History

The schools operating under the Ministry of Tourism (formerly the Organization of Tourism Education and Training) were established in 1937 as the pioneering tourism education institutions in Greece. Developed on European and Swiss academic models, they provide secondary and post-secondary students with a solid foundation for a career in hospitality. Throughout their long-standing operation, these schools have served as benchmarks for quality service, with many of their programs forming the blueprint for similar educational institutions, while successfully supplying the tourism industry with thousands of highly skilled professionals.

The Experimental School of Higher Vocational Training (S.A.E.K.) of Tourism of Macedonia was founded and began operating in 1956 under the name School of Tourism Professions (S.T.E.) of Thessaloniki, under the auspices of the Greek National Tourism Organization (G.N.T.O.).

The S.T.E. schools were initially established in 1937, based in Athens. They soon expanded across various regions of Greece under the unified name Schools of Tourism Professions (S.T.E.), operating within the model state facilities of the “XENIA–HELIOS” training hotels. These institutions trained students in hotel management, restaurant operations, and the culinary arts. Following numerous location changes, the S.T.E. School of Thessaloniki finally settled in 1984 at the “XENIA–HELIOS” training hotel in Perea, Thessaloniki, where it remains to this day.

In 2003, the legal status of the schools was reformed into a Legal Entity of Public Law (N.P.D.D.) with the establishment of the Organization for Tourism Education and Training (O.T.E.K.), which operated until January 2013. Subsequently, the S.T.E. branches were integrated into the Ministry of Tourism, operating as Institutes of Vocational Training (I.E.K.) and Higher Schools of Tourism Education (A.S.T.E.). In 2022, the D.I.E.K. under the Ministry of Tourism were renamed I.E.K. of Tourism. Following a nationwide restructuring by the Ministry of Education, Religious Affairs, and Sports, the I.E.K. of Tourism were renamed Schools of Advanced Vocational Training of Tourism (S.A.E.K. of Tourism) in early 2024. Finally, on May 10, 2024, by a joint decision of the Deputy Ministers of Education, Religious Affairs, and Sports and of Tourism, the S.A.E.K. of Tourism of Macedonia was officially designated as the Experimental School of Higher Vocational Training (S.A.E.K.) of Tourism of Macedonia under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Tourism.

The training specialties offered fall under the Orientation Groups of “Tourism Enterprise and Hospitality Industry Professions” and “Administration and Economics” of initial vocational training (Law 4186/2013), providing Level 5 certification.