The south of Gran Canaria, and Maspalomas in particular, is consolidating its position as a benchmark in international educational cooperation. The Faro de Maspalomas Secondary School has signed a partnership with two prestigious Breton schools: the Lycée Hôtelier La Closerie in Saint-Quay-Portrieux and the Marie Le Franc High School in Lorient. The project's objective is to jointly create a beauty care product and a culinary accompaniment that integrates raw materials from the Canary Islands and Brittany, in a pioneering experience that combines innovation, European mobility, and the promotion of young talent.
The first meeting of this partnership took place in Saint-Quay-Portrieux. There, students from the BAC PRO in Cooking and CSR, led by professors Géraldine Jestin and Jérôme Choquet, welcomed students from the BAC PRO in Aesthetics in Lorient for a day packed with activities. The workshops included the identification of wild plants guided by professor Laurent Ferrandon, the creation of original infusions, the tasting of pastries and drinks prepared by the future chefs, and beauty treatments such as manicures performed by the aesthetics students. This day, beyond the practical experience, served as a space for exchanging ideas and reflecting on the next step of the joint project.
The choice of Maspalomas as a partner in the Canary Islands is no coincidence. The town in the south of Gran Canaria is a leading tourist and hotel hub, making IES Faro a prime location for developing training experiences in hospitality, aesthetics, and catering applied to tourism. The cooperation will allow Breton students to experience firsthand the Maspalomas tourism ecosystem and its international reach, while Canarian students will have the opportunity to immerse themselves in Brittany's culinary, cultural, and wellness traditions.
Beyond the academic experience, the project opens the door to new opportunities for Erasmus+ mobility, internships, and collaborations between the tourism and training sectors of the Canary Islands and Brittany. The alliance, which combines European educational tradition with innovation applied to gastronomy and aesthetics, can translate into economic and social benefits for both regions. For southern Gran Canaria, in particular, it means strengthening its role as a showcase of excellence in tourism-related training and creating international synergies with a direct impact on the hotel and restaurant industry.
With initiatives like this, Maspalomas not only consolidates its prestige as a global tourist destination, but also as a meeting point for educational and professional cooperation in Europe. The combination of local Breton and Canarian products symbolizes the union of two cultures with a vision for the future, and reaffirms that vocational training can also be a bridge to internationalization and value creation for society.
