Raise the Bar Youth

The Raise the Bar Youth program is intended for senior students of catering and tourism schools to provide them with additional training by conveying soft and business skills. The program is implemented in cooperation with the Ministry of Science and Education and high schools from all over Croatia.

Raise the Bar Youth consists of five online modules that include theoretical knowledge conveyed by experts as well as practical examples shared with students by renowned Croatian bartenders, chefs and entrepreneurs.

The program was developed based on the findings of qualitative research conducted for Coca-Cola HBC Croatia by Ipsos to determine which educational content is missing or insufficiently represented although relevant for a successful career in the hospitality industry.

The project is supported by the Ministry of Science and Education and by the Ministry of Toruism.

Lecturers

DAVOR STANKOVIĆ
Professor of phonetics and English language and literature, communication expert and consultant
ZRINKA SUK
President and coordinator of the Ocean of Knowledge association that organizes training for young people
JELENA HOLENKO PIRC
Master of economics and tourism, licensed tourist guide and interpreter
GORDANA ĆORIĆ
Lecturer at VERN University, focuses on courses related to entrepreneurship and innovation
DAJANA BARBIĆ
Professor at the Faculty of Economics, one of the authors of a high school textbook on personal finances

HoReCa professionals

KARLO FERENČAK
Head bartender at Noel, the first and only Michelin-starred restaurant in Zagreb
MARKO GAJSKI
Head chef of the Michelin-starred restaurant LD Korčula
IGOR GUDAC
Chef and entrepreneur, owner of Broom44
MATIJA BELKOVIĆ AND MATIJA HRKAČ
Founders of the Cogito specialty coffee brand and the eponymous specialty coffee chain
VEDRAN GULIN
Restaurateur, founder of Cocktail Week Zagreb and one of Zagreb‘s most successful restaurants SOI

About the modules

Communication
Communication is extremely important in the hospitality industry because the quality of communication with guests and colleagues is reflected in the service quality and speed  as well as employee and guest satisfaction. In the Communication module, students will have the opportunity to learn about different types of communication skills, with a focus on communicating with suppliers and guests and resolving conflict situations both with guests and colleagues.

Lecturer: Davor Stanković
Professional representative: Karlo Ferenčak

Teamwork
The Teamwork module deals with the importance of teamwork and gives students the opportunity to learn about different forms of teamwork, teamwork organization and time management. The aim is to convey to students all the advantages of effective teamwork that makes work easier and clearer for all team members, increases the focus on joint goals and reduces conflict possibilities.

Lecturer : Zrinka Suk
Professional representative: Marko Gajski

Business Planning
Business planning is one of the most important elements both in the workplace and when self-employed or opening one’s own hospitality outlet. For this reason, students will have the opportunity to learn within the framework of the Business Planning module how to create a business plan and they will get to know the entire process, regulations as well as opportunities and risks. As part of the module, students will be introduced to business planning principles and the structure and function of business plans.

Lecturer : Gordana Ćorić
Professional representative: Matija Belković and Matija Hrkač

Financial Literacy
Financial literacy is extremely important for employment, but it is also an integral part of the daily work tasks of future hospitality industry employees. For this reason, Raise the Bar Youth will give students the opportunity to learn about the world of finance and to develop the ability to understand the basics of financial literacy and money management within the framework of the Financial Literacy module.

Lecturer: Dajana Barbić
Professional representative: Vedran Gulin

Self-employment
For students to get to know all the possibilities of self-employment and to know where to start, who to turn to and what to expect, we have developed the Self-employment module. During this module, students will gain insight into the possibilities of self-employment and they will get acquainted with the process and basic elements of self-employment. The aim of the module is to enable students to understand the process of developing a business idea and setting and achieving targets.  

Lecturer: Jelena Holenko Pirc
Professional representative: Igor Gudac