“DeelforHost”, is a two-year project funded by the EC under Erasmus+ KA2, Cooperation among organisations and institutions in HE, Call 2021.
The consortium of the project consists of the Coordinator, which is the University of Piraeus Research Centre in Greece and six partners: the Higher Hotel Institute in Cyprus, University of Economics – Varna in Bulgaria, the Universitat de les IIles Balears in Spain, the University of Cyprus in Cyprus, the Vidzemes Turisma Asociacija, in Latvia and the European Association of Erasmus Coordinators in Cyprus.
The project concentrates on the development of one result, which is an innovative platform, a state-of the art ICT tool that will digitally transform and enhance employer engagement activities between HEIs offering programmes in Hotel and Tourism (HT) and the Hotel and Tourism Industry (HTI). The platform will have a clear educational orientation in the field of HT, involving digitally employers in the essence of educational work. It will work as an online management tool for all HEIs who offer employer engagement activities in a modern and effective way. It will facilitate European digital networking, collaboration and proliferation of good practice.
The objectives of the project include:
(1) digital transformation and enhancement of employer engagement between HE and HTI which is more necessary than ever in the effort to recover from the adverse impacts of the pandemic
(2) safe & effective execution of HEI educational & research work involving the contact & collaboration with the industry
(3) make HEI curricula relevant & effective, providing the knowledge, skills & competences required by current & future HTI employers in order to be able to recover quickly from the adverse impacts of the pandemic
(4) improvement of the employability of HEI students & graduates by adequately preparing them for the evolving needs of the industry especially in times of crisis
(5) improvement of the delivery of HEI curricula utilizing resources & tools sourcing from the industry e.g. digital facilitation of industry contribution in curricula delivery, virtual guest lectures, virtual practical training guidance and assessment, blended internships, remote industry visits, virtual contribution in student projects, competitions and joint events
(6) enhance student learning with the use of digital technology
(7) enhance student digital competences
(8) secure student internship monitoring & evaluation in a modern, effective & secure way (9)enhance HEI research capabilities by focusing on current & future industry problems and needs
(10) assess HEI educational work through the eyes of employers as end users & improve on their digital competence & performance, allowing them to remain competitive in a highly digitalized world
(11) contribute to the development of inclusive educational systems addressing the needs of disadvantaged groups amongst stakeholders
(12) digital teaching & learning of HTI employees by HEI faculty in times of crisis & other periods e.g. off season (digitally facilitated CPD activities)
(13) proactive research by HEI research centres to project & mitigate the effects of the crisis as well as provide solutions for problems and issues faced
(14) online expert advice on HT management models & forms of operation needed to assist in the transformation required during times of crisis
(15) online access of HTI enterprises to part-time & full-time student/graduate employment as well as practical training/internships
(16) timely provision for changes in the HTI structure & operation due to the pandemic situation in the industry-HEI cooperation e.g. inclusion of remote small or small-medium new partners
(17) cultivation of online fruitful networks between professionals, faculty/research staff & students/graduates & inducing cooperation & partnership through value-added digital activities (18) promote interconnectivity between HEIs and HTI in Europe and internationally and the proliferation of good practice.
DEELforHOST, is directly addressed to Higher Education faculty and Students or Graduates, in the field of Hotel and Tourism, and to the Enterprises and Employers in the Hotel and Tourism Industry.
07 Jun 2022
