On November 2, our association welcomed a group of ten Spanish students from Seville, accompanied by a teacher, who arrived in Salento as part of the Erasmus+ VET (Vocational Education and Training) program—the branch of the European program dedicated to vocational training.
Three weeks of real-world experience, not just classroom learning
The three-week stay is structured according to the philosophy that guides all our projects: learning by doing, within the local community. The program alternates between three complementary components. Field trips in the region, to get to know Salento beyond the postcard images: its villages, its landscape, and its culture of hospitality. Visits to the hospitality schools in Santa Cesarea Terme and Otranto, offering an opportunity to compare the Spanish and Italian educational systems. And above all, professional training internships at some of the area’s most highly regarded restaurants: Masseria Marangelli, Masseria Secolario, Casanova Holiday, and Locanda Skafe.
This is where the Erasmus+ VET experience makes a difference: students don’t just observe—they work. They step into the kitchens and dining rooms of real establishments, with real customers, guided by industry professionals. They return home with technical skills, but also with something no textbook can teach: the ability to thrive in an international work environment.
Value for the Community
Projects like this don’t just benefit the participants. Host institutions come into contact with motivated young people and a European network of schools and partners; local schools have the opportunity to exchange ideas with colleagues from another country; and Salento reaffirms what we believe it to be: an educational destination, not just a tourist destination.
We wish the entire group a stay full of new discoveries—and to our partners, thank you, as always, for making this network of hospitality possible.
Are you a European educational institution or training organization looking to organize a VET exchange program in Salento? Contact us: let’s plan the program together.
