The purpose of the Leonardo Project is to enhance the competency of young professionals in the realms of hotel hospitality, restaurant and culinary arts, and tourism.  This project is designed for students who are currently in the initial stages of their educational training in our establishment.  Moreover, it allows them to acquire familiarity with international clientele with the help of the English, so that they may become recognized professionals, capable of initiating an international career.

This project is designated for the students in their final year of the Baccalaureate Professional, who have already acquired un Brevet d'Etude Professionnel (BEP) and are between the ages of 17 and 19.  They have also completed a 21-week-long internship in a professional French business. These students take part in La Section Européenne Anglais, opened in 2002.  At the end of the school year, the beneficiaries undergo an exam, known as the Mention Européenne Anglais.  They are then granted the opportunity to take part in a professional internship in an English-language country.

By enlisting our students in these European and international internship opportunities, which are mandatory for the completion of their degree, we facilitate an effective entry into the European market and the international workforce. 

Our students take part in eight weeks of English-language internships.  The first two weeks of work allow the students to become familiar with their new surroundings, to confront the distance from home that can be difficult for some, to gain confidence in their abilities to work and live abroad, to better master their language skills, and to be active in the organization's daily functions.
Throughout the duration of their placement, the students are able to discover the different services offered by the enterprise while acquiring the necessary lexicon that is most often heard within the industry, a vital part of the internship that can only truly be learned by stepping outside of the classroom.

Furthermore, our program has a second objective that is equally as important in the ever-changing world : to exemplify and share the technical and cultural influences of French traditions on the international stage.  We closely follow the students in their job placements and encourage them to evaluate the great impact of this new experience and to appreciate their personal growths from it.

After the program introduction, a group of twenty-five students from the same voluntary division emerges, bringing together a high level of aptitude in the areas defined below.  They are chosen by their scholarly merit based on the following criteria:
Mastery of the English language and their oral expression (in both English and French)
Competency in communication
A high sense of responsibility, an inclination for team work
The proposed internship is an integral part of their obligations for the Professional Baccalaureat exam.

Once selected, they are chosen to enroll in this European Section of English language as it reinforces their motivation and gives a sense of coherence to the totality of their project.  Our restaurant students are always interested in gaining a new perspective of the work realm in other European countries.  Because of the well-roundedness of the Leonardo project, they find that this opportunity is exactly the open door that they need to achieve their professional aspirations.

Before the foreign internship may commence, a preparatory period is necessary for the students' success in their new project.  This phase of the project allows the future internship holders to familiarize themselves with the location where they will work, to understand what is necessary to connect comfortably with their host families, to recognize their independence, and to comprehend their actual capability to live in a foreign-language country.  Certain students will be able to meet with their future tutors and see their internship locations.

The trip and the following pedagogical training constitute the basis of preparing cultural and linguistic competency in our students.  The two professors of English and of Service and Commercialization have prepared for their students a preparatory booklet of the expectations of the program (and the evaluation processes) in their exchange language.  This allows students to directly approach their English,Irish  and Spanish tutors in about the techniques and required skills for earning their French Professional Baccalaureat degree.

The teachers'l team will closely follow the progress of the students' placements.

Students will be placed with host families and in youth hostels.

For the students who wish, contact with host families will be made possible before the departure for this distinguishing opportunity.