Applications for Raise the Bar scholarships open until end of the year

20. November 2020.

Scholarship applications for training at the world’s best gastronomy schools provided by Coca-Cola HBC Croatia through the Raise the Bar project are open until the end of the year!

The Raise the Bar project was launched with the aim of increasing the quality of Croatia’s hospitality sector and its three project pillars – the Raise the Bar Academy for waiters, bartenders and baristas, cooperation with competence centers in tourism and Raise the Bar scholarships for gastronomy talents – aim to comprehensively address the lack of an adequately trained workforce in the hospitality and tourism industry.

Applications for Raise the Bar scholarships opened just over a month ago, i.e. October 5. The scholarships are intended for chefs, pastry chefs and restaurant serving staff. To apply for the project, applicants need to be of legal age and must have at least one year of experience in the hospitality sector. A strong desire, will and motivation for further training and development are, of course, required in addition to all the aforementioned.

The scholarship program was launched last year when Raise the Bar awarded in cooperation with the Budi Foodie Foundation scholarships for training at prestigious schools to as many as three young talents: Nikolina Putica, Marina Levak and Tibor Valinčić. Nikolina had the opportunity to develop her culinary skills at Le Cordon Bleu in Istanbul, Marina brushed up her patisserie know-how at Ecole Nationale Superieure de Patisserie – Ducasse & Thuries, while Tibor Valinčić learned about restaurant management at the Intrecci Alta Formazione Academy in Italy.

All three agree that the experiences they have gained thanks to the scholarships were valuable to them and they believe that these experiences will greatly help them in their further careers. Without a moment’s thought their message to all those who are interested is to apply for the scholarships as they facilitate the development of creativity and resourcefulness in business in addition to new acquaintances, knowledge and skills. Although the situation in Croatia’s hospitality sector is currently quite serious due to the coronavirus epidemic, our young scholarship holders are not despairing but readily adapting their plans to the situation. “Plans on what to do after returning from school are still being developed. I have started working on a project to open my own restaurant in Bjelovar and the project is still in the making, we will see how the situation will develop. It is really difficult to talk about opening a new restaurant at a time when some of the existing ones are fighting for survival, but I never give up and hope for better times ahead,” Tibor concludes decisively.

Although the initial deadline for applications to the scholarship program was October 31, the application deadline has been extended until the end of the year given the epidemiological situation in Croatia and to protect the health and safety of everyone involved, from jury members to scholarship holders. Those who are interested in and eligible for the program, can apply using the application form on the project’s official website.

What is the selection process like?
The winner of this year’s Raise the Bar scholarship will be selected by a jury composed of renowned Croatian chefs, professionals and members of the Raise the Bar project team and the Human Resources Department of Coca-Cola HBC Croatia based on testing to be carried out after the application period. The process for the selection of a winner will take place early next year. To apply for a scholarship, candidates must complete the application form on the project’s official website and enclose a letter of recommendation and a motivation letter stating why they should be awarded a scholarship.

More information about the Raise the Bar project and applications for Raise the Bar scholarships can be found on the project’s website and its FacebookInstagram and LinkedIn pages.