Cantonal Gastronomy Licensing Board

The qualification may be obtained by taking a cantonal examination, which covers 7 different subjects. There are two ways to gain access to this examination:

1. attending a preparatory course offered by Gastro Ticino (480 hours), which is offered three times a year (two given over a quarterly period and one given over a semester);
2. enrolling in exams as a non-attendee of the preparatory course (non-attendee students account for around 20% of all candidates for this examination).

The examination was offered for the first time in 2012. Since then, 631 candidates have obtained their qualification. However, one-third of these successful candidates (163) have not yet initiated their activity because they lack certification of the period of professional practice.

In light of the situation described above, four general objectives have been established for this research project:

1. understand if and to what extent the preparatory course offered by GastroTicino satisfies the expectations of participants;
2. gather information concerning the reasons why some of the successful candidates have not yet been able to certify a period of professional practice. Particular attention will be given to possible difficulties encountered;
3. gather information concerning the level of satisfaction felt by candidates in relation to the examination, in particular whether the content tested in the examination matches the content covered in the preparatory course;
4. gather information concerning experiences with the period of professional practice among those who completed the preparatory course, passed the examination and are currently working as hotel and/or restaurant owners.