Boosting tourism business growth through higher vocational education

The project BOOSTED aims at providing an aligned and relevant skillset for the CB region tourism industry to grow as a coherent tourism destination. As pointed out in the EUSBR the region should be developed as a common tourism destination: it has joint markets and challenges. Skills and competencies of the tourism industry should also be aligned in the region in order the industry to grow and to be competitive. However, the business skills needed to
attract and to receive more international tourists are lacking.

In practice, the project aligns higher vocational tourism education with the needs of tourism industry and labour market in Finland, Estonia and Latvia into a new, joint curriculum and a study programme (32 ects). In the project relevant and mutual skillset is identified and aligned by research, it is translated into a VET curriculum and implemented as an online study programme. The study programme is created in close co-operation with the tourism industry and around real-life business cases in order to support the industry development. Teaching material is also produced and experience is exchanged during an innovation camp.

When the project ends the curriculum and the study programme are integrated as a module to the institutes’ bachelor curricula and online course offerings. The curriculum is spread to higher vocational institutes delivering tourism education in Finland, Estonia and Latvia. To ensure this, a teacher’s guide is produced and future teachers are coached.

As a result, the project enhances quality of higher vocational tourism education in the CB region through internalization and digitalization. The project supports joint curriculum development, increases physical and virtual mobility and attracts more students outside the region to study. By matching the education with the skills needed in the industry the project boosts the growth of tourism businesses and contributes to creating new partnerships.