Switzerland helps kick-start the new training hotel and restaurant to boost hospitality skills in Southern Lao PDR
A milestone for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) in southern Lao PDR was reached with the groundbreaking ceremony for construction of The Academy Pakse Training Hotel and Restaurant, set to rise on the Pakse City campus of Champasak Technical-Vocational College, with support from Switzerland and European partners.
Inspired by the success of The Academy Training Hotel and Restaurant in Vientiane Province (Vang Vieng), the Pakse facility is designed to provide a real-world, practical and hands-on hospitality training environment, equipping local youth with industry-relevant skills and opening new career pathways in tourism – one of the nation’s most dynamic and labour intensive economic sectors – while, at the same time, generating revenue from its operations to support long-term sustainability.
The Academy Pakse Training Hotel and Restaurant will offer immersive learning opportunities for students, working under the guidance of experienced teachers, to master food production, and food and beverage service, as well as front office and accommodation operations, in the 10-bedroom facility. It will also contain meeting room facilities, a full-service restaurant, a coffee shop, as well as teaching, production and bakery kitchens.
The construction, outfitting and operationalisation of the facility is estimated to cost EUR 2 million and supported by the Skills for Tourism, Agriculture and Forestry (STAF) Programme, which is implemented by the Department of Technical and Vocational Education and Training, Ministry of Education and Sports, and LuxDev, the Luxembourg Development Cooperation Agency, and financed by the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, Switzerland and the European Union (EU).
The academy forms part of broader efforts to expand access to vocational skills development for 20,000 disadvantaged youth, aiming for at least 65% to gain employment, with 50% female participation and 75% from vulnerable groups.
At the groundbreaking ceremony, Mr Phomphone Phandanouvong, Vice Chairman of the Champasak Provincial Administrative Committee, highlighted the initiative as an important investment in youth and the local community, expected to raise professional standards in hospitality and create new meaningful opportunities for students across the province and beyond.
Building on this, Dr Daravone Kittiphanh, Vice Minister of Education and Sports, stated that “the investment in The Academy Pakse Training Hotel and Restaurant, alongside previous investment in similar facilities in Vang Vieng and Luang Prabang, demonstrates the commitment of the Ministry of Education and Sports to strengthening the TVET system and equipping Lao youth with the skills and knowledge to elevate tourism and other sectors, and support the country’s socio-economic development”.
The new Academy Pakse is scheduled to be complete in July 2027 with a soft opening planned for October 2027.
About the STAF programme