Academie Accor will set new benchmarks in hospitality training and provide participants with the opportunity of hands-on experience and the potential for placement at one of Accor�s 100 hotels and resorts around Australia. The Academie will also be launched in New Zealand in early 2001. 

The Academie will initially operate in five locations:

• Queensland - Grand Mercure Broadbeach, Gold Coast;
• New South Wales - All Seasons Premier Menzies Hotel Sydney; 
• Victoria - Hotel Ibis Melbourne; 
• Western Australia - Hotel Ibis Perth; and
• New Zealand - Novotel Auckland.

Academie Accor Universite du Service was created in 1985 by Accor co-founders Paul Dubrule and Gerard Pelisson and is now the leading tourism training institute in Europe, with more than 10,000 students every year.

Academie Accor in Australia and New Zealand will provide a range of certificate-level courses and short programs, all with nationally-recognised qualifications. From half-day programs through to Certificate 4 Level in Hospitality Supervision, the Academie caters for those who wish to start a career in hospitality right through to management level. There are also future plans to offer a Diploma of Hospitality Management and Certificate Courses in Commercial Cookery. 

Courses and training programs are open to anybody wishing to start a career in the industry, to Accor staff and also to staff from other organisations in the hospitality industry who are seeking cost-effective training. To ensure students get personalised attention and to preserve the integrity of the training, classes are kept to a maximum of 16 participants.

The launch of Academie Accor has already created enormous interest in the tourism and hospitality industry, with Tourism Training Australia (TTA), the leading tourism training advisory body supporting the project. TTA will combine its considerable experience and knowledge of the industry with that of Accor to set new national standards.

Mr Bill Galvin - OAM, Chief Executive of TTA, said Academie Accor would greatly advance the hospitality and tourism industry in Australia. �Academie Accor will significantly increase professional training in tourism hospitality for the benefit of the industry and the nation,� he said. �This is a good example of an innovative partnership led by Accor.�

Mr Michael Issenberg, Accor�s Managing Director for Australia, New Zealand, the South Pacific and Japan, said Academie Accor would elevate the hospitality profession to a new level. �We are proud to launch Academie Accor in Australia because it will provide a strong foundation for the region�s rapidly growing hospitality industry.  The Academie will promote the development of hospitality staff and address the shortage of professionally trained workers in the industry,� he said.  �This initiative provides participants with nationally recognised qualifications that will lead to unrivalled opportunities in this exciting and dynamic industry.� 

�Accor is already known as an innovator and leader in tourism - now we are putting something back into the industry by using our experience and knowledge to provide first-class training that will set new standards and provide career paths for young people in Australia and New Zealand,� he said.

�The Olympics has not only encouraged international interest in Australia as a destination, but has also seen a massive investment in new tourism infrastructure. We now need to ensure we have professionally trained staff who can deliver world-class service across all sectors of the industry.�

�Accor already employs more than 10,000 people in Australia and New Zealand and with the launch of Academie Accor we will continue to be at the forefront of developing staff. This initiative will provide the impetus for continuing advancement of tourism in Australia and ensure we are well placed to take advantage of future growth in the industry,� Mr Issenberg said.

Accor is the world�s largest hotel and tourism company, operating in a total of 140 countries, employing 130,000 people.