Istanbul, Turkey, September 28th, 2023 - Vakko added a new one to its pioneering initiatives in the field of education with Vakko ESMOD Fashion Academy and signed a cooperation agreement with EHL Group, which encompasses the world’s best hospitality management school. Training at the school in Istanbul, which will be named Vakko School of Hospitality and Service, will begin in January 2024.
Within the scope of Vakko's collaboration with EHL Group, headquartered in Switzerland, the Vakko School of Hospitality and Service aims to set the standards of excellence for vocational education and training in hospitality. Combining the 130 years of expertise of the world's best hospitality management school with Vakko culture and service quality, the collaboration will offer future generations an exciting opportunity to build their careers in the hospitality and service industry.
The school's signing ceremony was held at Vakko Hotel & Residence the previous day. Vakko Board of Directors Cem Hakko and Managing Director in charge of Strategic Partnerships at EHL, André Mack, school administrators, and sector representatives attended the ceremony, where details about the school were also shared.
"We join forces with EHL Group, the world's best in its field."
Speaking at the ceremony, Cem Hakko, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Vakko, said: “As Turkey's most established fashion brand, we aim to raise professionals who embrace fashion as a way of life and have a high design culture and brand awareness. Following Vakko ESMOD Fashion Academy, which we established 10 years ago, together with ESMOD, the world's first fashion school, we are now joining forces with EHL Group, the world’s leading source of hospitality education, and signing a very important investment. We will try to present Vakko culture and service quality in the most successful way in the hospitality field.”
Stating that they will bring the expertise of the world's best hospitality management school, which offers a high level of educational experience as an ambassador of the Swiss hospitality tradition, to Turkey with the Vakko School of Hospitality and Service, Hakko said: “With international instructors experienced in the fields of food and beverage, service and hospitality, we will offer service training in accordance with international regulations, while localizing it with the hospitality in our traditions. Within the scope of the programs designed to meet a large part of the talent demand of the industry, our biggest goal is to contribute to the tourism sector of our country.”
André Mack, Managing Director in charge of Strategic Partnerships at EHL Group, said: “ As an education group notably driven by the world’s best hospitality management university, EHL Group has been supporting excellence in the hospitality industry since 1893. Today, we are delighted to work with a well-established brand like Vakko to elevate their service standards even further and train the next generation of hospitality leaders in Turkey.”
Swiss model to be applied in Turkey
Vakko School of Hospitality and Service, which will be located in Akaret, Istanbul, adjacent to Vakko ESMOD Fashion Academy, will offer training in 3 different models to meet the needs in the fields of hospitality, hospitality, food and beverage and service: Training Center, Micro-Training and Apprenticeship. Within the scope of the programs, internship and course materials developed by EHL Group in Switzerland will be taught by VET by EHL-approved industry experts.
Photo caption, from left to right: Cem Hakko (Chairman of VAKKO Group); Jaklin Güner (CEO of VAKKO Group); Beatrice Schaer (Consul General of the General Consulate of Switzerland to Istanbul); André Mack (Managing director in charge of Strategic Partnerships at EHL Group)