Tourism, Hospitality, and Food School in Bjelovar won first place in the Raise the Bar Youth program, organized by Coca-Cola HBC Croatia for the fourth consecutive year. All 74 final-year students in the hospitality and tourism tracks at the Bjelovar school successfully participated in the program and achieved the highest scores on knowledge quizzes, securing a €5,000 donation for the school, and participation in a special masterclass lecture.
At the award ceremony, Aleksandra Todorović, Head of Community and Customer Relations at Coca-Cola HBC Adria, emphasized the importance of investing in young people and their development: “We congratulate the Tourism, Hospitality and Food School in Bjelovar on their outstanding result and the dedication their students have shown throughout the program. Their example confirms the importance of providing young people with opportunities to develop practical knowledge and skills that assist them in their future careers. Raise the Bar Youth enabled us to support the professional development of more than 5,000 high school graduates to date, helping them step into the labor market with greater confidence.”
Alongside the donation which will help the school improve its program for future generations, the graduates won a masterclass lecture. During this inspiring educational experience, they learned vital lessons about teamwork and the importance of communication in the dynamic hospitality sector from Branimir Suk, owner of SUK – business for laughter, learning, and creativity. Suk was also joined by Dominik Bečvardi, co-owner of Zagreb's Peaches&Cream bar and lead lecturer at the Raise the Bar Academy, who spoke about his experience managing hospitality establishments and reflected on his career path: from misjudgments to exceptional successes.
"This success is the result of our students' and teachers' hard work, and a confirmation that we continuously invest in the quality of education and development of key competencies for the success of young people. We are particularly happy to be among the top performers in the Raise the Bar Youth program for the second consecutive year, which underscores our commitment to excellence. We believe that this award will further improve learning conditions and motivate future generations to always strive to push their limits," noted Dalibor Vukalović, principal of the Tourism, Hospitality and Food School in Bjelovar.
This year 35 schools competed in the Raise the Bar Youth program. Tourism, Hospitality, and Food School in Bjelovar earned first place, while Craft School Požega and the School of Economics and Tourism in Daruvar earned second and third places. The Bjelovar school achieved an outstanding result last year as well, winning third place, thereby confirming its continuous progress in the program.
The fifth, upgraded edition of the Raise the Bar Youth program will continue in the next school year. Raise the Bar Youth is part of the broader Raise the Bar project, which also includes Raise the Bar Academy for waiters, bartenders and baristas, as well as scholarships for chefs and pastry chefs.
More information is available on the website.
