All tourism and hospitality high schools in Croatia are eligible to register for participation in the free educational program Raise the Bar Youth, implemented by Coca-Cola HBC Croatia. The program helps final-year high school students develop skills not sufficiently represented in the curriculum but necessary for a successful career in the hospitality and tourism industry – key branches of the Croatian economy. In just over a month, 38 high schools have applied for the program. Their students will receive a Certificate of Completion that can enrich their CVs and enhance their competitiveness in the labour market.
For four years the program has received the support of the Association of Hospitality and Tourism Schools of the Republic of Croatia, which brings together nearly half of the schools participating in the program. "Raise the Bar Youth confirms the importance of linking formal education with work-based learning and current trends. With the support of Coca-Cola HBC Croatia, it delivers valuable knowledge and skills that help students position themselves more favourably in the labour market. We believe that the interest of schools will be high again this year and that the program will continue improving the quality of education and encourage young people to develop their professional and personal skills", said Ksenija Beljan, President of the Association.
Coca-Cola HBC Croatia is also organizing a prize competition as a way to reward students’ effort and encourage excellence. The top-performing school will receive a cash prize of €5,000, the runner-up €3,000, and the third-placed school €2,000. Students from the top three schools – those that participated in the largest numbers and achieved the best results in quizzes – will also have an opportunity to participate in an exclusive masterclass lectures held at their schools. Last year, 26 schools entered the competition, with the Craft School Požega taking the first place.
The program consists of five modules covering communication, teamwork, self-employment, financial literacy, and business planning. All modules are available online via the platform operated by the Croatian Office for Creativity and Innovation (HUKI), and the lecturers are experts and prominent industry representatives, such as Marko Gajski, Head Chef of the Michelin-starred restaurant LD Korčula. Participation in the program requires students to complete three modules and associated quizzes; while participation in all modules and quizzes is required to enter the competition.
So far, nearly 4,000 senior students have completed the program. In the third edition alone, 1,576 students from 41 schools took part in Raise the Bar Youth, giving it an excellent average rating of 4.7. Raise the Bar Youth is part of the wider Raise the Bar Adria platform, through which Coca-Cola HBC Croatia helps align employee skills with employer needs and promotes excellence in hospitality and tourism via Scholarships and Academy programs.
Applications for Raise the Bar Youth are still open, and the program must be completed during the first semester of the 2025/2026 school year, with student enrolment lists to be submitted by 14 January 2026. For all information about its implementation, tourism and hospitality schools and schools with a specialization in agrotourism technicians can contact raisethebar@cchellenic.com.