Note of intent for Erasmus+ fromÉcole de Savignac

Partnerships have been set up with a number of institutions around the world.

École de Savignac was founded as an International School of Higher Education, and although the word 'international' appears in its title, the school has no official recognition of its international diplomas. Consequently, one of the main aims of obtaining the Erasmus Charter will be the visual 'internationalization' of the school. This will enable the school to be recognized for all the international work it has already undertaken and, hopefully, give the school a much broader international profile in the field of European higher education and hospitality management. Obtaining the charter will enable the school to apply for further Erasmus-related projects. Teachers and administrative staff atÉcole de Savignac will also have the opportunity to visit other establishments to see how they work, which will inevitably lead to a mutual enrichment of ideas, working methods, study programs, etc. As the school does not have a permanent faculty, but uses guest lecturers from mainland France and several European countries, contact with other institutions will also increase our pool of teachers/lecturers who could, potentially, come toÉcole de Savignac to teach.

Alongside these aims, other major objectives are to encourage and facilitate student mobility and to obtain international credit for the huge amount of internships/work placements the school has undertaken over the past thirty-three years. It is this aspect of combining high-level academic and theoretical study with substantial periods of work in the hospitality industry that has made and keptÉcole de Savignac so popular with prospective students, the hospitality industry and the French state. Thanks to this highly practical element in the studies of all students atÉcole de Savignac, the school's track record for post-graduate employment is extremely high. The hospitality industry is developing very rapidly in the Asian and South American markets, yet less than 2% of our students consider doing an internship in these geographical areas, as the cost of travel and subsistence is very often prohibitive. The possibility of applying for internship grants will encourage many more students to venture abroad for their internship. Furthermore, the idea of study periods abroad for Masters students has never been an option before, but could be seriously considered if the school had its Erasmus charter.

École de Savignac hopes to show the impact of the European Union's program for the modernization and internationalization of higher education on the school by addressing the following five priority areas (key questions).

Key question no. 1

Full adoption of the 'Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance in the EHEA' should enable achievement levels to be progressively increased. It is planned to introduce a system of target setting for all degrees, with individual personal targets for students agreed between them and their teachers, and increased achievement targets for each module agreed with the teachers of each module.

As part of the improvement in quality assurance standards, all planning and assessment documents will be streamlined, and improvements will be made to classroom teaching through constructive observation of courses by trained quality assessors.

Key question no. 2

École de Savignac already has a very good reputation for involving the hospitality industry in improving the quality and relevance of its diplomas. The co-directors are in constant communication with leading companies and suppliers in the field, and often on their recommendations, elements are added to courses and even new degrees have been created to meet specific industry needs. The high employability rate of our students is proof of this.

A major need within the school is the training of teachers in the advanced use of information and communication technologies, which the school has introduced to modernize classroom teaching. This is a priority, as expensive equipment is capable of much more than we see today.

Key question no. 3

The co-director in charge of external relations has already begun to forge close links with other higher education establishments in France and other parts of Europe and North Africa to facilitate mobility between institutions. These arrangements are currently ad hoc, but would become more formal and regular ifÉcole de Savignac were to be awarded the Erasmus Charter. The desire for student and teacher exchanges as part of our MBA program has long been expressed. Here again, the Erasmus Charter would give us the necessary framework to achieve this. École de Savignac recognizes the importance of ECTS and will continue to do so, so that all periods of study and internship are fully recognized by ECTS credits. All the school's qualifications are linked to the European Qualifications Framework and, as most undergraduate and short-cycle degrees are validated by UK universities and colleges, they are automatically linked to the EQF.

Key question no. 4

Entrepreneurial learning is a fundamental principle of our curriculum.

École de Savignac offers continuing education courses for the staff of companies in the hotel and catering sector, so thatÉcole de Savignac is increasingly recognized as a knowledge center. The Bachelor's and MBA programs offer in-company consulting modules that put students and lecturers in close contact with today's businesses. During company open days, host companies visit the school to promote their businesses and recruit competent students. At present,École de Savignac lacks the financial resources and infrastructure to support research students.

Key question no. 5

École de Savignac is funded by CCID and student fees. École de Savignac is encouraged to seek external funding, but within the framework of CCID structures. It does not receive public funding.

École de Savignac must be in line with CCID's strategic direction, and cannot therefore be totally autonomous. By adopting the 'Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance in EHEA' and international accreditation, the school hopes to become a center of excellence in international hospitality management.