Vocational College for Catering and Tourism Bled HEALTH TOURISM & WELLNESS TRAINING IN SLOVENIA

Vocational College for Catering and Tourism Bled HEALTH TOURISM & WELLNESS TRAINING IN SLOVENIA

Vocational College for Catering and Tourism Bled Mojca Jošt Librarian / International Coordinator

A higher professional school / short tertiary cycle 1995 Phare programme for the reform of vocational education and training in Slovenia 1996 legal foundation: Organization and Financing of Education Act + Vocational Education and Training Act 2007 : study programmes reform Project ESS : basic professional standard

Study programmes reform Programmes are reformed according to Bologna process short tertiary cycles: modularity student choice European Credit Transfer System 120 (ECTS)

New study programme of WELLNESS The first generation in the academic year 2011-2012 (50 students) Graduates get a title of a Wellness Manager after 2 years of study.

Beginnings The first idea appeared at Maribor College (the same type of an educational school as Bled) as an international project called WELLPRO for wellness trainers and wellness advisers. The group of experts then prepared so called professional standards on the basis of economy needs with a cooperation with social partners.

Beginnings They carried out the surveys in appropriate companies (hotels, wellness and spa centres, beauty centres, etc). they checked the comparability with foreign similar study programmes, and they signed letters of intend and letters of support with the local authorities as well as with the companies.

The preparation of curriculum All this was then approved by the Centre of Professional Education in Ljubljana, see their site: (http://www.cpi.si/en/) and the standards were then published in the Official Gazette of Slovenia. On the basis of these standards the programme was then approved by the Ministry of Education and Sport of Slovenia.

Curriculum a short version M1 Communication M2 Economics and Business M3 Wellness M4 Marketing and Tourism M5 Healthy Diet M6 Physical Activities, Movement M7 Mental Wellness M8 Beauty and Body Care

20 subjects are embedded within those 8 modules!!!!! 30% of the curriculum is meant for practical training; the first 100 hours are performed at Astoria school hotel in the Wellness centre.

M1 P1 P2 P3 D1 M2 P4 P5 P6 D2 M3 P7 P8 D3 M4 P9 P10 P11 D4 M5 P12 P13 D5 M6 P14 P15 D6 M7 P16 P17 D7 M8 P18 P19 D8 P20 Curriculum COMMUNICATION Business Communication and Leadership Professional terminology 1 st Foreign Language (ENG, GER) Professional terminology 2 nd Foreign Language (ITA, ENG, GER, FRE) Practical Training: Business Communication and Leadership ECONOMICS AND BUSINESS Economics and Entrepreneurship Business Information with Statistics Legal Regulations Practical Training: Economics and Business MARKETING AND TOURISM Service Marketing Tourism and Destination Management - Introduction Practical Training: Tourism and Service Marketing WELLNESS Wellness and Business of Wellness Business and Management of Wellness Centres Wellness Products Design and Marketing Practical Training: Wellness HEALTHY DIET Basics of Healthy Diet Culinary for Vitality Practical Training: Healthy Way of Life and Diet MOVEMENT, PHYSICAL ACTIVITIES Basics of Movement and Sports Activities Sports Animation and Personal Training Practical Training: Healthy Way of Life and Movement MENTAL WELLNESS Emotional Intelligence and Personal Growth Stress Management and Relaxation Techniques Practical Training: Healthy Way of Life and Personal Growth BEAUTY AND BODY CARE Principles of Beauty and Body Care and Hygiene Styling and Fashion Manners Practical Training: Beauty and Body Care Free elective subject Graduation thesis

Curriculum a knowledge catalogue 1. SUBJECT STYLING AND FASHION MANNERS 2. GENERAL GOALS Subject s General Goals are: Student knows the principles of styling and designing the outer look of a customers regarding different factors, and she/he is aware of own look at work with customers; Follows the novelties and trends in the field of styling; Know the principles and methods of verbal and non-verbal communication in the sense of fashion manners; Knows the methods of motivating an individual towards the integrated, healthy life style; Manages the conflict situations, co-shapes the positive climate at work place; Behaves according to business etiquette. 3. SPECIFIC SUBJECT COMPETENCIES Apart from general competencies, the student gets the following specific subject competencies: Performs an advising interview, Advises style for the customer s outer look for different occasions, Train customers for a proper use of behavioural patterns at business or private communication and public presentations, Trains customers for a proper use of body language, Advises how to behave in business and private situations.

Health Tourism and Wellness in Slovenia 1/3 Long history of health tourism since the Roman period; modern era begins in 1960 s 87 thermal sources of different kinds of waters 25 health & spa centres; 15 of them are natural spas

Health Tourism and Wellness in Slovenia 2/3 Over 3200 employees from the field of health care, hospitality, hotel industry, economics, sport, culture 600 of them are professionals with the medical background (physicians, nurses, health therapists)

Health Tourism and Wellness in Slovenia 3/3 88 registered different wellness establishments from wellness hotels, beauty clinics, welness in the mountain or at the coast. http://www.slovenia.info/?wellness=0&lng=2&redirected=1

Health Tourism and Wellness Training 1/2 8 secondary medical schools in Slovenia with a three and four-year courses of nursing care and four-year courses of cosmetology 5 vocational colleges with a 2 year course of wellness 3 vocational colleges with a 2 year course of cosmetology NO SPA or MASSAGE THERAPIST COURSES!!!!!!!

Health Tourism and Wellness Training 2/2 To become a Massage Therapist / Masseuse/ Masseur/ SPA Therapist or similar, you need to obtain the National Professional Qualifications / certificate according to the NPQ Act http://www.npk.si

Dilemmas You can obtain the certificate, but you needn t pass the NPQ exam if it is not required by an employer. Vocational colleges educate in all aspects of wellness, the industry is mainly looking for beauty and body care skilled workers. Educating / Training?

Starting up wellness training Gave us the experience of starting a new study programme. Getting the information from partners that have this training for some time already. Updating competencies of wellness students / trainees.

To acquire generic and profession-specific competencies from the field of wellness industry with the focus on managerial, organizational, business-like and communicational knowledges for the services of a physical movement and recreation, healthy nutrition, mental activities, relaxation and beauty /body care.

Thank you for your attention.