Porto Franco to accommodate an international institution of higher education

On Monday, June 17, Teemu Kokko, the President and Rector of Haaga-Helia University of Applied Sciences, Jouni Ahonen, Vice President and Vice-Rector, Ari Björkqvist, Member of the Board of the Hospitality Innovation School and Rauno Teder, Chairman of the Board of Porto Franco signed a contract.   The foundation established in Estonia by Haaga-Helia University of Applied Sciences will open an international institution of applied higher education in Porto Franco, which will admit the first students in 2020.

“For years Haaga-Helia University of Applied Sciences has been cooperating with the Estonian hotel, restaurant, and tourism sector. We are now taking a step forward and establishing an institution of professional higher education in Tallinn in accordance with Estonian law. The curriculum of the Haaga-Helia school combines the needs of the hotel, restaurant and tourism industry with strong innovation experience - this will open up a global labor market for graduates of the specialty," said Teemu Kokko, President and Rector of Haaga-Helia University of Applied Sciences. “In Estonia, our new school The Nordic School of Hospitality & Innovation - Haaga-Helia Tallinn will teach the curriculum International Hospitality & Service Excellency, which will be taught in English and the main target group is foreign students.”

"I am really pleased that, in addition to prestigious companies, there will be an international higher education institution in Porto Franco - it will definitely bring young and active foreign professionals to the center as well as provide an opportunity to create a new type of synergy." Porto Franco is a great location for teaching hotel and tourism specialties, as it is located directly in the tourism gate of Tallinn,” said Rauno Teder, Chairman of the Board of Porto Franco. “Haaga-Helia is a highly respected institution of applied higher education in Finland with a long history, which is the largest and most prestigious institution of hotel and tourism business in the Nordic countries. Haaga-Helia is, from earlier cooperation with the Estonian Business School (EBS), already a well-known and recognized partner in Estonia for professionals working in the field, the cooperation with whom will continue in the framework of the new school. In addition, the new school will include leading universities in its field from Germany, the Netherlands, and the US.

The school will move to Porto Franco in the autumn of 2020 and will be located on a separate floor of approximately 855 m2.

Haaga-Helia acted in the Estonian and Baltic market under the name of the Haaga-Helia Hospitality Competence Center and Haaga-Helia Balti OÜ in cooperation with EBS in 2015–2019, providing in-service training and club activities for the partner network in the form of Hospitality Insiders Club Estonia, but currently it will only focus on opening a new institution of higher education in Estonia. Haaga-Helia is a member of the Estonian Hotels and Restaurants Association, the Estonian Association of Travel Agents and the Rural Tourism NGO.

Haaga-Helia is a Finnish institution of higher education providing business-oriented higher education, whose mission is to train service and sales minded and entrepreneurial specialists and conduct research in this area. Today, the school has about 10,500 students and over 630 teaching staff.

The Porto Franco concept was created by Chapman Taylor, architectural bureau of London, the architects of the building complex are Ott Kadarik and Mihkel Tüür, and the main designer is Estkonsult OÜ. The house is designed and built according to LEED Gold standards. The proximity of the Porto Franco to the sea and the Old Town offers a creative and inspiring atmosphere.

Porto Franco (www.portofranco.ee) is a unique real estate development that opens the city center of Tallinn to the sea, being the only seafront business and leisure area in the capital. EUR 190 million is invested in the development of Porto Franco, and the new multi-functional city quarter will have a surface area of over 150000 m2. The Porto Franco complex consists of three underground floors with 1170 parking spaces, commercial rental spaces, and five above ground floors for a shopping center, office center, and hotel. Porto Franco is being developed by Porto Franco OÜ. The shareholders of Porto Franco OÜ are successful companies that, in addition to their core business, invest in long-term projects that create added value to the Estonian business environment. The company's management has long-standing international experience in the development of office and commercial premises.