It’s no secret that Walt Disney World and the surrounding vacation destinations make Florida a hot bed for drawing and raising talent in the world culinary arts and hospitality. So it’s no surprise that Disney recently announced a $1.5 million investment in Valencia College to help fund the transformation and relocation of their culinary arts and hospitality program.
This investment will help fund state-of-the-art classrooms and cutting-edge equipment for students at the re-imagined Walt Disney World Center for Culinary Arts and Hospitality, providing a foundation that will open many doors to the future as local students pursue their dreams.
The Valencia College Downtown Campus, a shared campus with the University of Central Florida, will open to students for the fall 2019 semester and serve the downtown Orlando community to improve countless lives through the power of affordable education. The campus will serve as the heart of Valencia’s culinary and hospitality programming, offering degree programs, certificates, and workforce training.
In addition to the $1.5 million investment announced yesterday, the Walt Disney World Resort culinary team has partnered with Valencia College to provide expertise and experience as they refresh their culinary arts curriculum. Valencia College also recently joined the ever-growing network of schools included in the Disney Aspire program. Along with the University of Florida, University of Denver, Bellevue, Brandman and Wilmington Universities, Disney will offer its eligible Cast members the opportunity of 100-percent paid tuition upfront for a variety of degrees and programs through Valencia College—including culinary arts and hospitality programs.
