTO, Vietnam that are working to bring educational opportunities to often marginalized learners.
Equitable, excellent, empowering: Innovative TVET in hospitality
Fostering inclusive and diverse TVET environments is essential to ensuring that all individuals are allotted equal educational opportunities. Inclusion in education has a ripple effect leading to better individual economic outcomes, labour market stability and overall improved societal cohesion.
But how do we create inclusive settings, ones based on holistic approaches that extend beyond the classroom? Moreover, in which ways can inclusive TVET programmes prepare their students for structural changes in both regional and global economies?
Taking two examples from the hospitality sector, this BILT Learning Lab aims to delve into these questions and many more.
Know One, Teach One (KOTO) started in 1999 as a small hospitality training centre in Hanoi, aspiring to create better lives for at-risk and disadvantaged youth. Since then, this non-profit social enterprise has expanded not only its programme offerings and training facilities, but also internationally. The programmes are free and provide full accommodation, health care and welfare support to participants. Staying true to its principles of offering opportunities and empowerment to all, in 2018 the Her Turn initiative was born with support from Australian aid.
Promoting female economic empowerment through TVET, Her Turn focuses on marginalized individuals from regional areas and ethnic minority groups. Vietnamese women within this grouping often have limited formal education and lack valuable life skills, making them vulnerable to disenfranchisement, exploitation and trafficking. Through short course skills training, a long-term career development programme and a learnership building programme in the hospitality sector, Her Turn is working to establish opportunities for women. The project focuses heavily on instilling entrepreneurial skills and career development for female empowerment.
Concerns over youth unemployment and inclusion through TVET are not exclusive to Asian countries, but in-fact present challenges globally. Beginning in 1986, La Cometa Società Cooperativa Sociale (COMETA) has a long history of supporting disadvantaged youth populations in Italy. Officially, the Associazione Cometa was first founded in 2000 and began its first TVET training courses with the establishment of the Cometa Formazione institution in 2003. Similar to KOTO, COMETA has continued to grow and expand itself offering unique projects and initiatives based on the current needs of the communities it serves.
In 2010, when Italian youth unemployment rates stood at 27.9%
, COMETA looked for a way to reach out to young adults, migrant minors and asylum seekers. As a result of legal, linguistic and sociocultural differences, recent migrants are susceptible to educational and economic marginalization.
With this background in mind, the MiniMaster initiative was created. The MiniMaster is a holistic training programme in waitstaff and housekeeping, which is tailored to the local job market. In addition to professional skills, transversal and cultural skills development are cornerstones of the training. The programme goes a step further by providing individual support to each participant through a Human Integral Development approach.
Both initiatives collaborate closely with industry partners to ensure the success of participants and local businesses. Through initiatives, like MiniMaster and Her Turn, TVET providers are working to dismantle barriers and establish pathways for disadvantage groups to succeed.
Times are indicated in CEST.
24 April 2024
09:00 – 09:10: Key Concepts
Ms Priscilla Gatonye, Programme Officer, Inclusion and Youth, UNESCO-UNEVOC
09:10 - 09:15: Welcome and introduction of speakers
The project journey - Project creation and implementation
Moderator: Ms Jessica Rosenfeld, BIBB
Panellists:
Online Chat Moderation: Ms Alexandra Filippova, BILT Assistant Project Officer, UNESCO-UNEVOC
10:15 – 10:25 Student Testimonials
From idea to action – curriculum development and student outcomes
Moderator: Ms Felister Munyi, BILT Project Assistant, UNESCO-UNEVOC
Panellists:
Online Chat Moderation: Ms Alexandra Filippova, BILT Assistant Project Officer, UNESCO-UNEVOC
11:05 - 11:15: Wrap-up and closing
Ms Priscilla Wanjiku Gatonye, Programme Officer, Inclusion and Youth, UNESCO- UNEVOC
Mr Francesco Baroni, Country Manager, Italia presso Gi Group Holding
Mr Baroni joined Gi Group in 2014.He has worked for leading consulting companies and public institutions. At IBM, as a partner in the Global Business Services Division, he led management consulting, system integration and outsourcing projects mainly for the industrial sector.
In 2010, he was appointed Director General of the Industry, Crafts, Construction and Cooperation Department of the Lombardy Region and became Director General of Strategic Planning and Finance in April 2013. Mr Baroni holds a degree in Mechanical Engineering from the Politecnico di Milano. Since February 2023, he has been President of Assolavoro (National Association of Agencies).
Ms Dang Thi Anh Tuyet, Deputy Training Manager, Know One, Teach One (KOTO)
With a lifelong focus on society, Ms Dang has dedicated herself to the pursuit of contributing to community development via education. She oversees the management and operations of the training team’s activities within the KOTO Foundation Department. She is responsible for not only assuring that the training procedures are in line with the training curriculum, through the designed syllabus and extra curricula actives, but also through building trainers’ capacity to ensure the effectiveness of the training's quality and trainees’ competency skills.
Ms Dang graduated from the University of Languages and International Studies (ULIS) in Vietnam, majoring in English language teaching. Additionally, she holds a master's degree in English Teaching to Speakers of Other Languages from Victoria University, Australia. Working in TVET for 10 years, and KOTO for nearly four, has strengthened her belief in empowerment through education.
She is very proud to be a part of the KOTO family where we work with passion, professionalism, love, innovation and respect.
Mr Giovanni Figini, School Manager of the Cometa Formazione – Oliver Twist School, La Cometa Società Cooperativa Sociale (COMETA)
Mr. Figini holds a degree in Modern Literature from the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart in Milan and a PhD in "Training of the person and the labour market" from the University of Bergamo. Active in various educational innovation projects, he is also a promoter of the methodological-didactic innovation project called 'High school - entrepreneurial and craft experimentation of design', approved by the Minister of Education.
Ms Hoàng Thị Hạnh, Foundation Manager, know one, teach one (KOTO)
In her current role, as the foundation manager, Ms Hoàng oversees the program life cycle from recruiting of new trainees to safeguarding their well-being whilst at KOTO. Additionally, she is responsible for managing the effective delivery of the training curriculum for the Certificate III in Hospitality, Apollo / KOTO joint accredited English language curriculum, life skills, and computer literacy for KOTO trainees. This entails ensuring that the execution and quality assurance standards are met and delivered properly, as well as preparing trainees for workforce entry, and providing support to the KOTO alumni community.
Not only has Ms Hoàng been working with KOTO for more than twenty years, but she also graduated from the two-year program in 2003. Prior to starting at KOTO, she worked in the restaurant and food service sector.
Ms Bianca Passera, Owner and Chairperson, Lario Hotels
Ms Passera is President of LarioHotels, her family's hotel company, based in Como. She started working for the chain in 2006 as a hotel image manager. Beginning in 2018, she and her nephew Luigi, created Vista, a chain of high-end luxury boutique hotels. She currently works as the Head of Sustainability and Communications for both hotel chains.
As a teenager Ms Passera attended a language-focused high school with in-depth studies in English, French and German combined with stays abroad during the summer months. She then went on to graduate in business administration from Bocconi University in Milan with full marks in 1984. After a successful career in communications, working with McCann Erickson in Milan and EMC.inc in New York, she went on to work for her own packaging agency, Officina Produzioni in 1991 until 2003.
Between 2003 and 2008, she co-founded the Siticibo project within the Banco Alimentare Foundation. As a result of her philanthropic work, she set in motion the creation of the first freshly cooked food recovery and delivery system for community-based charitable organisations serving meals to those in need. Throughout this period, she also worked as a volunteer for a Caritas reception centre in Milan, as well as, collaborated with Bell'Italia writing about hotels and hospitality.
Since 2011, she has held the position of Director of the Teatro Sociale di Como. Between 2014- 2019 she served as President of the Museo della Seta in Como and from 2017 -2022 she was a member of the Board of Directors of Villa Erba S.p.A.
Mr Dike Aribiba, Student, MCI Internationale Hochschule Innsbruck - MiniMaster graduating class 2009
Mr. Aribiba graduated from the MiniMaster program in 2009 and credits COMETA with being the key to his success. Through the program, he was able to gain the trust of local employers who, because of COMETA's reputation welcomed him into their companies without hesitation. Once he got his foot in the door, he had the chance to showcase his skills. Just a few weeks after graduation, Mr. Aribiba received a job offer through Cometa, from the Hotel Metropol and Suisse. Coming from a background in elder care, he was initially skeptical at being offered a position at such a renowned restaurant.
Ms Alessandra Benda, Bartender, Erre Bar - MiniMaster graduating class 2023
Ms Benda attended the Hotel Minimaster course, and trainned to become a waiter. Before attending she had serious doubts as to whether or not she would be able to keep this commitment. Coming from a background of uncertainty with four consecutive years of school failure and housing instability, she was concerned.
With time Ms Benda realised the part of her job that she enjoyed most was being with people, both colleagues and customers. She likes welcoming others and making them feel good. She has also boosted her English skills and has become more careful and precise in what she does.
After the course, she took on a 5 month waitressing internship at Erre Bar in Como. This experience changed her profoundly. She immediately felt welcomed, accompanied and guided by her colleagues, who always made themselves available and taught her a lot. From there, she not only gained more self-confidence and became more professionalised, but was also offered a permanent position.
Ms Benda still works at Erre and plans to continue as long as she is able to grow and learn
Mr Le Minh Loc, Student, RMIT University - KOTO Class 32
Mr Le completed a two-year educational program at the KOTO training centre in 2019, where he acquired valuable knowledge and skills for the hospitality industry. This experience has fuelled his passion for pursuing a career as a professional waiter. His aim is to cultivate the necessary expertise to provide exceptional service to customers while positively contributing to the success of restaurants and hotels. Mr Le aspires to becoming a restaurant manager within the next four years. Currently, he is a sophomore at RMIT University in Vietnam, majoring in Tourism Hospitality Management.
Ms Thuan Tran, Front of House Trainer, Know One, Teach One (KOTO) - KOTO Class 13
Joining KOTO as a trainee in Class 13, Ms Tran graduated with a Front of House Hospitality Major. After completing the training at KOTO, she worked at several five - star hotels in Hanoi. KOTO has been always a part of her, so she came back to become a Front of House Trainer to continue the philosophy of “Know One Teach One”. Working with young, motivated trainees always provides her with energy and enthusiasm.
Ms Tran responsibilities are to deliver lessons in service and bartending skills, to cooperate with hospitality partners to bring practical training opportunities for our trainees, and making sure KOTO trainees meet the high-end requirements of the hospitality industry. She believes her career path has brought significant positive impacts to the community.
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