Lycée Professional Pontarcher is a college for students aged 15-18 providing technical and professional training in the hotel and service sectors. We are located in Vesoul, a town in an eastern region of France called Franche-Comté. However, our students come from all over the region and many stay in the on-site boarding facilities during the week.
Departments
There are around 500 students at Lycée Pontarcher studying for their Baccalauréat Professionnel (the vocational school leaving certificate in France) across seven different subject streams:
- Hospitality & Catering – Cooking
- Hospitality & Catering – Service
- Management & Administration
- Sales
- Business & Commerce
- Reception Services
- Health & Social Care
Qualifications
After obtaining the Baccalaureat students have the option to remain at Lycee Pontarcher for further studies in Hospitality and Catering Management. This two-year long programme results in the Brevet de Technicien Superieur (BTS) and can be studied either as a paid apprentice (completing alternating periods of work and study throughout the programme) or a student (completing a period of work experience at the end of each year).
Languages
As well as their vocational subjects, our students also study general subjects which include modern foreign languages. Every student is required to study one language, but most are required to study two. Students have the choice between English, Spanish, and German.
Facilities
Lycée Pontarcher benefits from a modern and spacious hospitality and catering building constructed in XXX. This development includes two silver-service restaurants open to the public and run by our Hospitality & Catering students. These provide high-standard dining experiences at a much-reduced cost compared to commercial restaurants.
International projects
Lycée Professional Pontarcher is involved in a number of international projects. We have a partnership with Fareham College in the UK for our première Hospitality & Catering students (aged 16). The students collaborate on recipe creation via video before a visit to Fareham. Our seconde students (aged 15) have the opportunity to visit London and Brighton on a trip to the UK where they stay with host families. We also have a partnership with Paulsteinerberufschule in Bad-Uberkingen in Bad-Wurtemberg, Germany.
We also send a increasing number of students from our two Hospitality & Catering streams each year on work placement abroad to English speaking hotels and restaurants in Cyprus, the UK, Finland, Czech Republic, Luxemburg and also Germany. These international work placements are a fantastic opportunity for our students to practise their English and German in a real working environment. As a result, we are always keen to expand our connections and set up new work placements.
