Teaching Human Resource Management in the Culinary Sector: Towards a European Curriculum with Intercultural Competences

The Human Resource Management (HRM) for Chefs project, co-funded by the Erasmus+ programme, is developing a unified European curriculum on human resource management for current and future food service professionals. The initiative is led by TPA (Poland), with UBV (Germany), LIR (Latvia), CBiR (US), and us. It aims to strengthen the management and interpersonal skills of chefs in multicultural environments — including a focus on Ukrainian citizens integrating into the European labour market.

The project’s methodology promotes a comprehensive pedagogical approach for students, teachers and vocational trainers, combining classroom training, digital learning, and webinars. It also integrates interactive and flexible learning methods, such as blended learning, microlearning, and short video-based materials, allowing participants to learn at their own pace and apply knowledge directly to real-world contexts. The main results include:

• A research report assessing HRM competences among culinary students and teachers across partner countries;
• A training programme consisting of five key modules: task delegation, team building, employee selection, conflict resolution, and motivation;
• A methodological guide for teachers and trainers;
• Diagnostic and evaluation tools for assessing HRM skills;
• A series of webinars and digital resources to foster online learning and international cooperation.

ENAC, as one of the core partners, plays a leading role in the development of digital tools and testing activities, and in coordinating dissemination through national conferences and webinars involving vocational schools and training centres.

Round Table at the EfVET Annual Conference

During the EfVET Annual Conference, ENAC hosted a Round Table titled “Managing People in the Kitchen: HRM Competences for the Next Generation of Chefs”. The session gathered representatives from vocational schools, project partners, and industry experts to discuss how human resource management training can transform culinary education.

Participants shared experiences from pilot activities, explored challenges in motivating young apprentices, and discussed the role of digital tools in supporting teachers. The debate emphasised the importance of integrating HRM competences into VET curricula to enhance teamwork, leadership, and intercultural understanding in hospitality professions.
The project demonstrates how European collaboration can modernise vocational education by combining practical skills with soft competences and leveraging innovative, learner-centred approaches. Through the use of interactive, digital, and bite-sized learning tools, it brings human resource management training in the culinary sector closer to the needs of today’s learners and workplaces.

Erasmus Days 2025

Live Broadcast Canossa Erasmus III ed.

Again this year, Canossa Erasmus will participate in #Erasmusdays with a live marathon involving Canossian schools and vocational training centres that have taken part in #Erasmus+ mobility programmes. Students, teachers and staff will tell us about their experiences!

There will also be a second live broadcast with our European partners, with whom we collaborate every day to carry out our projects.

We will talk about group mobility, long and short mobility, internships, job shadowing, incoming activities, training courses and much more.

Follow us live on our YouTube channel on Wednesday 15 October and Thursday 16 October from 10th a.m. to 2th p.m.!

Watch here our broadcast on our YouTube channel!

The EUAMI project workshop: One Africa – many Africas by Anna Pozzi

Anna Pozzi, is a journalist and writer specialising in Africa. She is editor of the monthly magazine «Mondo e missione» and contributes to various publications, for which she has produced numerous reports from countries in Africa and the Middle East. She was invited by Canossa Campus to hold a new workshop as part of the European EUAMI project. This gave Canossa Campus students the opportunity to learn more about the African continent and make new discoveries.

The meeting was a journey through the complexity of Africa, a continent often reduced to stereotypes, but which reveals extraordinary cultural, geographical and demographic diversity. Anna Pozzi emphasised how the borders drawn by Europeans during colonialism have contributed to generating long-lasting conflicts, such as the one in Sudan. She went on to compare African population growth with that of India and China and demonstrated the need for a careful reading of the dynamics that shape the continent’s future.

The journalist also focused on North Africa, highlighting the challenges posed by conflict, terrorism and climate change, which have forced millions of people to migrate. She then analysed Africa’s rapid urbanisation: more than half of the population now lives in cities, where the pandemic has exacerbated social inequalities.

A significant example was that of the Kivu region, rich in minerals but devastated by instability and exploitation. He recounted the story of Denis Mukwege (Nobel Peace Prize winner) founder of the hospital Panzi Hospital and Foundation a Bukavu, capital of the province of South Kivu, in the Democratic Republic of Congo, for women victims of violence, linking local difficulties to the consumption choices of Western countries.

The journalist also cited Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country, as an example of extreme contrasts: wealth and poverty, tradition and modernity. She concluded her remarks with an invitation to consider the impact of European policies and consumption on African humanitarian crises.

Anna Pozzi’s speech left a deep impression, stimulating greater awareness of a continent that is often misunderstood and of the responsibility to look at Africa with new eyes.

Vet2sustain project meeting a Verona

The VET2Sustain  project team met in Verona on 12–13 March 2025 for a productive and collaborative meeting, working efficiently towards the project’s objectives.

The first working session was led by Sirje Hassinen and Oona Haapakorpi from Omnia, who provided an overview of the current status of the project. They reviewed the project objectives and commitments outlined in the project application. To align everyone’s understanding, they also introduced the working methods, key actions and target groups.

Later, Katarina Sandbacka presented the development of a long-term strategic action plan focused on promoting sustainable, inclusive and digital vocational education and training (VET). The main outcomes of the plan include establishing a partnership agreement for future cooperation, creating a shared strategy and action plan for the network, and organising a recurring annual event. In addition, short- and long-term action plans will be developed for VET organisations at regional, national and EU level, ensuring a well-coordinated and forward-looking approach across Europe. Virpi Kaasinen then provided an update on efforts to create and strengthen cooperation models for vocational education and training in Europe, with a particular focus on exploring networking opportunities. Key actions under development include the creation of an online platform for collaboration, participation in joint annual events for projects funded under the same theme, and the promotion of opportunities for internationalisation activities at national level.

During the meeting, the calendar of upcoming activities was shared, and discussions were held on how to organise joint meetings with national government and qualification awarding bodies and review the current progress report. A feedback session allowed participants to discuss the report, provide input and suggest improvements. The session also focused on assessing the next steps.
The team also worked on collecting examples of how AI and XR technologies are currently being used in vocational education at partner institutions.

At the start of the second day of the meeting, there was a presentation on the use of Thinglink in education. Samiedu showed examples of how Thinglink can be used. Henri Pennanen from ThingLink guided all participants in the meeting through the use of the platform’s tools.

Finally, Wednesday’s communication and dissemination session focused on guiding partners in reporting on their communication and dissemination activities. Mira Torvinen-Määttä clarified the distinction between these two concepts, explaining that communication involves spreading awareness of the project, while dissemination ensures that the right people receive and use the results.

This meeting laid a solid foundation for the next steps of the project, strengthening collaboration and shared commitment to achieving its ambitious goals.