Vitebsk State University is participating in an international project for training tourism industry specialists

September 4, Vitebsk / Sergey Kochetov - BELTA/. Vitebsk State University named after P.M. Masherov is taking part in an international educational project of the European Commission on the implementation of business education programs for training specialists in the tourism industry, the university's vice-rector for scientific work, Inna Prishchepa, told a BELTA correspondent. The project is aimed at modernizing university courses and curricula in economics and tourism and bringing them into line with international standards, as well as meeting the needs of the tourism industry for qualified economists-managers. Participation in the project will allow the university to learn from European experience and implement know-how in training tourism specialists, as well as to intensify international cooperation for improving the educational process and developing new economic and management courses. A total of 16 universities from Belarus, Germany, Italy, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia, which train specialists in museology, tourism, and hospitality, are represented in the project, and ministries and departments of these countries are also participants. During the project implementation, joint international scientific and practical conferences, internships for teachers, and student training at partner universities are planned. The effectiveness of tourism firms and organizations in the countries represented in the project will also be studied. The Vitebsk university has already received a batch of educational and scientific literature on tourism organization and planning, computers, audio and video equipment. In total, the university will be provided with equipment necessary for training students in the field of tourism, worth 35 thousand euros. The project "Modernization and Implementation of Business Education Programs for Training Specialists in the Tourism Industry of the Republic of Belarus" is scheduled until the end of 2011. -0-