Mezze Escola is a set of training programs for refugees and immigrants in the restaurant and hospitality sector. We provide tools to improve participants’ technical and social skills and increase their access to employment opportunities.

In partnership with the Lisbon School of Hospitality and Tourism (EHTL), we launched a pilot project in 2022, supported by the Active Citizens Programme of the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation. The first editions lasted six months and were divided between a theoretical and practical component taught at the Hospitality School and a practical component in a real work environment, carried out at the Mezze restaurant and partner restaurants. At the end of the training, Associação Pão a Pão built bridges with employers to facilitate access to professional internships and job opportunities.

Since then, Associação Pão a Pão has expanded the program through new modules, new certifications, new locations, and additional partners, already benefiting from multiple forms of support. In this context, we developed Mezze Escola+, a certified training program in Management and Entrepreneurship in the restaurant sector, aimed at migrant women. The program supports the construction of a long-term life project, providing access to more qualified employment and helping participants develop their own businesses.

Mezze Escola+ includes 500 hours of training and lasts approximately four months. It aims to empower migrant women to design, launch, and manage a small restaurant business in Portugal (cafés, bars, restaurants, etc.). Modules include Business Planning, Marketing, Purchasing, Stock Management and F&B Management Control, Portuguese Language and Culture, Personal and Social Development, among others. After the theoretical and practical training at the Hospitality School, participants complete an internship in a professional work environment.

The course is completely free and includes lunch and transportation support within the Lisbon Metropolitan Area.

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The program begins in April 2026 at the Lisbon School of Hospitality and Tourism (EHTL).

Mezze Escola+ is a project by Associação Pão a Pão with the support of EHTL and funded by the Pact Fund | 12th edition, an initiative of Deloitte.

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Applications here