A new pathway for Vietnamese students to enter Switzerland’s finest culinary school

Q.uriosity Culinary Academy and Culinary Arts Academy Switzerland have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to create a new pathway for Vietnamese students to enter Switzerland’s finest culinary school.

Signed on 5th May, 2021 between Q.uriosity Culinary Academy – a member of the Singapore based Q Industries Group and Culinary Arts Academy Switzerland – a member of Swiss Education Group. The two culinary academies are willing to cooperate to provide international education and practical training for Q.uriosity students to strengthen their educational experience and to better serve the hospitality industry by gaining additional knowledge and skills through this exchange.

Image: Instructor and Students at Culinary Arts Academy Switzerland – Photo Credit: CAAS

The agreement furthers cooperation in a number of areas including promoting the programme offered by Q.uriosity Culinary Academy Vietnam and programme offered by Culinary Arts Academy Switzerland, company tours, competition sponsorships, internships, management trainee programs, research, scholarships, events, and training.

Q.uriosity Culinary Academy General Director Kwan Yi Quek said he hoped that through this partnership with Culinary Arts Academy Switzerland will develop culinary graduates who can lead the Food and Beverage industry in Vietnam and internationally.

The Culinary Arts Academy Switzerland is the only culinary school listed on the QS Global Rankings and the 8th best hospitality school in the world (QS). Tarek Kouatly, Director of Marketing and Development for APAC at the Swiss Education Group said: “SEG is excited to be partnering with Q.uriosity which we believe to be a high quality, fast growing educator in the region. Through this collaboration SEG and CAA will have the ability to strengthen our contribution to the development and enhancement of future leaders in the F&B sector”.

Vietnam's economy has shown a remarkable resilience to external shocks caused by coronavirus pandemic in 2020. While the medium-term outlook is broadly favorable, the economy faces significant risks due to adverse impacts of COVID-19 outbreaks, further weakening of external demand, and incomplete structural reforms. However, as the export surplus remains, Vietnam is still among a few countries with positive GDP growth in 2020.

Image: Head Instructor Nick Tran and Students at the practical training class at Q.uriosity Culinary Academy, Vietnam. Photo Credit: QCA

In this day and age, getting experiences and tasting food and beverages of different countries are becoming one of the main incentives for tourists to travel, and these incentives gave birth to a new way of tourism: Gastronomic tourism. Figures from the Vietnam Hotel Association show that food accounts for some 30 per cent of spending at hotels and resorts in the country. There are some 30,000 Vietnamese chefs working at two-star or higher hotels around the country, which is internationally known for its diverse culinary arts.

The Viet Nam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT) announced a set of criteria for cooking professionals prior to 2000, with three levels. They hosted qualifications examinations for dozens of chefs in Hà Nội who had ranked level 7 in processing food for more than 10 years. The establishment of standards to rank and honor chefs will contribute to a wider presence of the cuisine in the world.

Image: Training Facilities at Q.uriosity Culinary Academy Vietnam – Photo credit: QCA

The partnership will provide the terms and conditions for the admission of Q.uriosity Culinary Academy students who have successfully completed the Higher Certificate in Culinary Arts and meet the mandatory English requirement to progress towards the completion of the Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Culinary Arts, granted by Cesar Ritz Colleges Switzerland and University of Derby, UK.

Nestled between France, Germany, and Italy, Switzerland has a rich culinary tradition that brings together influences from all of these different cultures. Those who have the opportunity to study the culinary arts in this Switzerland will get the chance to learn styles and techniques while experiencing flavors from various regions. Yet, at the same time, Switzerland has developed a rich style and taste combinations that are all its own.

For more information about the program, visit Q.uriosity Culinary Academy or contact Camellia Dinh, Head of Lifestyle Division at Q Industries Vietnam.

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