- Asia
A chance for a better future
During a three-year training programme, young people from disadvantaged families learn far more than just cooking and serving skills: As budding chefs and restaurant and hotel staff, they are given the opportunity for a better future.
This unique training programme not only includes specialist knowledge such as hygiene and nutrition, but also English lessons. The personal development of the young people, who often come from extreme poverty and have sometimes lived on the streets, is particularly important to the employees. For this reason, the Mai Sen catering school also teaches the young men and women so-called "soft skills", including politeness, punctuality and diligence. Mutual respect and the non-violent resolution of conflicts are also part of the trainees' curriculum.
Training in your own bistro
The catering school in Ho Chi Minh City also has its own bistro for locals and tourists. The young people learn how to cook and work in service in the bistro's day-to-day operations. A 12-month internship in a hotel or restaurant is also part of the training programme, which even includes five-star hotels.
Since 2019, the catering school has also been offering an 18-month apprenticeship to become a baker in the in-house bakery.
Best job prospects
Vietnam needs well-trained young people because more and more tourists are discovering the Southeast Asian country as a holiday destination. An apprenticeship at Mai Sen means a good salary for the students later on and a way out of poverty, while the hotels and restaurants benefit from highly trained staff. A win-win situation on all sides.
Dual training to the standard of the German IHKs
It is unique in Vietnam that the young men and women receive a dual training programme based on the German model: Theoretical lessons and practical work are closely linked during the training programme. They take their final examination at the German Chamber of Foreign Trade. Word has got around in Vietnam that investing in training pays off. Companies are now also contributing to the training costs for their future staff.
This is what our joint success looks like
- Over 200 young people have already completed their training and found employment in the catering sector
- 35 young women and men began their training in 2023
- Alumni Đỗ Văn Đông from year 6 took part in an international cookery competition in Seoul and won a gold medal and an award for young chefs
Sometimes we receive more donations for a project than was granted to the legal holder of the respective project. The projects listed here are examples of the work Misereor supports all over the world. If donations for a project exceed the amount granted to its legal holder, we allocate the surplus to other projects with a similar concept.
Our local partner organisations
Salesians Don Bosco
Misereor has been supporting the catering college An Re Mai Sen in Ho Chi Minh City since 2014. The aim of the hotel and catering college is to improve the career prospects and living conditions of poor young people in Vietnam through qualified training. The Salesians of Don Bosco took over sponsorship of the project in 2017. They are committed to the education and vocational training of young people in Vietnam.
Miriam Thiel
Donor Communications
- Telephone
- +49 241 442506
- miriam.thiel@misereor.de
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