With the beginning of the new school year, the fourth edition of the Raise the Bar Youth educational program is starting in hospitality and tourism secondary schools across Croatia. This free program, initiated by Coca-Cola HBC Croatia, is designed for final-year students to hone their skills and knowledge and prepare them for a successful career in hospitality and tourism.
An added incentive is a competition in which the three top-performing schools will receive valuable awards. The winning school will receive €5,000, the runner-up €3,000, and the third-place school €2,000. Students from the three top schools, who took part in the competition in the largest numbers and achieved the best quiz results, will also be rewarded with exclusive masterclass lectures that will be held at their schools.
The program consists of five online modules covering communication and teamwork, the latest hospitality trends and techniques, financial literacy basics, and practical guidance on business planning and starting one’s own business. All modules are hosted on a platform managed by the Croatian Office for Creativity and Innovation (HUKI), with lectures delivered by industry experts and leading professionals.
To enter the competition, students must complete all five online modules and their accompanying quizzes. Those schools who simply wish to take part in the program without competing need to complete three mandatory modules and quizzes, after which students can download a digital Certificate of Completion for the Raise the Bar Youth program.
So far, nearly 4,000 senior students have joined the program. In the third edition alone, 1,576 students from 41 schools completed it, giving it an excellent average rating of 4.7. Last year, 26 schools entered the competition, with the Požega Vocational School taking first place.
Raise the Bar Youth is the third component of the Raise the Bar Adria strategic platform, which aims to align the skills and knowledge of hospitality and tourism workers with the needs of employers. As part of the platform, Coca-Cola HBC Adria awards scholarships for chefs and pastry chefs to train at top schools and runs the Academy, a free program for waiters, baristas, and bartenders who want to advance their expertise.