In summer of 2011, as a part of the CUNY Haiti Initiative, a needs assessment of Haiti’s local hospitality industry was conducted by faculty from the New York City College of Technology (City Tech), and Kingsborough Community College. As a consequence of this needs assessment, City Tech Professor Jean F. Claude was one of three CUNY faculty members who traveled to Cap-Haitien, Haiti to conduct a series of seminars in sanitation and food safety, and English.

Seminars were structured in partnership with Université Publique du Nord au Cap-Haitien (UPNCH). This partnership saw 80 participants successfully complete and receive certificates in Hospitality Management from UPNCH.

The success of this pilot program led to the development and implementation of the first associate degree in hospitality management in Haiti giving birth to Ecole Superieure au Tourisme et Hotellerie (ESUTH) at UPNCH.

The CUNY-sponsored and City Tech managed ESUTH opened its doors on January 17, 2012 with a cohort of 52 students.

Since 2012, over 5,000 students’ ages 18-22 have registered to take the ESUTH admissions exam competing for one of the 60 seats available every January. In October of 2016, 80 students (from the first two cohorts) graduated with Associates and Bachelor’s degrees conferred by the UPNCH with ESUTH as their specialization.

City Tech is now in phase two of ensuring that ESUTH is sustained and continues to serve as a workforce generator in Haiti. This phase includes a capital campaign to support construction of adequate training facilities for ESUTH so that students enrolled in the program receive instruction using tools that match the quality training they are receiving.

For more information on ESUTH, contact the Office of Public Affairs and Partnerships at partnerships@citytech.cuny.edu.

To help ensure ESUTH continues to serve as a workforce generator in Haiti donate here.