At the end of Year One, it feels like the right moment to pause and take stock. Hospitality teams rarely get the luxury of reflection. Here are five highlights from EcoSmart Hospitality Year One.
1. The competence framework and curriculum are live
Our EcoSmart Green and Digital Competence Framework and Curriculum is now publicly available, shaped by research and sector insight from Ireland, Spain, Türkiye, Germany, and Denmark. Explore it here:
https://ecosmartproject.eu/competence-framework/
We are encouraged by the early uptake. The main framework and curriculum resource has reached 757 downloads, and the translated versions are being used too. Most importantly, it is already functioning as a working tool. It is being tested, strengthened through feedback, and shaped by real input from hospitality and training environments.
If you work in hospitality, VET, training, or business support, we invite you to explore the framework and curriculum and see how it can support skills development where it counts, in real operations, with real constraints.
2. We moved from framework to learning design
Now that the framework is published, we are turning it into training that works in real hospitality settings, with tight time, tight margins, and busy teams. Our WP3 learning offer is built as six short modules organised into three clear clusters so providers and trainers can pick what matters most for their learners and local labour market.
What that means for readers and future users
- Sustainability that fits operations, including circular economy practices and sustainable customer experience design.
- Digital skills that save time and improve decisions, including practical AI use and data literacy for smarter day to day choices.
- Leadership that makes change stick, including strategic green leadership and sustainability focused digital marketing.
And it is designed to be easy to adopt
- Trainers will be able to deliver it in class, online, or blended, and adapt the level from basic to advanced.
- Each module is supported by case studies and ready to use tools, so learning stays practical and action focused.
- It will also support self learning, so busy operators can dip in, revisit topics, and build skills at their own pace
3. Case studies are in the works
We often learn as much from our peers as we do from any guide or course. Case studies make change feel doable because they show the real story behind the improvement: what the starting point was, what got in the way, what worked, what did not, and what made the difference in the end.
That is why we are developing case studies that show what EcoSmart looks like in practice across different types of hospitality businesses and different national contexts. They will turn the framework into real world examples, with practical lessons, simple steps to copy, and proof of impact that trainers, business supports, and operators can apply in their own settings.
4. We are building tools that support action, not theory
EcoSmart focuses on practical change. That means clear steps, usable resources, and learning that respects the reality of limited time, limited staff, and tight margins. For busy teams and trainers, the aim is simple: fewer abstract ideas, more value from resources that people can pick up quickly and use immediately.
5. A shared approach across countries is taking shape
Year One has created a strong shared baseline across partner countries. We now have common language and priorities around green and digital skills for hospitality, while still respecting that hospitality looks different in different places in Ireland, Spain, Türkiye, Germany, and Denmark. This shared foundation is what will make Year Two testing, adaptation, and rollout stronger.