In Botswana, the &Beyond Maun Hospitality Academy is opening a pathway into hospitality for young people from our three partner communities. What begins in the kitchen leads further: into lodge experience, mentorship, self-development and stronger career possibilities. Shaped by guest-powered impact, the Academy is designed not only to nurture local talent, but to expand future horizons.
Mystery box potential
Maun Hospitality Academy Botswana
Potential needs more than a chance. It needs a pathway.
Built on practice. And theory.
While this Academy is locally rooted, it is shaped by the wider &Beyond Academy framework: our formalised training curriculum, designed to give skills-building and career development both theoretical and practical grounding. Students spend eight months in Maun learning the foundations of professional kitchen work, before moving into four months of hands-on experience in fully operational &Beyond Botswana lodge kitchens. It is here that practice meets the pace, teamwork and expectations of service excellence.
Perfect circle.
What began with guest travel is now finding its way back to the table. Breads, biscuits and other &Beyond specialities are being produced by the Academy, building student skills while becoming part of the lodge experience. With catering events and a coffee shop in development, the aim is to grow from three fully funded students to six. Opportunity, making room for more.
A star story.
Trainer Goms Fernando knows the power of a beginning. More than 25 years ago, she joined &Beyond through the Stars-in-Training internship programme, before finding her way to the kitchen and, ultimately, to the role of Head Chef at &Beyond Sandibe Okavango Safari Lodge. Today, she brings that lived experience back to the Academy, helping others find their own beginning.
Seeding excellence.
Masterclasses in pastry, eggs, pasta, salads and meat are a key part of the students’ first eight months of training. These mentored, practical lessons give them the foundations of junior chef training and prepare them for four months in &Beyond Botswana lodge kitchens. There, daily breakfast, lunch and dinner service bring pace, precision and confidence to everything they have learned.
With strong partners, we go further.
&Beyond and our key impact partner, Wild Impact, work hand in hand to scale support for the landscapes and communities we touch.
Two Academy students are funded each year through the Wild Impact Community Leaders Education Fund (CLEF), a higher education bursary programme.
Every guest journey contributes to this momentum. Impact at scale. For the future.
