AEHT

Kopavogur Institute of Education (Menntaskólinn í Kópavogi) operates in accordance with the Act on Secondary Education Act passed by the Icelandic parliament in the spring of 2008.

The school’s defined role is to provide education leading to the matriculation exam and entry to university, to provide vocational education in the culinary and hospitality fields, and to offer education in the field of tourism, both in its day and evening school courses. The Institute of Education is, in fact, a combination of three independent schools under a single administrative head, but sharing the same premises and facilities. The schools are:

The Institute of Education also houses the Icelandic Tourist Guide School and the Sæmundur fróði Education Centre which organizes a range of courses for professionals in the food service industry. Studies at the Tourist Guide School are at higher education level and students are issued with an official tourist guide certificate at the completion of this one year programme.

Kopavogur Institute of Educaiton endeavors to encourage the all-round maturity and development of its students in accordance with the existing legislation for secondary schools in Iceland.

As a school, Kopavogur Institute of Education prepares students for entry to the job market and further education, develops a sense of responsibility and awareness, trains students in disciplined work habits, teaches them to appreciate culture and encourages them towards a constant search for knowledge.

Iceland School of Tourism

The Iceland School of Tourism is responsible for providing educational programmes for students under 20 years of age (Junior College) as well as offering an extensive evening-school programme for mature students. Being a state institution, the Iceland School of Tourism has from 1987 been the officially designated centre for education in tourism in Iceland.

The aim of the Iceland School of Tourism is to meet the education and training requirements of the tourism industry in Iceland. Those who graduate from the Iceland Tourist Guide School acquire the right to work in Iceland as authorised tour guides of foreign tourists in Iceland. The one-year Tourism Course is more of a general course in tourism and ideal for those wanting to do some further studies at Universities abroad. The primary aim is to prepare students for further education or for employment in various fields in tourism – e.g. for public or municipal authorities, at tourist information centres, as local tourism representatives, in hotels, at travel agencies, various leisure activities or in transportation.

The Hospitality and Culinary School of Iceland is responsible for providing educational programmes for students wishing to become professionals in this sector, as well as offering an extensive range of vocational courses within the hospitality- and culinary sector. Being a state institution, the Hospitality and Culinary School of Iceland has from 1996 been the official centre for education in hospitality- and culinary subjects in Iceland. In 2007 the Kopavogur Institute of Education signed an agreement with the University Centre Cesar Ritz in Switzerland to offer first-year tuition in their BA programme in hotel management. The courses are taught in English and open to students from all over the world.

There are four main directions of study offered at the Hospitality and Culinary School. First there are the authorized trades for which the school offers vocational courses for apprentices and journeymen preparing themselves for the Journeyman's and Master's Examinations. The trades are: baking, serving, cooking, meat cutting and meat processing. Secondly, occupational qualification courses are offered for food technicians and ship's cooks. Thirdly, a range of refresher courses and further education for professionals in the industry and last, but not least, the first year in the BA programme in hotel management at the University Centre César Ritz in Switzerland.

The school is in new housing which was opened in the fall of 1996. It has exceptional specialised facilities for training students who are preparing for careers in the hospitality- and culinary sector. The school offers its students 5000 m ² of custom- designed premises. The facilities include:

4 Training kitchens
Restaurant areas seating 30 - 250
Bakery and confectionery
Meat processing and meat cutting halls
Experimental laboratories
Research laboratories

The objective of The Hospitality and Culinary School of Iceland is to be an education centre meeting the requirements of the hotel and catering sector by being a centre for information, development and service. The school provides facilities and equipment for research as well as a professional staff with expertise and experience in training/teaching in the vocational fields.
The primary aim is to fully prepare students for further education or for employment in various fields of the hospitality- and culinary sector.

This information is kindly provided by:

The Kopavogur Institute of Education (Menntaskólinn í Kópavogi)
Principal: Margrét Friðriksdóttir ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it )
Vice Principal: Helgi Kristjánsson ( hk@mk.is )
Director, Junior College: Steinunn Inga Óttarsdóttir ( sio@mk.is )
Director, School of Tourism: Helene H. Pedersen ( hhp@mk.is )
Director, Hospitality and Culinary School: Baldur Sæmundsson ( baldurs@mk.is )
International co-ordinator: Ásdís Ó. Vatnsdal ( av@mk.is )

Website: http://mk.is/

For further information on the education system in Iceland, visit the website of the Ministry of Education by clicking on this link: http://eng.menntamalaraduneyti.is/education-in-iceland/Educational_system/

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