Coordinated by the Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore and featuring the participation of ANIR Confindustria, the Erasmus+ program involves eighteen organizations across six countries. It comprises eighteen micro-credentials linked to EQF levels—ranging from operational to managerial profiles—designed to make service sustainability measurable.
The European project RestaCOVE, coordinated by the Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore with the participation of ANIR Confindustria, aims to transform food service management into a sustainable model based on recognizable skills, assessable standards, and efficient organization. Launched on April 1, 2026, and scheduled to run for four years, the project involves eighteen organizations across six countries: Italy, Greece, Slovakia, Romania, Turkey, and Malta. The goal is not merely to improve sustainability but to translate it into measurable operational capabilities.
Eighteen micro-credentials, from level 3 to 7
The key element is the design of eighteen micro-credentials—tools that make specific skills recognizable, having been acquired through targeted training experiences and verified against transparent criteria. Linked to EQF qualifications, they are designed to support lifelong learning, professional mobility, and personnel recruitment. Simply attending a course is not enough; one needs to know the expected learning outcomes, how they are assessed, and the professional contexts in which they can be applied.
The credentials extend to profiles ranging from levels 3 to 7, covering operational, technical, and managerial roles. Their value will depend on the precision with which they are developed and tested: if learning outcomes are clearly defined, they can support more transparent career progression pathways. However, the project remains in its early stages, with needs analyses, educational models, on-the-job training, and digital tools still to be developed.
La sostenibilità si misura nel turno di lavoro
Scientific coordinator Michele Filippo Fontefrancesco emphasized that the transition to sustainability can only be achieved through a collective effort involving all workers, from operational staff to management. It is, in effect, like an orchestra where no section can remain silent: meal forecasting, surplus management, energy and water consumption monitoring, supply chain traceability, and food safety all require specific, clearly defined expertise.
The digital realm follows the same rule: technology yields quality only when information is accurate, roles are clearly defined, and people are capable of interpreting deviations. That is why on-the-job training becomes an integral part of the organization rather than a peripheral activity.
Impact on specifications and public procurement
The issue also concerns the contracting authority. Tender specifications and evaluation criteria can better acknowledge training, technical capacity, and organizational structure when professional profiles are defined in a clear and verifiable manner: service quality is not merely measured after the fact but is built beforehand—through the definition of required competencies, procedures, and controls. It is on this basis that the project will be evaluated, alongside the Italian delegation’s ability to link it to the “Public Food” system, viewed as an infrastructure for everyday welfare.
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