The École d’Hôtellerie et de Tourisme du Luxembourg named Apple Distinguished School

The École d’Hôtellerie et de Tourisme du Luxembourg (EHTL) is pleased to announce that it has been recognised as an Apple Distinguished School, for its implementation of innovative projects aimed at using new technologies to make the subjects taught more tangible and to develop the semi-autonomous learning capacity of its students.

Apple Distinguished Schools are centres of innovation, leadership and educational excellence. They use Apple technology to inspire creativity, collaboration and critical thinking in learning, teaching and the school environment, and have documented results of academic accomplishment.

Michel Lanners, Director of the EHTL, says: “Educational change cannot be decreed, but must be cultivated. In the ADS context, various projects could only be conceptualised and developed in collaboration with the teaching staff. The ADS certificate is a further step in the institutional development of the school, which aims to offer quality training that meets today’s requirements and challenges, while at the same time empowering all those involved.

The selection of EHTL as an Apple Distinguished School underlines that we have succeeded in creating an innovative and stimulating learning environment that engages students and has a proven track record of academic achievement.

EHTL aims to be modern, dynamic and ambitious. Since September 2018, it has been fully implementing the national ‘one2one’ strategy. This project marked a turning point in the way EHTL teaches. All pupils, students and teachers were equipped with iPad.

Innovative teaching concepts such as eLearning, blended learning and iBooks have been implemented over the years.

The management chose to promote the development of iBooks, i.e. interactive manuals that include not only recipes but also videos on food preparation techniques. These videos are all shot in-house by the teachers, and are a real help for the learners who can follow the tutorials as preparation for the lessons.

Today, knowledge has been passed on and students use their iPad to film classroom footage which they share with their peers following the principle of “sharing is caring”.  

One2one is now part of the school’s DNA and the groundwork is being laid for 21st century learning. Since the start of the 2020/2021 academic year, blended learning has already been introduced at EHTL, and students can alternate between face-to-face and distance learning courses. The aim of blended learning is to allow more flexibility to take account of students’ needs and abilities, but also to enable them to work semi-autonomously and to give them greater responsibility for the management and success of their studies.

To meet the training needs of blended learning, LearningBoxes have been created. These connected and collaborative learning spaces are equipped with an Apple TV and allow learners to work alone or in groups.

Having itself been inspired by other leading-edge schools, the EHTL now has new expertise that may be of interest to other institutions and is once again living up to its motto of ‘Striving for excellence’.

Founded in 1949, the Luxembourg School of Hotel Management and Tourism is the only public school in Luxembourg that provides training in the hotel, gastronomy and tourism sectors.

The leitmotiv “Striving for excellence” guides the development of the school, which aims to pass on professional and academic skills to young learners in the various trades and courses. The sense of hospitality is at the centre of the social skills to be acquired.

The small size of the EHTL allows for personalised care of the learner. The close links with the teachers and the convivial moments contribute to the development of a close-knit school community.

The EHTL aims to implement a teaching method in line with the real needs of the professional market. At the end of their training, graduates master all the knowledge and skills necessary for a fulfilling professional career and can evolve in a professional world where digital means of communication are omnipresent.