H.I.R.E ‘Hotel Inclusive Recruitment Education’ project of the Erasmus+ Programme of the EU
The H.I.R.E (‘Hotel Inclusive Recruitment Education’) project is comprised of partners from Cyprus, Greece and Poland and aims to effectively support employers in the hotel industry in solving the problems of staff gaps through educational tools, and with an emphasis on hiring mature people aged 50+ and Deaf persons. The project kicked off in December 2024. Project number: 2024-1-PL01-KA220-VET-000253671.
Read more updates and information on the project website.
PROJECT NEWS
First Transnational Meeting - March 24 & 25 2025
Hoteliers Guide - September 2025
The Guide for Hotel Managers and Teams in all its forms has been completed and dissemination of the guide begins.
The guide contains valuable research on the project aims and covers the topics of: challenges facing the hotel sector; the value of Aged 50+ persons without prior experience entering hotel employment; unlocking the potential of Deaf and hard-of-hearing employees, and the benefits for hoteliers when employing mature and Deaf persons.
The guide comes in a printed version in English and Greek, as well as digital versions which can be accessed here:
Second Transnational Meeting - September 2025
The partners of the H.I.R.E. project gathered in Athens, Greece, for their second transnational meeting from September 25-27, 2025.
The three-day meeting, hosted by the Greek partner ΕΛΛΗΝΙΚΟ ΙΝΣΤΙΤΟΥΤΟ ΝΟΗΜΑΤΙΚΗΣ ΓΛΩΣΣΑΣ "Γέφυρες Επικοινωνίας" , Ε.Ν.Γ., coincided with Deaf Awareness Week in Greece.
During the meeting, the training materials designed for hoteliers and co-workers were thoroughly reviewed, and plans for the upcoming testing phase were discussed. Additionally, materials targeting Deaf individuals and mature workers were further developed, while the latest updates to the project’s communications package were presented.
The event culminated in the partners’ active participation at ‘DeaFestival 2025,’ held at Syntagma Square in Athens. As part of the festival, which celebrated inclusion and accessibility, the project was featured in an exhibition booth hosted by @noimatikigefyres. The booth attracted significant attention, including visits from the Mayor of Athens, Haris Doukas, and the President of the European Union of the Deaf (EUD), Sofia Isari. Both dignitaries engaged with the team, learning about the project’s objectives and deliverables while discussing its innovative approach to promoting inclusivity in the tourism sector.
This meaningful interaction underscored the importance of the H.I.R.E. project’s efforts in fostering accessibility and employment opportunities for Deaf individuals and mature workers.
