The European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) revealed that less than 10% of people with autism are employed (often in low-wage jobs) and even fewer people receive support in terms of skills and personal development in the workplace. Key barriers to their employment are:

  • Lack of access to tailored vocational training
  • Communication difficulties
  • Denial of access to reasonable accommodation
  • Prejudices about autism

Autism is associated with many strengths such as attention to detail, visual skills, deep focus, methodical approach and more, making it key to build on these individual strengths to foster successful long-term employment. Evidence suggests that with appropriate preparation and support, they can indeed enter the job market and be competitive in terms of performance, promotions, and benefit awards. A promising EU market sector that presents career opportunities and growth for People with ASD is the Hospitality Sector with a variety of positions ranging from front desk to housekeeping to Food and Beverage and other services such as Spas etc.

This project will focus on the development of training material and tools for Human Resources and Development specialists and Managers in Hospitality. It will develop VET-based training methodologies and tools that will allow them to train staff with ASD in order to increase their skills, knowledge and competencies. The toolkit for the training of the ASD staff will include a board game based on real-life scenarios that will allow ASD staff to prepare and overcome challenges at work, but also create an engaging environment between colleagues. Other benefits the board game has to offer are the acquisition of technical and theoretical knowledge, the development of soft and job-specific skills, practice communication, problem-solving, working in teams, decision-making and other interpersonal skills required. It is a great opportunity not only to support people with ASD to earn some respectful and “higher-level” work positions, and eliminate the gap between non-ASD and ASD groups but also to attract workers that can trust reliable management material, achieving a higher employment level in Europe.

HOST project objectives

1. The main objective of this project is to equip Hospitality Human Resource and Development Departments and Management with education and tools in order to enhance the training and support of staff with ASD, increasing theircompetitiveness, value, efficiency and general well-being in and out of the workspace. 

This can be achieved through theproject’s results as VET course, specifically tailored to this purpose. The methods that will be used to form the deliverablesare targeting the needs of ASD staff and how to guide HR managers to apply appropriate trainings, but also to offer alearning solution for training Hospitality HR staff in empowering, developing and refining the qualities of staff with autism.

2. To enhance the role of VET in the career development of staff with autism. VET courses as previously mentioned play aleading role in the achievement of such projects as the training is a hands-on practice making it more realistic and practical,as well as tailored to satisfy specific learning needs according to the characteristics of the target group.

3. To reduce the employment gap between staff with disabilities and staff without disabilities by increasing employment opportunities and the development of skills for people with autism. All employees regardless of their disabilities should have equal opportunities and be treated equally in a working environment. The exclusion of people with autism in the workplace should be eliminated. Furthermore, this will be a step forward for Europe showing support by embracing this topic and attracting workers with autism to take up job positions within European Hospitality.

4. To increase the productivity of the Hospitality employees with autism. The project results will act as a guidance and motivational tool encouraging employees with autism to take on higher roles in the Hospitality industry. With this, it will also enhance the quality of life in the workspace, and the job retention rate of staff with autism. Furthermore, in the context of Vocational Education Innovation, the consortium will develop a digital board game which will showcase the effectiveness of VET in terms of flexibility with the use of tools, as well as practical learning in parallel with team-building.

HOST Project results


Development of the HOST Board Game for Hospitality Staff with Autism


The HOST Board Game will be based on real-life challenges in Hospitality work that will allow staff with Autism to prepare and overcome challenges during day-to-day work, but also create an engaging environment between colleagues in the form of team-building.


HOST VET Methodology Development


The consortium will develop the unique HOST VET Methodology, to prepare the ground for the implementation of the HOST VET Curriculum for Hospitality Human Resources and Managers. The HOST Methodology will determine the most effective way to approach the subject of employment of staff with Autism, while providing for their social inclusion and skills development in their organisations.

HOST VET Course for Hospitality Management and HR Experts 


The VET Course will be aimed at providing for:
Preparing VET Educators for delivering the HOST-themed training to satisfy the learning needs of Hospitality HR and Managers, in order to support the professional development and inclusion of Staff with Autism.
Educating Hospitality HR and Managers on how to implement the HOST Board Game in Practice.

This project will focus on the development of training material and tools for Human Resources and Development specialists and Managers in Hospitality. It will develop VET-based training methodologies and tools that will allow them to train staff with ASD in order to increase their skills, knowledge and competencies.

Project reference number: 2022-1-CY01-KA220-VET-000086365. The project is realised by international partners with various backgrounds (see more in the section “PROJECT PARTNERS”).


This project has been funded with support from the European Commission.

This communication reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.