ESSVA Hospitality and Catering Section

		Charles Eschauzier, Project Leader and Director of the ad interim division Sector : Vocational Training Location : Antsirabe, Madagascar local Partner : ESSVA (Ecole Supérieure Spécialisée du VAkinankaratra) (Vakinankaratra Superior Specialized School) Start of Partnership : 2007

«Education and vocational training are the keys to development»

“I joined this project for several reasons. First of all, I believe it is primordial to be able to give a little of ourselves to help people in need.  Moreover, I am convinced that education and vocational training are the keys to development. So, I got involved in the project of creating a Hospitality and Catering section in the Vakinankaratra Superior Specialized School (Ecole Supérieure Spécialisée du Vakinankaratra -ESSVA) aimed at young high school graduates in unstable situations. My work covers a variety of tasks, and I also have the responsibility of being Division Head at the moment while waiting for someone to be recruited. First of all, I must make sure that the division runs smoothly, at organizational, pedagogical and technical levels. For this, I train teachers and accompany them daily in their work. I also teach specific subjects and help students find apprenticeships.
I offer my support to the school at a more general level of institutional strengthening (accounting, organization, etc.). And finally, I also work on promoting the school and its various work experience units (restaurant, hotel rooms and catering service which enables students to work in real-life conditions) to the local public, restaurant and hotel owners at a national level and also tour operators.

«Ideas should never be imposed, but dialogues should be initiated»

I needed a period to reflect and adapt in order to be able to understand the Malagasy culture better, which is the case today. Malagasy people are extremely reserved and it is not at all easy to gain their trust. Ideas should never be imposed, but dialogues should be initiated, suggestions made, and then just let them make their own decisions.

«Many hotel-catering professionals are waiting impatiently for the first graduates to offer them jobs»

Almost a year and a half has passed since we kicked off the project, and I can honestly say that our students really want to put into practice everything they have learned.  They are impatient to finish their studies and to start working. Moreover, meetings with professionals of the sector are very encouraging and this strengthens my belief even more that this project is of key importance to the tourist and economic development of the island.
After the first apprenticeships of the 1st year students (August/September 2007), employers were very satisfied, and many are waiting impatiently for the first group to graduate to offer them jobs.

«The students, and the teachers, are beginning to feel that they are in charge of their futures»

Little by little, the students, and the teachers, are beginning to feel that they are in charge of their futures and can take their own initiatives, and they have a real feeling of trust, because they know they have solid support to accompany them. I think that when our first class of students graduates (August 2009), we will already have begun to change the face of the Malagasy hospitality industry. This does not mean that we are going to stop there, but that we will have initiated a process of change that we must continue to pursue actively.”