Andreas in Nepal

Our mission here is to help our local partner Rokpa with the implementation of various vocational hospitality training programs such as kitchen, service and rooms.

The course emphasizes on the development of practical skills. In fact, students are spending 75% of their time in practical training. This pattern of education is possible because the training is attached to the running Rokpa hotel consisting of 22 rooms and one restaurant. The connection between students and guests as well as the daily hospitality immersion are most valuable for the Rokpa students. It will set them apart from others.

It was a big achievement to open the school on the 14th of May with 32 students. Another big achievement is the partnership that was established with Gate College, one of the best hospitality schools in Nepal. A government- approved certificate by GATE College will be given to the Rokpa students who have attained the required skill levels during the one year course. Moreover, the students will receive a certificate delivered by EHLsmile. The certificate ought to be recognised nationally within the next 5 years. As of year one we would like to achieve a high job placement rate for our students in hotels and restaurants around Nepal.

Personally it is my third project in hospitality education. Previously I worked as Sales & Marketing Director for Swissam Hospitality Business and Culinary Arts School in St.Petersburg/Russia and before that as Sales & Marketing Director for the Ecole Supérieure d’Hôtellerie et de Restaurant d’Alger (ESHRA). ESHRA is (was) an Ecole Hôtelière de Lausanne (EHL) certified school and was in academic collaboration with Lausanne Hospitality Consulting (LHC).

So far it is great to see the passion, commitment and positive attitude of the students. The technical skills are improving daily. I would also like to salute our local management team that is highly involved in the project. They have all taken on multifunctional tasks. In addition to their daily duties in operations they train and teach the students.

The EHLSmile team is happy to be here in Kathmandu and it is a true pleasure to work alongside the local team for our students and guests.