Sapanca Vocational School of Tourism

Hello, I am Lecturer Hümeyra Taşçıoğlu, Director of Sakarya University of Applied Sciences, Sapanca Tourism Vocational School. The Tourism Vocational School was established in 2011 to meet the need for qualified people in the tourism sector. At first, we had 2 programs within the Sapanca Vocational School program: Tourism and Hotel Management and Tourism and Travel Services. Afterwards, our Culinary Program, in which our first students were admitted in the 2014-2015 academic year, opened in 2012, and with the addition of our Animation Program in 2018, the number of our programs increased to 4. Since the expected quota of our Animation Program could not be reached, the program was closed and we are currently continuing our operations with 3 programs. First of all, I want to talk about our Culinary Program. We plan to train educated chefs who have the necessary knowledge and skills on Turkish and world cuisines, have developed culinary skills, and have effective knowledge, skills and self-development in the field of food and beverage services. In addition, we plan to train chefs who are trained in culinary culture, hygiene and sanitation, which are an integral part of the kitchen, and teamwork. Our students who study in the Culinary Program have the opportunity to practice what they have learned in addition to their theoretical knowledge in the application kitchen. In this regard, they graduate from our school with both theoretical and applied education for the needs of the sector. Our Tourism and Hotel Management Program has been established in order to train intermediate staff that can meet all kinds of requests and needs of the customer in accordance with the understanding of modern tourism. Training is provided in order to meet the need for intermediate staff to work in the hotel, restaurant and entertainment services sector in touristic regions that provide a wide range of services. In this program, which provides training in order to meet the need for intermediate staff in the tourism sector, our students can graduate with the necessary knowledge and skills necessary in housekeeping, kitchen, office and human relations. As for our Tourism and Travel Services Program, I can say this. Established to train qualified intermediate staff especially in the field of travel services, this program provides education regarding the fundamental business and tourism operations, also providing knowledge about the tourism distribution system, concerning travel agency and tour operations, tour planning, ticketing, transportation in tourism and professional ticketing, which are the cornerstones of the tourism sector.
We have 2 computer labs, one of which is used for the field of automation within our school. We have a culinary training unit. Here, we have 2 kitchens including 1 patisserie and 1 cooking kitchen and 4 classrooms. Since its establishment, our school has been conducting particularly effective collaborations regarding internships. In this context, 5-star hotels in the Antalya region have a great need for students, especially for summer internships. A significant number of these students have the opportunity to be employed in the hotel or businesses where they work. With the 3 + 1 education model implemented within our university, our students first meet the personnel needs of many hotels and businesses in this region, and then they have the opportunity to introduce themselves and be employed to stay there. Students who graduate from the Culinary Program can work in many businesses that have a kitchen in the country and abroad. However, they can also work in the kitchens of industrial companies. They can have the opportunity to work in hotels, schools, hospitals, industrial catering companies, ships and train kitchens and restaurants. Students who graduate from the Tourism Management and Hotel Management Program can work in the front desk, housekeeping, automation, food and beverage units of the accommodation sector. In addition, they can work in the food and beverage departments of the restaurant and entertainment sector. Students who graduate from the Tourism and Travel Services Program can have the opportunity to work in many sub-units of tourism, including travel agencies and tour operators. Our vocational school is primarily located in a very advantageous area. Especially in recent years, Sapanca has become a very popular tourism center and many hotel enterprises have invested in this region. Our students have a high chance of partaking in internship, application and employment in this region. Apart from this, the fact that our school has a very good infrastructure in terms of physical conditions, application workshops and technical equipment, makes this university a top choice among students. Again, the majority of our academic staff consists of well-equipped lecturers from the sector. In addition, Sapanca is an increasingly popular area for living, studying and working. We are a very ambitious university, especially in terms of providing applied education. Thanks to the 3+1 and 7+1 education models, we direct our students to the industry and sector, a model which we first introduced in Turkey. Thanks to this, when our students graduate, they can take advantage of this by having the experience that the industry already requires, that the school and education have already provided. We, as Sakarya University of Applied Sciences and Sapanca Tourism Vocational School, have supported and will continue to support our students in every field and in every subject. In this regard, our students can participate in many national and international competitions and return with medals. By organizing activities on career days, it is aimed to bring our students together with people who are experienced in the sector and help them gain knowledge, an event that we try to hold frequently. Especially the Sapanca Region is a very suitable region for students who want to study tourism. We start providing education by introducing the region to each of our students who enroll in our school. Our students who study here start their education by first getting to know where they studied and the touristic places of Sapanca. Considering all these, being a student at the Vocational School of Tourism in Sapanca will enable you to receive education and graduate advantageously in many fields. Therefore, we are awaiting the students who are considering to enroll in Sapanca Vocational School to our school and university.