High Vocational School of Tourism « D-r Vasil Beron »– Veliko Tarnovo is a State vocational training school. The town of Veliko Tarnovo is situated in the central part of Bulgaria and it is the old capital of the Country. At the moment, the town is one of the biggest tourist destinations in Bulgaria, which attracts thousands of tourists during the whole year.
Different types of tourism are well developed in Veliko Tarnovo, those are historical and religious tourism, conference tourism, eco tourism, wedding tourism, etc.

The school was established in 1964 as Vocational School of Catering. It has more than fifty years long history and it is a school with rich traditions in preparing cadres for all tourism fields.

PGT “D-r Vasil Beron” is the only hotel, catering and tourism secondary school in the region of Veliko Tarnovo.

The school offers four and five- year training courses in tourism which provides the students with second and third degree of vocational qualification and the school provides as well fourth degree of vocational qualification, which is a college degree.

For the time being, there are more than 500 students attending the school, aged 13 to 18 on average and the teachers’ staff is composed of about 70 people. About 10% of the School students are with special needs (physical
disabilities, learning difficulties, etc.).

The School vocational training certificates are in the areas of:

– Tourism management;

– Production and serving in hotels and catering establishments – cook, waiter, barman;

– Tour guiding and animation;

– Bread making and confectionary.

Vocational subjects as vocational foreign languages, Tourism, Computer science, Hospitality, Catering, Culinary arts, Hotel management, Geography, Communication skills, Somme lier develop the student skills in the vocational domains and the school workshops and specialists prepare the students in conditions close to the real working environment.

The institution works on different types of projects. The projects mostly fall under the Erasmus+ Programme.

One of the overarching strategies of the School’s Strategic Development plan is for the School to be  internationally connected, operating internationally. The management and teaching staff aim to an outward and forward looking School, embedded in Europe and encouraging international engagement for all staff and students and availing of opportunities to undertake exchanges abroad to embed and deliver improvements to service and for students to avail of mobility opportunities to enhance professional and personal competences. The School also welcomes inward mobilities. As part of the School’s International Strategy, an International Working group has been set up which oversees enhancement, integration, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of the growing International portfolio at the School.